Download Boundary Disputes - Doral Academy Preparatory

Geopolitics
The interplay between geography, power,
politics & international relations
G8 Meeting in Italy, 2009
A. Boundary Disputes
I.
Positional Dispute – disagreement over older antecedent
boundary (Peru-Ecuador)
II.
Territorial Dispute – disagreement over the
possession/control of land (i.e.: Kasmir; Somalia; Israel;
Kurds; Basques; Spratly Islands)
irredentism: territorial expansion (i.e.: Nazi Germany)
III.
Resource Dispute – over water, oil, sea (i.e.: Rio Grande
between the U.S. and Mexico; Iraq-Kuwait)
IV.
Functional Dispute – problem over use of land today (i.e.:
illegal immigration)
The “Iron
Curtain”
Major area of
dispute w/
Iraq in the
Persian Gulf
War (1990)
South China Sea – area of major territorial & resource disputes
Spratly Islands (rich in oil, claimed by six states)
Spratly Islands
B. Centripetal & Centrifugal Forces
Centripetal Forces: promote unity & cohesion
(i.e.: building roads, schools, armed forces, hospitals)
Centrifugal Forces: destabilize or weaken a state
(i.e.: separatist/autonomous movements; devolution; regionalism; tribalism)
Is nationalism a centripetal or centrifugal force?
“balkanization”?
The fragmentation of a region into smaller, hostile political
units
nationalism– creating a the concept of allegiance to one
single country or nation
ethnonationalism– where the “nation” is defined in
terms of ethnicity
Exs:
Scotland
Spain– Basques, Catalonia
Belgium– Flemish (Dutch) vs. Walloon (Fr.)
Former Yugoslavia
Russia– Chechnya
Quebec
Ethnic Regions in the Former
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia’s six republics
until 1992 included much
ethnic diversity. Brutal
ethnic cleansing occurred in
Bosnia, Croatia, and
Kosovo during the civil
wars of the 1990s.
Former USSR
Chechnya (Russia)
devolution: movement of power from the
central government to regional governments
within the state
What causes devolutionary movements?
Ethno-nationalism
Economic forces
Spatial forces
Devolution of States: Sri Lanka
The Sinhalese are mainly Buddhist and speak an Indo-European language,
while the Tamils are mainly Hindu.
Economic
Devolutionary
Movements
Catalonia, Spain
Barcelona is the center
of banking and
commerce in Spain and
the region is much
wealthier than the rest of
Spain.
Spatial
Devolutionary
Movements
Honolulu, Hawai’I
A history apart from the
United States, and a
desire to live apart in
order to keep traditions
alive.
European Devolutionary Pressures:
Regions Seeking Autonomy
Regions of European devolution due
to ethnonationalism –
Scotland, Belgium, & Bosnia
South Asia: India-Pakistan
At independence in 1947, British India was divided into India and Pakistan, resulting in the
migration of 17 million people and many killings. In 1971, after a brutal civil war, East Pakistan
became the country of Bangladesh.
India-Pakistan (Kashmir border)
C. Geopolitics:
the interplay between geography, power,
politics, & international relations
Classical Geopolitics
German School:
- Ratzel’s “organic state theory”
- the state is a living organism, surviving by “eating” less
powerful neighbors
British/American School:
- Mackinder’s “Heartland Theory”
- Spykman’s “Rimland Theory”
Geopolitical Strategies during the Cold
War:
Mackinder’s
view: a unified heartland land-based empire
Spykman’s view: a rimland sea-based power
Mackinder’s Heartland Theory
Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland
Who rules the Heartland commands the World
Island
Who rules the World Island commands the World
D. post-WW II World Order:
Bipolar World (1945-1991):
– U.S. vs. Soviet Union
– The “Cold War”
Multipolar World (1991-2000)
– international cooperation
– “New World Order”
Unilateral World (2000-2008)
– states taking individual action
The Obama Doctrine?
“… unafraid to deploy American power but
mindful that its use must be tempered by
practical limits & a dose of self-awareness.”
President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Singh of
India