Module 3: Geopolitics
Movie Narration
Slide 1. Image: the Earth from space
Geopolitics:
The prefix “geo” means “earth,” so when someone uses it, we are usually referring to something dealing with the land or the planet. In our case today, we are going to be talking about the ways that things of the earth, both its physical features and its human inhabitants, influence politics. We’ll start out by talking about physical geography, then we’ll move on to human geography, and we’ll end by discussing nations and states.
Slide 2. Image: a photo of the San Francisco Peaks
We are going to begin today by talking about physical geography. This is simply the physical features that make up our planet. You may be thinking, what in the world do mountains like the San Francisco Peaks, or waterways like the Colorado River, or climate have to do with world politics? The answer is, quite a bit. So, let’s look at just a few physical geographic features that influence world politics.
Slide 3. Image: a hand holding a diamond
Resources are the first aspect of physical geography. These are things like diamonds, or oil, or trees that exist in parts of the world and are considered valuable. How does this matter for politics? Well, if diamonds come from one part of the world (Africa or Russia) and people in another part of the world want them, then there is going to be a lot of trade flowing back and forth. And, if people and states want them bad enough, they may be willing to go to war over them, or to bribe bad governments to get them, or to force people to work in horrible conditions to get them as cheaply as possible and sell them for lots of money. So, resources might be a blessing for a state (“hey, the world wants to buy our stuff”) or they might be a curse (“hey, the world is invading, and polluting, and bribing, and hurting us to get our stuff”). This last perspective is known as the resource curse, and suggests that a developing state with many natural resources might actually be cursed in terms of economic, social and political development, because those resources draw in too much foreign meddling, making life worse for the citizen.
Slide 4. Image: a photo of a dry river bed
Cimate is the second aspect of physical geography. By this we mean the average temperature of a part of the world, or the average rainfall, or the fertility of the soil. Why does this matter for politics? Well, states with fertile soil and a lot of rain can grow plenty of food to feed their citizens and can probably even sell food to other countries. States with too much rain may suffer from frequent floods, which could kill people and weaken a state. Places with not enough rain will struggle to grow enough food, and may find people starting wars or conflict over access to water or food.
Slide 5. Image: a photo of the Swiss Alps
Mountains and mountain ranges also impact world politics. Look at the Swiss Alps. They provide an effective barrier against other states invading, and also allow the Swiss to mind their own business and brag about their neutrality.
Slide 6. Image: a photo of the Nile River
Waterways, such as rivers and seaports are also very significant. Why does a river help a state politically? Well, it provides plenty of fresh water to drink, a way to transport goods, and can be a means to help a state gain power and influence. Just think about the world’s major cities. Almost all of them are located on rivers or on accessible seaports.
Slide 7. Image: da Vinci’s Vitruvian man
Now we turn to the next aspect of geopolitics: human geography. Now we are looking at human activities and identities. We don’t want to pay attention to where the rivers and mountains are, but we want to see where the people are, what they are like, and what characteristics they have.
Slide 8. Image: a photo of many people
Population is one of the biggest issues of human geography. The reality is that the world’s population has grown to more than 7 billion people. And, this population growth is expected to continue to increase at an even more rapid pace.
Slide 9. Image: a graph showing population growth in the developed and developing worlds
Notice how population growth has increased. It makes sense, because families usually have more than one child, those children grow up and have more than one child, so population growth is exponential. Notice the difference between the developing and developed or industrialized worlds. Population growth in the industrialized world (that means the wealthiest states like the US, Canada, Japan) is flat. But the developing world’s population continues to soar.
Slide 10. Image: map of population growth around the world
Why does population growth matter for world politics? Well, notice the places that are growing the fastest. They are also largely the places that are already the poorest and least developed. More population could be good: more people to work, new ideas, new energy.
Slide 11. Image: a picture of Malthus and a graph of his theory
However, more population could also be bad: more people to feed, more competition for existing resources like food and water, more people who are angry at the government for not giving them a better life. In the 1700s a man named Malthus worried about growing population. He was especially concerned about the ability of all these extra people to grow enough food. He came up with a theory that showed at a certain point where the population would increase beyond the ability of the world to feed itself. Once we reached that point of conflict, he predicted that famine, disease, and war over food would result.
Slide 12. Image: a graph of modern population and food supply
However, Malthus couldn’t predict how things would change in the future. In fact, humans have figured out how to grow more food from each acre of land. Through the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation, we have managed to expand the food supply. As this slide shows, we now grow enough food to feed everyone. But, that won’t continue forever. As population continues to grow, we will reach a point where we can’t grow enough food. Plus, the use of all those fertilizers and pesticides is possibley creating long-term environmental damage. So, the human geography of population and population growth could help us perhaps understand conflict, pressure on natural resources, and environmental damage.
Slide 13. Image: map of the Balkan states
Now we will consider the difference between states and nations. Here is a map of the states in a region of Europe called the Balkans. As we talked about in the last module, states only became the major actors in world politics after the Peace/Treaty of Westphalia. Since that time, most political scientists focus on states as the main way to divide up the world. Well, what is a state? It is a geographic entity, defined by internationally recognized borders, and is sovereign over its territory and people. So, sounds pretty simple, right? Not always. Notice that blue state right below Serbia labeled “Kosovo.” Kosovo wants to be a state. It declared its independence in 2008 from Serbia, it has held elections, it has a president and a flag. But, is it really a state? According to Serbia, the answer is no. They consider Kosovo a Serbian territory that is in rebellion. What do other states in the world think? Some recognize Kosovo as a state, others don’t. They do not have an official seat in the United Nations. And, they are not alone.
Slide 14. Image: a map of Kurdistan
This map shows us a group of states in a region of the Middle East. We can see the state borders of Turkey, Syria, Iran, Iraq. What else does this map show? The nation of Kurdistan. What is a nation? It is a group of people, sharing the same common identity. This identity often includes history, religion, language, culture, ethnicity etc. We use the term “Navajo Nation” in exactly this way. Does every nation have their own state? No. In fact, most states are made up of people from a number of different nations. The US is an example of this. However, some nations of people have been treated terribly by states, so they want to have their own state. Kosovo, which we saw in the previous map, is trying to do this. Kurdistan, in this map, would like to do this too. But, do you see the problem? Why would the states of Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq want to give up their territory? So, we often see nations fighting against states to try to gain their independence.
Slide 15. Image: a photo of Navajo Code Talkers
This is where we consider the idea of nationalism. This is a belief that glorifies one’s own nation. People being proud of their nation, as these Navajo Code Talkers are, can be a good thing. Nationalism can build pride, it can pull people together, it can protect national identity and culture and language.
Slide 16. Image: photo of Russian ultra-nationalists marching
However, nationalism can also be a bad thing. Nationalism can lead people to think other nations are inferior, or dangerous, or enemies to be fought. Some nationalists think that their state should only be for members of their nation, and people from other nations, like Kurds living in Turkey, should be forced out. In this respect, nationalism leads to conflict and sometimes even war.
Slide 17. Image: a map of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip
So, when we look at a map of Israel, and we consider the fact that there is an Israeli Jewish nation and a Palestinian nation, both claiming the same land, are we surprised that there is so much conflict? Both sides say they should have control over the land. Both want to be the internationally recognized state. Palestine is pushing to be recognized as a state, but Israel doesn’t want to give up their land. Nationalism is fueling the conflict on both sides.
Slide 18. Image: a photo of the earth from space
So, one earth, with a whole lot of geopolitical things going on. Natural resources, human resources, states and nations, all interacting with one another.
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