Human Geo Unit 6 Reading Guide
Law of the Sea: A state's territorial seas extend ___ nautical miles and its exclusive economic zone extends ___ nautical miles. What power do states have over their territorial seas and what do they have access to in the EEZ? How does China claim the South China Sea?
12, 200, complete sovereignty over territorial (no one can enter w/out permission), EEZ: not full sovereignty, have sole access to resources found there, exclusive rights to generate natural (water/wind) energy in EEZ, China: says historical claims to sea back to 15th century, claimed 90% sea after WWII and is building artificial islands because 200 miles extends to include country's islands
How long and wide is the DMZ? Who supported North Korea during the war? Who supported South Korea? How have more links recently been formed connecting North and South Korea?What do Guttenfelder's pictures reveal? Why did he have to defend them?
150 miles long, 2.5 miles wide, North: China/Soviet, South: United Nations/US, reconnected railways and roads, discussions about connecting the 2 have taken place, pics: North Koreans live regular lives like the rest of the world, but leaders are prominently shown in many places and tourists don't visit, defended because people don't believe that there's normal life and normal people in the closed off country
What happened at the Berlin Conference? How is the Rwandan genocide a byproduct of European imperialism? Define devolution
1884: European leaders defined boundaries between their conquered African territories, Africans weren't present and no consideration was given for previous boundaries, genocide: 1994, Hutus slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Tutsis, European imperial powers took wealth/ established export driven economies, and created the conditions for conflict, differences between the 2 groups were worsened by Belgium b/c rulers favored Tutsis over Hutus (better jobs/education), def: when the central power in a state is broken up among regional authorities within its borders
The 1st example of a supranational organization in modern history was the League of Nations. When and why was it created? What did the League of Nations eventually give way to? What does NATO stand for and why was it created? How many members does it have today?
1920, Allied Forces came together after WWI, spurred by public demand for lasting peace, formed organization for international coorperation, guiding principle: war's a crime against humanity and it's duty of all states to work together to prevent it, gave way to United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, mostly military collaboration in response to occupation of parts of central/E Europe by Soviet after WWII, 29
The UN recognizes ___ countries, but not every member state of the UN agrees on which countries are independent and which are not. What is Palestine's statehood status?
195, UN as a whole recognizes it as a state (137 members), but 56 members don't, map: most of latin America, Africa, Asia (all), East Europe do, North america, west Europe, australia don't
Provide 2 positives of federalist states. In a federal system, gov efficiency occurs when local govs can tend to ___ needs. How did federalism contribute to the spread of racial segregation in the US?
1: allows room for diversity (multiple parties in power in different ares of country, keeps oppression from 1 authority at bay), 2: attention to local issues boosts political participation among citizens, local, during civil rights era those who wanted segregation claimed US states' rights and avoided federal discrimination laws, used power of regional units to support own interests and avoid federal consequences
Explain 3 advantages of unitary states. Use Singapore and Netherland in your answer.
1: tend to have fewer gov agencies (especially w/taxation), 2: tend to be less corrupt at the local level, 3: efficiency: laws are implemented quickly/ evenly/fairly and w/less duplication, ex: Singapore: gov made plan for transportation and made agency called Land Transport Authority (LTA) to oversee implementation and maintain transportation system, b/c LTA connected directly to original plan upgrades/expansions implemented quickly/fairly, Netherlands: decentralization applied, central gov gave certain tasks/responsibilities to regional/local units, ex: youth care, local govs handled youth-related issues and tend to needs in a timely manner w/local social teams (groups of experts in each unit)
How did the Supreme Court's ruling of Pennsylvania's districts favor Democrats?
2018: court ruled that district map drawn by Republicans in 2011 was gerrymander violating state's constitution, court drew own map and ordered both parties to use it, partisan voters evenly split in state, 2016: Democrats had 5 of 18, 2018 with court map: even split, 9 each
Define centripetal force in the context of political geography. Provide 3 general examples of centripetal forces.
A force that draws people together to support the sovereignty of the state, ex: attack by an enemy causes people of country to unite against common foe, education/mass media promote shared culture/language within state, gov policies allow for expressions fo difference within country
What's a chokepoint and provide both a historical and present day example.
A narrow, strategic passageway to another place that's difficult to pass through, historical ex: Thermopylae (Mt pass in Greece, Greek force of 7k men held off invading Persian army of 70-300k men for 3 days in 480 BCE), historically important for military campaigns, present day ex: waterways, Strait of Malacca: between Malaysia/Indonesia/ Singapore, chokepoint for everything shipped by sea between Europe/Africa/SW and S Asia to E Asia
Using ASEAN and the EU, explain the economic benefits of trade within a supranational organization. What would be the advantage of a European country to be part of NATO? Which 8 countries make up the Arctic Council?
ASEAN: some states not economically strong but together GDP approaching $3T, reduced trade barriers and restrainst (i.e embargoes/tariffs), EU: free trade system, no borders for trade between member countreis= no customs and easier/faster trade operations, advantage: better protected by military forces b/c combined forces NATO has more military strength than individual countries, 8: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, US
What do all states face and what's this process called? How can physical geography pose a challenge to the sovereignty of a state? Use the following words in your response: friction of distance and topographic features. Explain why the Philippines is challenging to govern
All face a range of divisive pressures that stress their existing structure, and this process is called devolution. Friction of distance: More distance between 2 places= less quantity and quality of interaction. Fragmented (i.e country's group of islands) or disrupted by major topographic features (mts, deserts, etc.). Philippines is fragmented, 13 million people, half pop lives in rural areas, prone to natural disasters, poor infrastructure
What's a supranational organization and what are the different types? Why do states join such organizations?
Alliance of 3+ states working together for common goals or to address shared issue/challenge, goals can be economic/political/ military/ cultural or combination, some formed w/treates while others considered general alliances, join: states see advantage in working w/other member countries or want to avoid disadvantages of being left out of group
Define types of boundaries and give examples: antecedent, subsequent, consequent, superimposed geometric, relic
Antecedent: established before many people live there, ex: boundary of US and Canada (established before many settlers moved west), subsequent: drawn in area with people and where cultural landscapes already exist/in process, ex: many boundaries in Europe like France and Germany, consequent: type of subsequent, take into account existing differences within a cultural landscape and separates groups with distinct traits like language or religion, ex: new states formed after Soviet Union broke up and Yugoslavia dissolved, superimposed: drawn over existing boundaries by an outside force, ex: Africa w/Berlin conference, geometric: mathematical, typically follow lines of latitude/longitude, straight line between two points, ex: many states in W US (Colorado, Wyoming, Utah), relic: used to be boundaries but no longer used, ex: boundary between E and W Germany
Who is Abu Sarah?
Arab who was against Jews, learned Hebrew and got to know some Jews, started a company that gives tours of Israel and Palestinian territories narrated by diverse guides to help Jews and Arabs come together
How could the events that took place on 9/11 be considered a centripetal force in the US? What about the fire that broke out on the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral- how did that unite the French people at the time? What are different things that can aid in the formation of a strong national identity?
Attack brought people together to help America and face a common foe (terrorists), French: had unrest occuring w/protests against issues but while cathedral burned Parisians gathered and watched the destruction of a symbol of Paris, united in mourning despite unrest, aid: singular ethnicity/religion/language, common social/ economic standards, strong infrastructure, strong patriotic leader, fair and just legal system
How did Nigeria respond to devolutionary forces?
Brok country up into subnational political units, 1960s: different ethnic group dominated each of 3 regions of country, conflict between them threatened country's unity, gov borke into 12 states to lessen power held by each 3 main regions, decision= civil war as a region tried to declare independence, gov held country together (partly w/help $ from oil boom after war), 36 states now
How do countries control their land at the national scale? Define territoriality
By forming borders and establishing a national identity in many ways (i.e names/flags/anthems/ citizenship requirements), def: a person or group trying to affect/influence/control people, phenomena, and relationships by determining boundaries and controlling a geographic area
List 6 choke points. What's the significance of the Strait of Hormuz?
Cape of Good Hope (S tip Africa), Danish Strait (S tip Sweden), Bab el-Mandeb (S tip Saudi Arabia), Turkish strait (NW tip Turkey), Suez Canal (NE tip Africa), Strait of Hormuz (between Iran/Oman, intersection Persian Gulf/Gulf of Oman), significant choke point on global oil trade, Iran got sanctions and suggested it could disrupt cargo traffic in the waterway to get rid of the sanctions
Explain how economic issues have fueled devolutionary movements in Spain
Catalonia has many citizens who feel like victims of funding discrimination by Spanish gov, believe gov takes too much their tax $ and unfairly redistributes it to poorer regions of Spain, govs often redistribute revenue to reduce gap between rich/poor regions but Catalonians think redistribution is dividing country as provides more resources per capita to poorer regions than comes back to Catalonia for its essential services, also point out that more autonomous Basque Country doesn't have to send all its tax revenue to Madrid
How might a map produced by the Chinese gov differ from one produced by the US gov?
Chinese map doesn't recognize Taiwan as a separate country while the US does
How did Sudan respond to devolutionary forces?
Civil war 1955, attempts for democratic gov failed and military forces pushed Islamic ideals for national unity, years of fighting between N/S= powerful devolutionary force, 2011: people of S voted independence, country split to Sudan/S Sudan
Gerrymandering: What are teh "collar counties"? Districts, both at the state and national level, must be ____- they need to represent the same number of people- this is called ____ representation. Which state gained the most electors after the new census? Which area lost the most? In 2019, the Supreme Court decided that the question of _____ gerrymandering was a political one that must be resolved by the elected branches of government, and not a legal question that the federal courts must decide. Republican lawmakers support majority-minority districts because it makes it more likely that white conservative politicans will win the other districts- black and ___ Americans tend to vote ____. Voters are _____- their vote doesn't count because the district has been drawn so their party can't win. In Iowa non-____ Legislative Agency draws redistricting plans. Whenever possible, it must set district boundaries tha tmatch the boundaries of political subdivisions such as ___ and keep to a min the number of countire or cities ____ into more than 1 district. Law also requires that districts be reasonably ____ in shape— def: "square, rectangular, hexagonal...and not irregularly shaped"
Counties surrounding Cook Country in Chicago metropolitan area: DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will (all county) Fair, proportional, Texas, NE, partisan, Latino, Democratic, disenfranchised, partisan, counties, split, compact
What did the EU's constitution do and why were member states hesitant to ratify it? What's the biggest challenge to member states of the EU?
Created an office of EU presidents, gave EU power over foreign policy decisions, gave more power to EU courts and parliament, some countries felt the constitution threatened their own sovereignty, challenge: financial distress of certain members, Greece fell into debt, borrowed from EU but couldn't pay back, EU loaned $ to keep making payments, bailout came w/strict austerity measures (cuts in gov spending), program end 2018 but Greece still economically unstable
What's a shatterbelt and where do they exist?
Def: instability in regions, in one states form/join/break up because of ongoing conflicts among parties and because they're caught between the interests of more powerful states, often exist in areas with violence for many years due to long lasting antagonism between the religious/ethnic/linguistic groups there, said hostilities can be worsened by outside powers looking to expand their own influence over the region
Define self-determination. How did the idea of self-determination play a key role in the splitting up of Yugoslavia?
Def: right of all people to choose their own political status, role: groups in country asserted their self-determination and mad independent states (Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, etc), had conflict between ethnic group and decided to dissolve Yugoslavia entirely, country became 7 w/own political status
Define colonialism and explain how neocolonialism is different. How is Kenya an example of neocolonialism?
Def: the practice of claiming and dominating overseas territories, difference: colonialism claims territory as part of a country while neocolonialism uses economic/political/cultural/other pressures to control or influence already existing countries, i.e former African colonies, Kenya: need new railroad, 2014: gov paid Chinese gov to build new railroad ($3.8B), will leave Kenya in debt to China for many years and China controls when and how railroad is built
Define imperialism, and give examples of the impact of British and Spanish colonialism/imperialism
Def: the push to create an empire by exercising force/influence to control other nations/peoples, ex: language: English in US/Australia, Spanish in Latin America, Religion: Latin America has world's largest % of Catholics (Portuguese/spanish colonists/missionaries)
How can cultural diversity act as a centrifugal force? When is it considered that a state is failing?
Differences between groups in same country sometimes so deeply rooted conflict arises despite unification efforts, leaders must balance interests of said groups (usually w/fed gov) failing: when centrifugal forces strong enough to threaten state's sovereignty and the gov can no longer provide services essential to governing
Disadvantages of unitary states: 1. Highly centralized govs can become ____ from local areas and lose touch with the issues concerning people living there. 2. They tend to favor the ____ or ____ dominant group, resulting in govs that issue one sided policies that ignore the concerns of ____ groups and ____ cultures. 3. Unitary govs can be ___ than federal ones in responding to ____ issues. 4. They may also fail to ____ distribute goods and services to ____ areas. How does federalism work?
Disconnected, politically, culturally, minority, local, slower, local, equitably, peripheral, federalism: country's power is more broadly shared between federal gov and its regional units, regional units maintain greater autonomy/have own govs and have more authority to administer their regional territories to meet the needs of diverse groups.
Organizing space: other countries operate as nation-states, allowing the ___ group to rule, while sizeable ethnic minorites reside as ___ class citizens. France (immigrant workers from ___ ____) and China (____). The US is a multi-ethnic stae, as with most countries, due to ___ migration. Every state in the world is to a varying degree ____.
Dominant, second, North Africa, Tibet, global, multiethnic
Explain how economic issues have fueled devolutionary movements in Canada
E Canada (Ontario/Quebec) mostly manufacturing/white collar jobs while W Canada has natural resources, farming/forestry/mineral deposits bring tons of revenue, Prairie Freedom Movement argues W provinces whould have more control over revenue to invest in areas that generate wealth instead investing in welfare of E Canada
Briefly describe how the world map has changed over the years from early civilizations to today.
Early: vague borders, as groups claimed land over the centuries borders became more defined
How is the US president elected? Be specific: how many electoral votes are needed? How many total electoral? Based off the pop projection changes of the 2020 census, which state gained the most seats? Which state lost the most? How does this reflect internal migration patterns? Which political party stands to gain the most?
Electoral college, need 270, total: 538 (members of Senate and House, 3 votes for Washington DC), Texas, New York, people moving West and South= more people there while eastern states lose pop and electoral power, Republican
Give an example of a multistate nation and explain why. How is Iraq an example of a multinational state?
Ethnic Russian because large numbers of them live outside Russia with many in several countries once belonging to the Soviet Union, Iraq has Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish pops
Which nations live in Cyprus? What did archaeologist Anna Antoniou find out after talking to both nations?
Ethnic majority Greek and ethnic minority Turkish, may have border dividing economies and govs, but most residents feel like they're part of the same culture and want to be a unified island, believe they have a single ethnic/cultural identity with Greek and Turkish being secondary, have stronger bond with each other than mainland counterparts
With regards to Crimea, irredentism is an example of which devolutionary force? Briefly explain Crimea's history prior to Russia's annexation- who controlled it at different times? Why is Crimea strategically importat to Russia?
Ethnic separatism, Before 1954: Joesph Stalin controlled and suppressed minorities, After WWII: part of Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1954: part of Ukrain when Ukraine/Russia part of Soviet, 1991: under control of newly independent Ukraine, seized by Russia 2014, important: Russian navy's Black Sea Flett is based in port of Sevastopol in Crimea
True/false: boundaries are permanent line on a map. Explain how boundaries are established with define, delimit, demarcate, and administrate. Match statement/problem to best boundary word: Schengen Area in Europe, US gov debating whether its entire border w/Mexico can or should be fenced with a wall, 20th century Guatemala declared its treaty was invalid and claimed over half Belize's territory, 1848: US and Mexico drew their boundary on a map in accordance w/a legal agreement
False, define: countries state boundaries in legally binding documentation (i.e treaty), use reference points (natural features/coordinates) delimit: draw boundaries on map in accordance to legal agreement, demarcate: boundaries marked w/physical objects (stones, pillars, walls, fences), many long borders don't have any demarcation (impractical, pricey), Administrate: defend borders, manage how they're maintained and how goods/people cross them, most borders are somewhat restricted (can't freely cross), administer, demarcate, define, delimit
Where is power held in a federal and unitary state? How does a unitary state operate?
Fed: regional units that typically have own govs w/some autonomy and substantial power, Uni: Central gov that maintains authority over entire state, policies conveyed by central gov and funneled to regional units to be carried out, central gov creates internal units w/some power but supreme authority maintained at top
Canada has a ____ system. Who are the Inuit and where do they live? How has the federal distribution of power been beneficial for them?
Federal, one of the First Nations peoples of Canada, Nunavut territory, territorial gov in Iqaluit attends to their needs (i.e use and preserve Inakitut language many Inuit speak), federal gov redistributes resources for development of policies/programs that benefit Inuit (i.e program improving job training for First Nations peoples)
Provide examples of the following within the US gov (don't need to have all, just min 1): federal power, state power, local power, power all 3 share (concurrent)
Federal: mint coins/currency, provide national defense and military, protect endangered species, safeguard aviation, ensure safety of food and medicines, governing medical research State: choosing electors for electoral college, amending the constitution (38 to ratify), issuing fishing/hunting licenses, administering state bar that lawyers must pass, controlling hospitals Local: providing utilities (water/electricity/natural gas), governing 911 and 1st responders, maintaining roads, collecting garbage and recycling, managing libraries/parks/recreation facilities Concurrent: maintain national/regional/local road, managing the National Guard/FBI/state troopers/local police
What's the difference between a federation and confederation? Why's ethnonationalism seen as a centrifugal force?
Federation: group of states w/central gov but some independence in internal affiars, confederation: also group states together, unlike federation autonomy of each member takes precedence over common gov, force: divides people of a country based on ethnicity, ethnonationalist movement tries to create or change state based on shared ethnicity (i.e Nazis)
How did the UK respond to devolutionary forces?
Forces can lead to sovereignty/self- determination for people in a region within a country, late 1970s: many Scots wanted Scottish Parliament in UK that'd allow Scots greater control over own affairs, formed in 1999, Scots wanted more independence and separatist movement got traction, 2016: UK gave Scots more power as compromise to counter desire for complete independence
What does it mean if a country's landlocked and how could this impact the country's economy?
Fully surrounded by land, harder to conduct trade w/other countries, bordering countries have little incentive to help, don't receive flow of people/ideas that countries w/ports do
Redistricting for a political advantage is called _____. How did it come about? Explain difference between packing and cracking
Gerrymandering, governor Elbridge Gerry (MA) signed a law approving map of districts that favored own party, one districts resembled lizard like salamander, Boston paper coined term "Gerry-mander" packing: cram opposition in one district to get surrounding ones, cracking: split up opposition to weaken its political power
What did the Philippine gov do in the 1960s that led to devolutionary violence? Why did they do this and what effect did it have on the Indigenous Muslim pop?
Gov in Manila wanted to develop South (resources there), moved Christians to Muslim Mindanao 500 miles away, gave Christians best land and gov services not given to Muslim pop, conflict between new settlers/Muslims broke out, Muslims tried to secede= violece= poor South, 500 miles between the 2 places too much for Manila gov to control
List the 4 characteristics that make up a state:
Gov, defined borders, permanent population, sovereignty
How did Eritrea (small African country on Red Sea, once province of Ethiopia) respond to devolutionary forces?
Has very diverse inhabitants, diversity=tensions, Ethiopian gov tried to counteract by banning political parties/trad unions and weakening provincial gov, Eritreans losing autonomy= discontent w/Ethiopian gov grew, declared independece, sovereign state 1993, series of border conflicts start 1998 w/minor border changes, 2018: Ehtiopia/Eritrea reopened trade/diplomatic relations
Who's the Balkan Peninsula home to and briefly explain its history.
Home to Muslims, Roman Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Slavic and non Slavic people, history: Before WWI: claimed by Ottoman Empire, After WWI: region become country of Yugoslavia, After WWII: Yugoslavia's gov was under Soviet authority, After Soviet collapsed and its military couldn't control region: armed conflict broke out, today Yugoslavia is divided into independent states
How do Hong Kong and American Indian Reservations display some degree of autonomy? What's the hypocrisy of calling American Indian Reservations semiautonomous? Give an example of a stateless nation
Hong Kong: uses system of gov/currency that differs from the rest of the country Reservations: authority to operate under certain different laws, ex: gambling casinos in states where they're illegal, hypocrisy: they have some authority but the US gov doesn't see them as sovereign because the nations' power is limited, Stateless: Basque in Spain, Palestinians, Kurds
Provide examples of centrifugal forces in Indonesia and the US (Civil War)
Indonesia: 2 decades violent separatism after invaded E Timor 1976, claimed reunifying island but E Timore resisted occupation, Indonesia let vot for its future, 4/5 wanted freedom so E Timor is independent, US: New W states, S wanted slave but N wanted free, S worried if # free states more than slave state US gov would try to end slavery (greatly impact S's economy), 11 states ceceded to Confederate states, led to Civil War
According to Wesch, what are political effects of the internet and social media platforms like YouTube? How have they fueled devolutionary movements?
Info/news stories broadcast across borders, people access info globally, propaganda/ misinformation spread just as fast (can cause disunity within a state), some govs restrict internet access (limits info citizens access), fuel: people able to communicate w/large groups instantly which has fueled devolutionary forces like large-scale protest movements worldwide
Explain the significance of Jerusalem to Jews and Muslims
Jews: Wailing Wall (remains of 2nd temple) Muslims: Dome of the Rock (where Muhammad ascended to Heaven)
How to majority minority districts disenfranchise (keep from voting) African American voters today? Using Ohio, explain how gerrymandering prevents an accurate representation of a state's partisan makeup.
Many favor Democrats so republican lawmakers packed them into one district, creating majority republican for rest of state, so Voting Rights Act manipulated to disenfranchise minorities, difference between partisan and racial gerrymandering is so small many studying issue believe they're essentially the same thing, Ohio: 2018: democrats won half popular vote but 4 of 16 districts b/c gerrymandered to favor republicans
Why were majority minority districts first created?
Minorities were cracked across districts to weaken them, these districts had minority make up majority of them to ensure that minorities could elect their candidate of choice, resulted in increase in the number of minority reps in congress
Provide 3 general examples of centrifugal forces. Provide an example of centrifugal forces in Italy
Multiple nationalties within state compete for control, economic inequality is rampant, state's infrastruture weakens connections between localities, Italy: political party formed in N Italy to make plan to separate from S Italy, region (Padania) is Italy's industrial/economic powerhouse, many in it feel S neighbors take advantage of their fincancial success
Provide centripetal force acting as display of unity within each of following countries: Nepal, India, UK, US, S Africa
Nepal: Hinduism, India: connections from country's infrastructure, remote villages tied to major cities, UK: national flag is symbol of unity, has crosses representing patron saints England/Scotland/Ireland, US: national holiday (4th July), symbols: flag, statue liberty, liberty bell, bald eagle, S Africa: national rugby team helped unify as citizens came together to support the team
Are there any true nation-states? Explain. List some states that are close to nation-state status (need for exam!) and why critics argue that France isn't a nation-state
No because all are home to at least small ethnic and cultural minorities who might consider themselves a nation within their country. Close: Estonia, Japan, Iceland, Iran, Albania, Croatia, Poland, France is home to diverse ethnic communities from Africa and Southeast Asia
Explain the role race played in the legal challenges to North Carolina and Wisconsin's gerrymandered congressional maps
North Carolina: 1990 census created 12th district, democratic legislature packed w/Blacks to create 2nd majority minority district, 1993: supreme court objected to black district and district lines redrawn 4 times, 2010: republicans drew map w/1st and 12th districts majority black, 2016: federal court declared districts unconstitutional gerrymanders and republicans drew new map Wisconsin: 2011: republicans drew map favoring them, 12 democratic voters challenged, said districts created so non white voters were spread out, w/map was unlikely that a non white representative would be elected, map remained
Explain how the number of independent states often changes and provide an example.
Number changes in response to pressures from political circumstances, ex: 1991: Soviet Union dissolved, 15 republics declared independence, some like Ukraine and Belarus were recognized as sovereign states
How can a multistate nation lead to irredentism? (Trying to get land in neighboring states containing people of the same nation)
People may feel stronger affinity for neighboring state that's home to others in their ethnic group than their own state, ex: Russians in Estonia/Ukraine show strong pro-Russian attitudes, can lead to govs trying to take land like Russia's gov trying to annex territory in Ukraine with a significant Russian pop
What were the challenges the republics of the Soviet Union faced eventually leading to its collapse? What were additional factors?
Physical geography: country's vast size, distance between regions, severe climate= unity difficult, additional: failing economy, weakened military, separatism among min 100 groups, public dissatisfaction w/president Mikhail Gorbachev
What are international borders a reflection of?
Political Power (result from interplay of cultural/historical/economic/other forces)
What determine the number of House of Representatives a state has? When and why is a census conducted? How is it related to reapportionment and why is it so important?
Pop, highly pop like California has 53 and more power than less pop like Wyoming w/1. When: every 10 years, why: determine each state's pop, these numbers used to alter states' congressional district map, total number is always 435 so pop growth and decline and immigration rates are important, differences in pop=reapportionment (seats in house reallocated to different states), ensures a state's pop is accurately represented in House
How can patriotism be seen as having both positive and negative results?
Positive: citizens have more pride in country which leads to stronger desire to find common good, ruling govs may get more popular support for their policy initiatives, development of national identity can combat or at least offset certain forces that dived a state (i.e political/economic inequality) Negative: can lead to nationalism (greater devotion to state than other group interests) which can be a problem, extreme: nationalists sentiments can= intolerance/exclusion of groups deemed outside national norm ex: holocaust
In 2013, what did the president of Ukraine do and what events followed? How did Western countries respond to Russia's actions? What about the US?
President Viktor Yanokovych backed out of deal w/EU for stronger ties w/Russia, protests in Kiev, Ukraine Parliament removed president and banned Russian as 2nd official language which angered Russian-speaking of Crimea, 2014: Russian gunmen seized gov buildings in Crimea's capital, Crimean Parliament called a referendum, while results disputed voters decided to join Russia, Ukraine's troops pulled out, Russia supports Ukrainian separatists in key cities of E Ukraine, W imposed sanctions, 2019: US relationship w/Ukraine scutinized b/c Trump administration delayed financial aid to support Ukraine's military defense which had been provided regularly by US since 2014
What's the primary goal of the Arctic Council? Explain OAU's success. Define economies of scale
Primarily concerned w/issues of sustainable development and the environment, promotes cooperation amoung 8 countries w/territory in Arctic, OAU: mediated several border disputes (i.e Algeria/Morocco and Kenya/Somalia), pushed for international sanctions against S Africa when apartheid (racist policies by white minority gov) was in place, def: when more goods and services can be produces for less $ on average
How does spatial inequality and the funding of public schools reflect a disadvantage of federalism?
Public schools supported by federal/state/local funds, major source is property taxes, high valued properties have higher taxes and better funded schools but poorer districts have lower taxes and schools underfunded and rely on state funding there isn't much of
How have immigration and border issues posed challenges to the sovereignty of EU countries? What was Brexit and what were the results?
Refugee crisis= Massive influx of immigrants, many countries like Hungary tightented borders while Germany kept open and critized other member states for lack of commitment to open borders policy. EU's tried to harmoize asylum policy but it's hard w/different judiciary system/attutudes about immigration, Brexit: Uk voted whether or not leave EU, left (532 v 48)
How was the Sudetenland in the 1930s an example of irredentism that caused the destabilization of that region? Explain how technology has greatly impacted ethnic identity and has even fueled separatist movements. Why did the Taliban decide to reverse their ban on the internet?
Region's in W Czechoslovakia, populated mostly by Germans who felt discriminated by Czech gov, Nazi's propaganda got these Germans to support annexation, 1938: region part of Germany till end WWII, tech: internet/phones made easier for groups to organize/advertise/recruit for their causes, social media= low cost outlet for sharing concerns regarding treatment of group, gives group that's been disenfranchised (deprived of rights) power wouldn't have had several decades ago, separatist: internet allows groups to more easily communicate/recruit for causes, spreading word/gathering followers for movement, Taliban banned at 1st b/c thought didn't align with Islamic practices, changed perspective when realized could use it to promote their ethnic identity/ spread their message/ communicat w/other members/ gather supporters
What were the arguements backing the proposal to leave the EU? Although UK officially withdrew from the EU Jan 31,2020- why's it been difficult for the UK to really separate itself from the EU?
Revolved around Britain's control over its borders, large amount $ it pays to be part EU, burdens Britain faces from EU regulation, downturn in organization impacts EU countries negatively (can be more burdensome for strongest countries), separate: the 2 need to negotiate new trade deals/ agreements about movement of citizens between UK and countries in EU
Define sovereignty
Right of a gov to control and defend its territory and determine what happens within its borders
What is often the root cause of ethnic separatism? What don't the people of the ethnic group feel like they have? Using the Rohingya people as an example, define ethnic cleansing.
Root: difference in how an ethnicity's treated culturally/by law of state, feel like they don't have power/autonomy they deserve (common in stateless). Def: state gov attacks ethnic group and tries to eliminate it through expulsion/ imprisonment/killing, Rohingya: mostly Muslim people, faced multiple military crackdowns in homeland of Myanmar, many driven to nearby countries (i.e Bangladesh), Myanmar gov's official stance on Rohingya is that they're not indigenous but illegal immigrants in Myanmar
Give an example of how ethnonationalism can result from centripetal forces. A centrifugal force is one that ___ groups of people
Russia threatened sovereignty Belarus by taking steps to annex it, Belarusians brought together against Russia leading to ethnonationalism as they have renewed sense of pride in their heritage/history, Russian's main language but citizens want to learn Belarusian, divides
List federal states in each region: Europe (2), Africa (1), Asia (2), S America (1). How is the nation's (US) highway system an example of the power structure of federal and state govs? How does the issue of the death penalty exemplify the reduction of conflict between regions within a federal system?
Russia, Germany, sudan, India, Malaysia, Brazil, federal gov initiated national system of interstate highways (1950s), federal gov funded system while each state built actual highway(s) running through it, death: is example b/c while ruled constitutional any state can ban it if it wants, allows diversity of opinions to be represented in same state which reduces conflict
What should a sovereign state provide for its citizens?
Security from invasion, judicial system to uphold the rule of law, opportunity to participate in the political process, essential freedoms (i.e human rights/tolerance of dissent), access to health care/education, access to transportatoin and communication infrastructure, among other things
How did Canada respond to devolutionary forces?
Share more power w/subnational units, Yukon people wanted greater % $ from mining/other resources controlled within territory, Canada shifted land and resource management responsibilites to Yukon gov, Appease French-speaking Quebec: Canada made French province's official language
Why does Abu Sarah believe in sharing personal narratives?
Sharing personal narratives helps people find commonalities and perceive one another as fully human, sharing= reconcilation
How did Belgium respond to devolutionary forces?
Shift in state's form of governance, transitioned unitary to federal, unitary till 1970, tensions between Walloons (S) and Flemings (N) caused Parliament to shift to federal gov, changed constitution to create independent administrations in N/W regions, gave each region control over economic/educational/cultural decisions, 3rd region created late 1980s (Brussels)
What events have fueled Brexit over the years?
Some opposition when UK joined 1993, British protected sovereignty (i.e didn't adopt euro), global economic crisis 2008= high unemployment rates in some regions, conflict in other regions= many asylum seekers in Europe, Europe became target terrorist attacks (issues of safety, decline tourism, other ecnomic impacts)
What's redistricting? How's it both a geographical and political process?
State's internal boundaries that determine voting districts for House and state's legislature are redrawn to accurately reflect new census data, geo: boundaries must be redrawn to reflect changes in pop, pol: redrawn by state's legislature, whose districts also redrawn after census, changing districts can have huge effect on who's elected to represent a geographic area
The Kurds are an example of a ____ nation. In fact, they are the ____! Which countries do they live in? What happened to the Kurds in Iraq under the rule of Saddam Hussein? What are political obstacles that have stalled any momentum towards a Kurdish state?
Stateless, largest, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, thousands of them were killed with poison gas, obstacles: to make state countries with Kurds have to give up land, fighting among leadership groups of the Kurds makes progress difficult, Pressure from external powers like US could help but it hasn't shown up, countries like Turkey and Syria want them to abandon their territories (tension)
How is a nation different from a state? Explain the differences between the 2. Give 2 examples of nations living in the US
States are political entities while nations are cultural entities, nations are groups with a common identity (same language/religion/ ethnicity/ etc.) while states are country borders (essentially), ex: Native Hawaiians, Navajo in W US
Define political geography
Study of how the world is organized as a reflection of the power that different groups hold over territory
Explain how a federal state can experience conflict with its constituent units using minimum wage
Subregions can cause changes that regions don't agree with which causes conflict, ex: 2016: Birmingham Alabama Municipal gov passed law and raised min wage in city, before law took effect state legislature intervened by passing law preventing localities from setting own min wage
What is the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone)?
The 2.5m wide strip of land separating North from South Korea, acts as a buffer zone between the 2, one of the most heavily guarded and fortified place on Earth
What do the members of the EU share? Support the following statement: The EU has seen ups and downs
The 27 members share common trade and foreign policies/ citizenship rights/ environmental rules/ judicial coorperation, ups: cheaper trade/open borders between members, downs: several countries expressed concern about losing state sovereignty when joining EU, some properous members worry aobut stuggling members hindering EU's progress, issues like immigration/asylum/open borders led to disagreements among members, 2020: UK left EU
How did the Kurds help the US, and how could it be looked at that we turned our backs on them in 2019?
Their fighters allied w/US forces in conflict in Syria starting in 2011, after US pulled out troops in 2019 Kurds faced pressure to give up land from Turkey and Syria, but US didn't give pressure in favor of independent state or help w/pressure from Turkey/Syria
Why was the Arab League created? (Made up of Arab countries in N Africa/SW Asia) What are some of the accomplishments ASEAN has been able to achieve?
To strengthen and regulate political/cultural/ economic/ social programs and settle disputes among its members, ASEAN: advance economic growth through trade in region, encourage social progress, bolster peace/security, helped establish peace through Vietnam War and its aftermath and during Cold War, also worked to resolove conflict in E Timor cause by Indonesia's occupation of it
Map of Europe: changes between 1914 and 2020 and what caused them
UK became UK and Ireland, Russia and Germany shrank, Romania grew, countries like Poland/Belarus/Ukraine came into existence, cause by the idea of drawing state borders to match national identities taking hold in the end of the 1800s
How and why did the US violate Guatemala's self-determination in the 1950s, and how did this affect the country and its people?
US supported a coup in 1954 that removed a democratic presidents who US gov thought was communist, replaced with Carlos Castillo Armas who opposed communism but was a ruthless dictator who killed arrested and killed thousands of people suspected of being communists, the political turbulence caused by the coup started a civil war in 1960 that lasted 36 years and cost 200k lives, country still has violence/organized crime
Vast majority of the world's countries are ____ states. How is the UK an example? List unitary states from each of the following regions: Europe (4), Africa(1), Asia(4), define republic
Unitary, Parliament's central gov over 4 units: England, Wales, Scotland, N Ireland, Parliament controls national affairs and each unit (except England) addresses its needs and concerns w/ own assemblies, Poland, France, Spain, Scandinavian countries, Algeria, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Japan, def: state where citizens vote in democratic elections and choose a president
What are different efforts to reform the gerrymandering process? What's the difference between an at large and single member district?
Use a redistricting commission to draw districts, some bipartisan and others independent, ex: Michigan 2018: use commission, districts drawn must avoid partisan advantage and must represent minorities, Iowa has nonpartisan body called Legislative Services Agency, draws districts that must be rectangular/geometric shapes and touch, at large: entire pop of area elects someone to represent at whole, single member: area broken into smaller parts for minority representation, each part elects a person
Explain how social issues have acted as devolutionary forces in the UK
Wales has different culture/language than Britain, Welsh are citizens of UK as much as rest, anti-Welsh sentiment is common in Britain, ex: public officcials insutling/making discriminatory jokes about Wales and its people common, this discrimination among groups in one country may prevent from developing feeling of all being one people
When does ethnic separatism occur? Who are the Basque people and why did they feel the need to salvage their autonomy and be recognized as their own nation?
When people of a particular country in a multinational state identify more strongly as members of their ethnic group than as citizens of the state. Basque: people in region in North Spain w/own cultural identity outside rest of Spain, want to salvage autonomy b/c Spain's increasingly trying to control them and Spanish immigrants coming into area at alarming rate