Human Geography Places and Regions in Global Context

Human Geography: Places and Regions in Global Context, 5 e Chapter 9: The Politics of Territory and Space Paul L. Knox & Sallie A. Marston Power. Point Author: Keith M. Bell

The Politics of Territory and Space Political geography, a subfield of the discipline of geography, examines complex relationships between politics and geography (both human and physical). Political geographers recognize that the relationship between politics and geography is two-way: the geography of politics and the politics of geography. The relations between politics and geography are often driven by particularly theories and practices of the world’s states. Political geography deals with the phenomena occurring at all scales of resolution, from the global to the individual: East/West and North/South divisions dominate international politics. Regionalism, sectionalism, and other divisions dominate intrastate politics. Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

The Development of Political Geography Geopolitics is the state’s power to control space or territory and shape the foreign policy of individual states and international political relations. Friedrich Ratzel, a German geopolitical theorist and social Darwinist, portrayed the state as behaving like a biological organism; geopolitics stems from the interactions of power and territory. Russia’s intervention in Georgian state politics in 2008 was a reassertion of Russia’s sphere of political (and military) influence. Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

The Geopolitical Model of the State Ratzel employed biological metaphors adopted from Charles Darwin to describe his seven laws of state growth: The space of the state grows with the expansion of the population having the same culture (e. g. , Hitler’s Lebensraum). Territorial growth follows other aspects of development. A state grows by absorbing smaller units. The frontier is the peripheral organ of the state that reflects the strength and growth of the state; hence, it is not permanent. States in the course of their growth seek to absorb politically valuable territory. The impetus for growth comes to a primitive state from a more highly developed civilization. The trend toward territorial growth is contagious and increases in the process of transmission. Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

The Changing Map of Europe Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition

Boundaries U. S. –Mexico border Rural–urban boundary Some borders are exclusionary, like the heavily patrolled U. S. –Mexico Tijuana River estuary, while others signal differences in settlement activities that may be governed by land-use regulations. Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

Boundaries and Frontiers India/Pakistan border Fall of the Berlin Wall The delimited area over which a state exercises control, and which is recognized by other states, is territory. Such an area may include both land water, and may be highly contested the fringes. Knox/Marston: Places and at Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.

Boundary Formation Geometric boundary formation De jure territories Formal boundaries tend first to follow natural barriers, such as rivers, mountain ranges, and oceans. Where no natural features occur, formal boundaries tend to be fixed along most. Context, practical device: a straight line. Knox/Marston: Placesthe andeasiest Regionsand in Global Fifthcartographic Edition Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.

Township-and-Range System Formal boundaries often detour from straight lines and natural barriers in order to accommodate special needs and claims. After primary divisions have been established, internal boundaries tend to evolve as smaller, secondary territories are demarcated. U. S. Land Ordinance of 1785 Northwest Territories Act of 1803 Homestead Act of 1863 Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

States and Nations Given that nations were created out of very diverse populations, it is not surprising that no entirely pure nation-states exist today. Nationalism is the feeling of belonging to a nation, as well as the belief that a nation has a natural right to determine its own affairs. The history and the present status of the former Soviet Union also clearly illustrates the tensions among and between state, nations, and nationalism. Tsarist Russia; USSR; CIS Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

Soviet State Expansionism Soviet expansion in the 1940– 1950 s was a product of Lenin’s ideas about the spread of Bolshevism: once international inequalities were diminished and the many nationalities became one Soviet people, nationalism would be replaced by communism. Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

Independent States of the Former USSR By 1988, grassroots national movements were emerging in the Baltic states and elsewhere as a reaction to Gorbachev’s glastnost and perestroika. By 1991, the relatively peaceful breakup of the Soviet Union was under way, and new states had emerged to claim independence. Knox/Marston: Places andtheir Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.

Imperialism and Colonialism South America: 1496– 1667 Africa: 1496– 1912 Knox/Marston: Places and Regions

British Colonialism in India Orientalism is a discourse that posits the West as culturally superior to the East. Westerners deemed Orientals (e. g. , Arabs, Indians, etc. ) inferior and in need of disciplining in the eyes of the superior and enlightened colonizer. But, in the case of India, Indian and British cultural practices intermingled, changing both. Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

Decolonization Africa Asia and the South Pacific Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context,

Mackinder’s “Heartland Theory” Mackinder’s world-view map provides a good example of how cartographic representations can be employed to support ideological arguments. Notice the dominant area of the “Pivot. ” Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

East/West Divide: Domino Theory The East/West divide refers to the gulf between communist and noncommunist countries, respectively. American foreign policy pitched it against the Soviet Union after WWII. Domino theory held that if one country in a region chose or was forced to accept a communist political and economic system, neighboring countries would fall to communism as well. NATO was formed in 1949 to safeguard the Western core countries against Soviet expansion. The Vietnam War was the most serious global manifestation of the Cold War. Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

Afghanistan and the Khyber Pass Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition

Afghanistan An important transportation and diffusion axis over the centuries, Afghanistan. Greeks, Mongols, British, Russian, and now Americans found this landlocked nation a transition point between regions of Central Asia and South Asia. Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

Opposition to the New World Order At the end of the Cold War (1991), Pres. H. W. Bush proclaimed a “new world order, ” where the United States became the sole superpower. With the political, economic, and cultural dominance of the United States comes the worldwide promotion of liberal democracy and transnational capitalistic growth. Both domestic and international opposition to these “Western ideals” came in the form of asymmetrical warfare (e. g. , Murrah Federal Building, 9/11 attacks, U. S. S. Cole, U. S. embassy bombings in Africa, etc. ), termed by most as “terrorism. ” Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

War in Iraq: Casualties and Outcomes Since former Pres. Bush’s troop surge in 2007, violence has diminished across Iraq. Moreover, military troop buildup was coupled with financial incentives to Iraqi groups to quell violence. Ethnic cleansing of minorities in Shia/Sunni dominated neighborhoods also reduced tensions between the factions. Kurdish autonomy in northern Iraq poses unity problems within the country, as well as cross-border tensions with the U. S. ’s NATO ally, Turkey. Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

State Terrorism in Chechnya The Northern Caucasus region Grozny refugees Chechnya provides a useful example of state terrorism. It also provides an illustration of the complexity of terrorism as a concept by showing that it can be practiced by both individuals as well as institutions, by rogue forces as well as legitimate ones. Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

Transnational Political Integration A supranational organization is a collection of individual states with a common goal that may be economic and/or political in nature. These organizations also reduce the independence of individual states. Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

European Union The goal of the EU is to increase economic integration and cooperation among the 27 member states. Twelve recent members show the growth of the organization into eastern Europe. Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

Regionalism and Sectionalism At a demonstration in Germany, Kurdish immigrants hold up signs on behalf of Abdullah Ocalan, the Kurdish rebel leader who founded the Kurdistan Workers Party (the PKK), and undertook armed attacks on the Turkish government in order to secure an independent Kurdish state. Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010

U. S. Presidential Elections 1860 1992 In the 1860 election, sectionalism played a role as none of the slave-holding states voted for Lincoln. Third party candidates can be successful at gaining electors when they are geographically concentrated, but as the 1992 vote shows, garnering popular votes does not ensure that electoral votes will follow (i. e. , Ross Perot). Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson

The Geography of Politics Hierarchy of representation Gerrymandering Democratic rule is a system in which public policies and officials are directly chosen by popular vote. Territorial organization is a system of government formally structured by area, not by social groups. But in the practice of redistricting for partisan purposes, known as gerrymandering, boundaries of districts are redrawn to advantage a particular political party or candidate. Knox/Marston: Places and Regions in Global Context, Fifth Edition Education, Inc. Copyright © 2010 Pearson