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Political Culture & Evolution of the State: Political Geography. Brief History of ‘state’ and ‘sovereignty’ Terminology Characteristics of states Composition of states Functions of boundaries. Introduction. Political culture- every bit a component of a people as language or religion - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Political Culture & Evolution of the State: Political Geography
•Brief History of ‘state’ and ‘sovereignty’
•Terminology
• Characteristics of states
•Composition of states
•Functions of boundaries
• Political culture- every bit a component of a people as language or religion
• People adhere to political ideas as they would other cultural components
• Political systems are either secular, non-secular or based entirely on religion-−Theocracies- political laws and leaders
under divine guidance
Introduction
Key Points of Focus• Roughly 200 States on globe
• The modern State system is product of Euro roots-Sovereignty and Nation-state
• Concepts of Nations and States differ-historically
• State territory varies in size/shape
• State territories defined by international boundaries
• What makes states react the way they do to each other?
Can Europe create powerful/economic union despite Nationalistic concerns?
Russia struggles for identity and new place in world
The Balkans
War, genocide and refugees during 1990s
Israel/Palestine- Is Peace Possible?
Chechnya-Russia
Independence for this small Russian province?
Can China create political and social institutions that allow for
continued growth?
U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan: What is the best means to deploy U.S. influence?
Geography and Political Organization
Territoriality• How can it be explained?
−Effort by some to control pieces of earth surface for political means
−Instinct in humans, like animals
• Or, different circumstances arise that need to be analyzed separate from each other
• How are different territoriality strategies pursued and when
State and Nation: Terminology• State and country are interchangeable
• State: Latin meaning Status
• Some countries have internal divisions called states- like provinces (Canada) or territories (Australia)
• A nation may be larger than a state
• Nation has historic, ethnic, linguistic and religious connotations
• Many states are states, but not nations (in traditional sense of word)
Traditional Pillars of a Nation
Common history; not as a country but as a people
Same ethnic background
Common language
Common rule of law/gov’tal institutions
Are there Nation-states?• Virtually all states are characterized
by internal diversity
• Even in culturally heterogeneous states vast majority of people share strong sense of ‘nationalism’ or national spirit
• National spirit is contemporary way of viewing the concept of ‘nation’
Stateless Nations• Many countries are states, but not
nations
• Not one Nation-State exists in 2010- even France is not a Nation-State
• People w/out a state are Stateless-Nations−Palestinians, Native American tribes, Kurds−The mere fact Stateless-Nations exist is not
vital, the problems that occur because some are stateless is problematic
−The problems that exist is why the study of Stateless-Nations is important
Kurds are example of stateless-nation
Multi-Nation State• Republic of Cyprus
• The Euro Model−On Euro Continent the strength of rulers produced nat’l
cohesiveness−Economic revival sparked in 13/14th century & Dark Ages
passed−Treaties signed at the end of the Thirty Years’ War laid
foundation for state and sovereignty−Western Europe’s strong monarchies began to represent
something greater than authority−Renaissance led to greater prosperity, knowledge and
wealth−City-based merchants became more influential; cities grew
in importance; land as measure of affluence lost relevance
Rise of the Modern State
The Nation; the State; Sovereignty• Sovereignty: power rested in the hands of
the people; the nation
• Emerged after Thirty Years’ War
• Each nation should have its own sovereign territory
• Europe controlled much of world:− Defined, determined ground rules for emerging
internat’l state system− End of Colonial period led many emerging states
to model statehood after the Euro model
Spatial Characteristics of a state
• Physical and cultural properties:− States differ in as many ways as they are similar− Vast differences in size and population− State is a complex system & spirit of state is fragile− Boundaries often throw together people of various
cultures and ethnicities; false sense of belonging− To succeed, a state must foster sense of legitimacy− In order to be considered a state:
• Clearly defined territory• Substantial population• Authoritative/gov’t institutions• Recognized by other powers- Example: Northern
Turkish Republic of Cyprus (only recognized by Turkey); is it really a sovereign state if only recognized by Turkey?
Territory• State must have territory to exist
• Territorial Morphology- size, shape, and relative location vary from state to state
• Territorial characteristics can and do pose opportunities and challenges
• Large states have greater chance of having wide range of environments and resources
• United States’ abundance of natural resources have enabled it to be the power it is in late 20th century and early 21st
• Former Soviet Union had abundance of resources, but too many obstacles to adequately take advantage of them
State Shapes and Forms
Territorial Morphology
Name that Shape!!
Relative Location
• Can have more effect than size and shape of country
• Resource-rich location
• Relation to global mainstream of activity
• Enclave and Exclaves
• Landlocked- face locational challenges(9 of 20 poorest nations landlocked) * according to Global Facilitation Partnership for Trans and Trade
• Political instability of coastal neighbors is problematic
State that must traverse, at least one other, for
access to the sea
Soil loss in Mongolia
Enclaves/Exclaves
Landlocked
•2008: 44 landlocked countries
•Country is cut from sea business: fishing & international trade
Establishment of Boundaries
Size, Shape & Location
Evolution of boundaries
Boundary types
States Differ
• Territorial size
• Shape
• Demography
• Regime
• Organizational Structures
• Resources
• Development
Relative Location
• Size & shape do not determine political, social, economic well-being
• One must consider a country’s location on globe
• Location can/will determine a country’s foreign policy
Evolution of Boundaries
• Three Stages
• Agreement is reached and exact location is established—Definition
• Cartographers place boundary on map—Delimination
• Borders marked by walls, fences, etc..—Demarcation−Not all boundaries are demarcated though
Functions of Boundaries• Walls used to keep
people from moving across boundaries
• Today- boundaries mark the limit of state jurisdiction
• Serve as state symbols of sovereignty and foster nationalism
Internal Boundaries
• Needed for administrative purposes
• Examples: United States, Canada, India
• Some countries have cultural divides that do not show up on ma− The Former
Yugoslavia is case-in-point
Boundary Disputes
• Typically exist from following four:− Definition− Location− Operation− Allocation
Land Boundaries
• A boundary is a Vertical Plane
• Cuts through subsoil and airspace
• Becomes problem when referring to resources—coal, oil, natural gas
The Former USSR
• 100 ethnicities and two predominate religions
• Armenia- Christian, Azerbaijan- Muslim
• Soviets squelched religion
• Set up boundaries that would allow control
• Enclaves/exclaves created to keep religions together
• Soviet control crumbled leaving war and conflict
Types of Boundaries
• Lines of latitude and longitude
• Rivers, Mountains, deserts
• Geometric Boundary—straight line boundaries
• Physical-Political or Natural-Political−Natural characteristics of land provide border−Rio Grande, Great Lakes, Pyrenees
Cultural-Political Boundaries
• Boundaries that are created to keep certain ethnicities and/or nationalities together
• USSR in Armenia and Azerbaijan
• Yugoslavia-Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Albania