Chapter 8 in a nutshell
• Where are states?
– Problems of definition?
– Development of the state concept
– Geopolitical theories
• Why do boundaries cause problems?
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Shapes – This is mostly rubbish.
Types
Boundaries inside of states - gerrymandering
Political Fragmentation
• Cooperation between states
– Political, Economic, Military
• Terrorism
State as an organism
• Friedrich Ratzel – influenced by social
Darwinism
• States grow by population expansion
• States grow by absorbing smaller units
• The frontier reflects strength and growth, it
is not permanent
• This has endured: Geopolitics stems from
the interaction of power and territory.
State as an idea
• Political idea, political movement, political
area
• Israel:
– Balfour Declaration of 1917
– 1920: 60000 Jews, 600000 Arabs
– 1947: 600000 Jews, 1.1 million Arabs
– Britain announced intent to withdraw
– Independence in 1948 by U.N.
Lenin’s geopolitics
• Why hasn’t the revolution predicted by Marx
occurred?
• Lenin’s answer: imperialism
– Colonies are outlets for capital investment
• They provide sources of raw materials and captive markets
for goods
– Profits from imperialism allow workers allow higher
wages in homelands
• Imperialism leads to a spatial transfer of class
struggle
– From within state to international
– North-South Divide
Israel Growth
Heartland Theory
• Halford Mackinder
• East Europe ->
Heartland -> WorldIsland -> World
• Decreasing
importance of UK
• Fear of GermanyUSSR alliance
East/West Divide
• Communist vs Non-Communist
• Domino Theory
– Korea, Vietnam
• Sea containment of USSR
– Control key maritime “chokepoints”
– Cape of Good Hope, Panama, Suez,
Malaccan Strait, Bosporus,…
Pakistan
• British view:
– Religion was single-most important identity
– Partition inevitable
• Creation of Pakistan
– Paki – “pure”
– Acronym of ethnicities/territories
• Muslim nationalism arose during 1930s
– Hoped to preserve majority in Pakistan and
Bangladesh
Pakistan: A created nation
Problems
• Kashmir and India
• Shiite v Sunni
• Minorities
• Tribes vs Gov’t
• Poverty
• War on Terror vs US
Nationalism Debates
• Which comes first, the nation or the state?
• Why do some cultures consider
themselves to possess a national identity,
while others do not?
• Is nationalism latent, or actively created?
• Self-determination vs. rights of minorities
• What does the future look like with
transnationalism?
Gerrymandering
• Redrawing legislative
boundaries for the
purpose of benefiting a
particular party
Gerrymandering I
Florida’s 20th. Has elected Democrat Reps. since at least 1992.
Democrat nominees have run unopposed several times
Gerrymandering 2
1992
1997
1998
The 12th has historically
been Black and Democrat.
It is today about 50/50, but
still Democrat
2007
Gerrymandering
Typed of Districts
• Stacked: Encompass pockets of support.
• Packed: Concentrate opposition leaders into
“sacrificial” districts
• Cracked: Fragments opponents to have no
majority
Historically, cities with small African American
populations have been cracked, cities with large
populations have been packed and cracked.
Political Fragmentation in Cities
Political districts in Boulder County
Boulder County, City of Boulder, Boulder Valley
School District, Regional Transportation District,
University Hill General Improvement District, Boulder Urban Renewal
Authority, Boulder Regional Emergency Telephone Service Authority, Denver
Metropolitan Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, Central Area General Improvement
District, Boulder Valley Conservation District, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, Baseline
Water District, Boulder County/Gunbarrel General Improvement District, Cherryvale Fire Protection District, East
Boulder County Water District, Four Mile Fire Protection District, Sunshine Fire Protection District, City of Boulder Forest Glen Transit Pass
General Improvement District, Boulder Municipal Property Authority
...
Consequences of Political Fragmentation
• Special Districts are not subject to
municipal legal and financial controls.
– Want to create more taxes or issue more
debt? Then create a special district to do it for
you.
• “Stealth” government
• Makes it difficult to see “big picture”
• Often leads to inequality