Human Geography Political Geography Edited

1. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Chapter 10:
Political
Geographies
Chapter 10 Lecture
Katie Pratt
Macalester College
© 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.

2. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Key Concepts
Figure: Chapter 10 Opener - Palestinians
celebrating their bid for United Nations
statehood recognition.

3. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Political Geography
• Long-established subfield of geography
• Geopolitics
• Ratzel
• Territory
Figure 10.2 Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula.
this map shows the Crimean Peninsula seized by Russia in spring of 2014. The peninsula
contains a majority population of ethnic Russians. the united Nations and the united states
have refused to recognize Russia's claim to Crimea.
Figure 10.3 Boundary between rural and urban places. Some boundaries signal
differences in settlement activities that may actually be governed by land-use
regulations. the division between agricultural activities and suburban living is
clearly shown in this image.

4. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
• Geopolitics
– Geopolitics is the state's power to control space or territory
and shape international political relations.
• Ratzel
– geopolitical theory originated with Friedrich Ratzel (1844-
1904). Ratzel was greatly influenced by the theo- ries
embodied in social Darwinism
• His model portrays the state as behaving like a biological
organism, with its growth and change seen as natural and
inevitable. Ratzel's views continue to influence theorizing
about the state today through the conviction that geopolitics
stems from the interactions of power and territory.
• Territory
– may include both land and water, and even airspace--over
which a state exercises control and which is recognized by
other states is territory.

5. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Political Geography (cont'd)
Figure 10.1 The changing map of Europe 1924, 1989, 2014 the boundaries of the European
states have undergone dramatic changes since World War i. the changing map of Europe
illustrates the instability of international politics and the dynamism in the geography of
political boundaries.

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Boundaries and Frontiers
Figure 10.4a The U.S. –Mexico border.
Figure 10.4bThe U.S. –Canada border.
Apply your knowledge: Using Google Earth or aerial photographs, compare
and contrast the international boundaries between the U.S. and Canada and
between the U.S. and Mexico. How do they differ? How are they similar? Why
do these differences and similarities exist?
(a) The U.S. -Mexico border heavily patrolled and lined with barbed-wire chain-link fences along the highly
urbanized parts. Aerial surveillance is also extensive along the border. This photo shows the U.S. -Mexico
border along the Tijuana River estuary. (b) The U.S-Canada border crosses vast forests and is not as heavily
securitized, even around large population centers, as the southern border with Mexico.

7. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Frontier Regions
Figure 10.5 The last frontier, Antarctica even the uninhabitable terrain of antarctica has become a site for competition among states.
the radial lines delineating the various claims bear no relationship to the physical geography of antarctica; rather, they are
cartographic devices designed to formalize and legitimate colonial designs on the region. the overlay--the radiating lines from the
center of the landmass--reflect claims by those states to have exclusive access to the mineral wealth the mineral wealth of the
continent and the drive behind much of the territorial claims.
Apply your knowledge: Examine a map of the Gobi Desert. Identify which
countries are part of it. How might this frontier region have strategic political
significance for those countries? How does the desert terrain contribute to
that strategic significance?

8. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Politics at the Poles
• Politics on land versus water
• Antarctica: Politics on frozen land
• Arctic versus Antarctica
Figure 10.B Studying the frozen
sea.
Figure 10.A McMurdo Station.
Apply your knowledge: The Inuit Circumpolar Council calls for a new notion of
sovereignty that recognized the ways in which livelihoods cross between land and
water. How might this notion be taken up by low-lying island states whose land territory
is threatened by sea level rise?

9. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Boundary Formation
Figure 10.6 Democratic Republic of Congo’s
access to the sea Ocean access is a key need
of states as it allows them to send and receive
goods by way of contemporary container
tech- nologies, among other things.
Figure 10.7 Nested hierarchy of de jure territories
De jure territories are constructed at various
spatial scales. administrative and governmental
territories are often "nested," with one set of
territories fitting within the larger framework of
another, as in this example of region, department,
arrondissement, canton, and commune in France.

10. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
• Generally speaking, formal boundaries tend first to follow natural
barriers, such as rivers, mountain ranges, and oceans.
• Good examples of countries with important mountain-range
boundaries include France and Spain (the Pyrenees); Italy and
France, Switzerland, and Austria (the Alps); and India and Nepal
and China (the Himalayas).
• Chile, though, provides the ultimate example: a cartographic freak,
restricted by the Andes to a very long and relatively thin strip along
the Pacific coast.
• Examples of countries with boundar- ies formed by rivers include
China and North Korea (the Yalu and Tumen), Laos and Thailand
(the Mekong), and Zambia and Zimbabwe (the Zambezi). Similarly,
major lakes divide Canada and the eastern United States (along the
Great Lakes), France and Switzerland (Lake Geneva), and Kenya
and Uganda (Lake Victoria).

11. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Geopolitics and the World Order
• Nation-state
– State
– Nation
• Sovereignty
• Government
• Governance
• Citizenship
Figure 10.9 Independence for Tibet.
Figure 10.8 English Defense League, 2011.
Apply your knowledge: What is the
difference between being a subject and
being a citizen? How does the “imagined
community” relate to being a citizen?

12. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
• Nation-state refers to an ideal form consisting of a homo- geneous group of people
governed by their own state. In a true nation-state, no significant group exists that is
not part of the nation. and no significant portion of the nation is left outside of its
territorial boundaries.
– State is an independent political unit with recognized boundaries, although some
of these boundaries may be in dispute.
– Nation is a group of people sharing certain elements of culture, such as religion,
language, history, or political identity. Members of a nation recognize a common
identity, but they need not reside within a common geographical area.
• For example, the Kurdish nation includes members of Kurdish culture
throughout the world,
• Sovereignty is the exercise of state power over people and territory; that power is
recognized by other states and codified by international law.
• Government is the body or group of persons who run the administration of a country.
• Governance refers to the norms, rules and laws that are invoked to regulate a people
or a state.
• Citizenship is a category of belonging to a state that includes civil, political, and
social rights.

13. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Geopolitics and the World Order (cont’d)
• Multinational states
• Nationalism
• Federal state
• Unitary state
• Confederation
Figure 10.10 Independent states of the
former Soviet Union.
Figure 10.11 Celebrating
Kosovo’s independence.

14. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Geopolitics and the World Order (cont’d)
• State Theory
– Althusser
– Foucault
• Discourse
– Deleuze
– Biopolitics
Apply your knowledge: What is the state according to Althusser, Foucault,
and Deleuze? Compare and contrast each theorist’s contribution by reflecting
on what they say about power and the role of institutions.

15. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
The Arab Spring and Its Aftermath
Figure 10.C Arab Spring 2010–2011.
Apply your knowledge: Why are there different types of protests and different
responses by the various governments to them among the many countries that
participated in the Arab Spring?

16. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Geopolitics and the World Order (cont’d)
• Imperialism and colonialism
• Authoritative control
• Effects of colonialism
Figure 10.15 Curry restaurants, Brick
Lane, London.
Figure 10.12 Principle steps in the
process of exploration.

17. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Geopolitics and the World Order (cont’d)
Figure 10.14 Colonization and
independence in South America and
the Caribbean 1800–1850.
Figure 10.13 European colonies in
Africa, 1496–1912.

18. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Geopolitics and the World Order (cont’d)
• Orientalism
• Postcolonial studies
Figure 10.16 Refugees returning to
Rwanda.
Apply your knowledge: Find recent news articles about political issues in the
Middle East. Consider the articles from the perspective of Orientalism. How
do the articles depict the West and the Middle East? Is the West depicted as
being culturally superior to the Middle East?

19. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Geopolitics and the World Order (cont’d)
• North/South divide
• Decolonization
• International organization
• Neocolonialism
Figure 10.17 Countries participating in the
League of Nations.

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Geopolitics and the World Order (cont’d)
Figure 10.18 Independence in Asia and the South Pacific, before and after 1960.

21. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Geopolitics and the World Order (cont’d)
• Heartland theory
Figure 10.19 The heartland.

22. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Geopolitics and the World Order (cont’d)
• East/West divide
• Cold War
Figure 10.20 U.S. tourists in Cuba.

23. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Geopolitics and the World Order (cont’d)
• China and the East/West divide
Figure 10.21 Organizational chart of the Chinese Communist Party.

24. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Geopolitics and the World Order (cont’d)
• Domino theory
Figure 10.22 Domino theory.

25. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Global Military Spending
Figure 10.1.1 2013 U.S. military spending as a portion of the Federal budget.

26. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Global Military Spending (cont’d)
Figure 10.2.3 2013 military spending as a portion of GDP.

27. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
The New World Order and Terrorism
• Faith-based terrorism
Figure 10.23 The Oklahoma City Bombing
memorial. Figure 10.24 The assault on the World
Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Apply your knowledge: What do you think is the correlation between the
top military spending nations and their economic status? What do you think
is the link between security and military spending, or is there one?

28. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Global Corruption
• Petty, grand, and systemic corruption
Figure 10.D Global corruption percentage.

29. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
The War on Terror in Iraq
Figure 10.25 Cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.

30. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
The War on Terror in Iraq (cont’d)
Figure 10.26 The Caliphate of the Islamic State.
Apply your knowledge: How has the Iraq War affected your city and state?
How many soldiers from your area have been killed? In economic terms,
how much has the war cost your city and state?

31. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
New Regimes of Global Governance
• Transnational political
integration
• Supranational organization
• Superpowers declining?
• International regime
Figure 10.28 Membership in the EU.
Apply your knowledge: What are some examples of how global geopolitics is
changing the flow of political and economic power? How has the role of the
state changed over time?

32. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
New Regimes of Global Governance (cont’d)
Figure 10.27 The United Nations.

33. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
New Regimes of Global Governance (cont’d)
Figure 10.29 Members of the World Trade Organization, 2014.

34. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
New Regimes of Global Governance (cont’d)
• Human rights
• Children's rights
• Global civil society
Figure 10.30 International Declaration of Human Rights.
Apply your knowledge: Research
arguments made by the United
States about why it has not ratified
the UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child or joined the International
Criminal Court. Do you find the
arguments compelling?

35. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Politics of Geography
Figure 10.33 Kurdistan.
Figure 10.34 The 1860 Presidential election.

36. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Politics of Geography (cont’d)
Figure 10.31 Changing geography of Israel and Palestine, 1923–2014.

37. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Geographical Systems of Representation
• Democratic rule
• Territorial
organization
• Electoral college
• Reapportionment
• Redistricting
• Gerrymandering
Figure 10.37 North Carolina’s 12th congressional district.
Figure 10.35 U.S. geographical basis of representation.

38. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Geographical Systems of Representation
(cont'd)
Figure 10.36 The U.S. Electoral College.
Apply your knowledge: Use the
internet to forge a basic
understanding of how U.S.
electoral college works. Identify
advantages and disadvantages of
the system. Establish a position on
whether the United States should
retain the current system or
change it and defend this position,
making sure you address the
geographical issues involved.

39. © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Future Geographies
• Multipolar world
• Increasing ethnic conflict
• Bioterrorism
Figure 10.38 Global Peace Index.