MAP FINAL
Why is Afghanistan so hard to govern?
- mountains don't define the borders, borders define the mountain (whole country is mainly mountain) - strong centrifugal forces - lots of different ethnic groups (irridentism), poor road system, population centers scattered, most people spread accross rural areas, hard to create strong central government.
How weaponization and commercialization of space is international issue that is beyond the control of anyone country.
- space is supposed to be unclaimed territory
Meaning and impacts of china's "Century of Humiliation"
1. -It is the period from around 1840 (the first Opium War) until the PRC was founded in 1949. 2. This is also the period in which China was divided and under control of European countries + Japan (Treaty of Vienna). Viewed as major disaster for china 3. Now China wants to prove itself against western powers. Refuse to be humiliated and taken advantage of again
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) - 12 mile and 200 mile limit meaning
1. 12 miles - territorial sea (sovereign) - what you have political control of 2. 200 miles - exclusive economic Zone (EEZ) - country onl has access to natural resources 200 miles out. BUT can claim larger EEZ if ectended continental shelf
How did Kashmir come to be? (also be able to draw different claims on map)
1. 1947 - Radcliffe Lines drawn to divide British india into Hindu majority India, and muslim majority pakistan (east and west) 2. Confusion and massive deadly migration in both directions 3. Kashmir had a hindu leader, but muslim majority, indecision/confusion and parts now claimed by India, Pakistan, and china 4. East pakistan seceded from pakistan after a civil war and became bangladesh in 1971
Explain the division and reunification of Germany
1. After Germany's defeat in ww2, it was divided into a western section controlled by the US, france, and britain, and an eastern section controlled by the USSR. The vapital Berlin was divided in the same way. 2. Wall comes down in 1989 3. Germany reunified less than 1 year later in 1990 as the soviet union starts to break apart
European influence/impacts on Reorientation of political power, economic and social dislocation
1. Emphasis on trade took power from inland to costal, 2. Conversion to christianity south of sahel 3. Economic + social disruption related to depopulation from slave trade
Division and Reunification of Vietnam
1. France stries to retake control of vietnam after WW@, but agrees to withdraw south of 17th parallel after defeat at Dien Bien Phu 2. under 1954 geneva accords, country divided into "communist" north and "democratic" south at 17th parallel until 1954 3. US assumes support for the south 4. civil war, elections never held 5. north vietnam (DPRV) defeats south vietnam (ROV) and US in 1975 6. country reunited
What are the 4 ways Prof. Rothman says that Georgetown is connected to slavery?
1. GU served slave owning class who sent their children here 2. Enslaved ppl were brought to campus by students to serve them and worked on the campus and engaged in religious life 3. Sold 272 slaves to finance school in 1838 4. Gtown students fought for the confederacy 5. Patrick healy (GU president) was born to a slave mother. Mixed race and white passing
Why do we have India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh?
1. Great Partition. India divided based on muslim population centers. West pakistan is modern pakistan. East pakistan is modern bangladesh. Led to mass violent migration of hindus and sikhs to india, and muslims to pakistan. East pakistan became bangladesh bc centripetal force of religion couldn't overcome centrifugal forces of language, culture, and distance.
Explain the story of Hong Kong
1. Hong Kong leased to UK in 1897 for 100 years as part of the unequal treaties (century of humiliation). 2. Returned to chinese control in 1997 but under a "one country, two systems" policy for another 50 years. Arguably ended in 2020.
Arab-Israeli history + division
1. Jews fleeing persecution in europe worked to establish homeland in what had become the british mandate for palestine after sykes picot 2. 1947 UN plan to partition Mandadte into independent Palestinian and Israeli states accepted by Israel but rejected by palestine abd Arab states. Resulting war resulted in the creation of Israel and (eventually) palestinian territories of West BAnk and Gaza. 3. Israel captured theGolan Heights from Syria in a 1967 war. 4. West Bank now nominally controlled by the Palestinian Authority but with substantial areas of israeli control and settlement. Gaza controlled by Hamas but under Israeli blockade. Jerusaem classifies as an "international" city but dividied into West (controlled by Israel) and East (technically with the West Bank).
Explain the division between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea
1. Korea was a Japanese colony 2. Post ww2, Japan lost war so Korea was split along 38th parallel, Soviet backing to the north and US backing to the south. 3. Two halves were reunited after an election, but was broke out in 1950. after 3 years of fighting, a truce was called and a demilitarized zone was established. 4. Northern Half is now DPRK and the souther half is the ROK
Success of unifying Europe: 1. Peace? 2. Military and foreign policy? 3. Borders and immigration? 4. Economic integration?
1. Peace? - pretty food so far, no war for 20 years 2. Military and foreign policy? - Not always on the same page, will never have unified EU army, very separate, 3. Borders and immigration? - Impressive in many ways (e.g. Schengen area) but recent migration pressures and Brexit reveal cracks. 4. Economic integration? - Monetary union through the Euro, but lack of fiscal union leaves stress. Some signs that members may use Covid as a path to overcoming this issue.
Explain how there is a People's Republic of China and a Republic of China
1. ROC established in 1911 2. civil war between nationalusts and communists 3. Communists establish control of mainland China and found the people's republic of China (PRC) in 1949 4. Nationalists retreat to taiwan and continue as ROC 5. No conclusion but both have officially maintained that there is ONE China and that Taiwan is its province. Conflict over who controls/represents it. 6. Growing (?) independence sentiment in Taiwan
Why does russia use strategic depth?
1. The Mongol invasion from the east in the 13th century - moved capital inland from kiev to moscow 2. Russia has been invaded from the west on average every 69 years for the last 416 years.
What are the Rohinghya and where are they?
1. They are sunni muslims (rest of myanmar is buddhist) 2. One of the largest stateless nations - approx 1 million 3. From burmese POV, the Rohingya are outsiders brought by the british 4. Live in Rakhine state (southwest coast of Myanmar)
What is the argument linking climate to the institution of slavery in the U.S., its distribution, and the start of the civil war?
1. distribution:: Slave economy/agriculture didn't work in the northeast bc food low value, heavy and perishable, Expensive to ship and rots and the slave economy doesnt work bc winter. Slave economy works in South bc Cash crops are high in price, light in weight, non perishable, Can be shipped to boston and NY and around the world, Labor intensive, and winter doesnt pose an issue. Slave economy doesn't function in the West bc economy focused on ranching. 2. Why civil war happened when it did: In constitution states decide whether to allow slavery (shows slavery in south where climate is complatible to slave economy) When western territories became states, it was clear that they wouldnr allow salvery bc it wasn't beneficial, so that's when the south realized they would be outnumbered
orographic rainfall
1. rising most air coming off ocean rises over mtn, as it cools can't hold moisture so rains 2. comes down in elevation + heats, so can hold more water bc sucks mosture from air (rain shadow)
What is the basic chemical equation that illustrates how trees and oil are created from air (a.k.a. photosynthesis)?
6CO2 + 6H20 + ENERGY = C6H12O6 + 602
What is the 9 Dash Line?
A line drawn by Chinese in history that claimed 90% of the South China Sea, extending beyond their EEZ. contains the spratley islands and paracel islands.
Berlin Conference
A meeting from 1884-1885 at which representatives of European nations agreed on rules colonization of Africa
Be able to explain in what sense Russia is landlocked despite having the longest coastline in the world. To do this for the purposes of our class, you should be able to locate the following Russian ports on a map and point out their strategic limitations (i.e. choke points or other constraints). a. St Petersburg b. Kaliningrad c. Sevastopol d. Murmansk e. Vladivostol
A. St petersburg - danish strait, english channel, GIUK gap B. Kaliningrad - same as st petersburg C. Sevastopol - bosporus strait, strait of gibraltar, suez canal (all controlled by non-allies) D. Murmansk: GIUK gap, frozen arctic e. Vladivostock - go between japan and korea
statement abt Africa's size and relative location/proximity
Africa is extremely large, so much so that some african countries are closer to other continents than other african countries
who is in NATO (30 members)
Albania Belgium Bulgaria Canada Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Turkey United Kingdom United States
Triangular (expropriation) Trade + Be able to give a one sentence explanation and draw the basic idea on a map (3 limbs of triangle = some connection to indian ocean and some connection accross pacific)
America supplied europe with raw materials, which europe manufactured into guns that got sent to africa, and africa sent slave laborers to the americas.
27 EU members
Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czechia Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden
Former Warsaw pact states
Bulgaria Czechoslovakia East Germany Hungary Poland Romania
What is the basic chemical equation that illustrates how burning trees and oil releases CO2? (cellular respiration)
C6H1202 + 6O2 = 6CO2 + 6H20 + ENERGY
Centripetal forces associated with Europe
Common connection to the ideas of Greece/Rome and the enlightenment (aka "Western Civilization") and Christianity.
how commercialization of governance and foreign policy is international issue that is beyond the control of anyone country.
Companies have larger finances than a country's GDP, giving them extreme sway through monetary input. Companies ultimately have more sway/value than countries.
European influence/impacts of New borders that ignore ground realities
Didn't pay attention to natural borders, so countries internally divided Based on colonizer desires during Berlin Conference Focus on costal access for trade + resource extraction = strange, not easily governed shapes stemming from coast No correspondence to ethnic groups = conflict
Durand line:
Durand Line - refers to the border between Pakistan (though it was drawn when Pakistan was still part of India) and Afghanistan - cuts through two ethnic groups, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK - pashtun people) and balochistan (Baluch ppl) be able to indicate the Pashtun and Baluch regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
What is the significance of the GU272 referendum, did it pass and has it been enacted?
GU students voted in favor of allocating reparations funds from student activity fee Has not been enacted. GU says it wont allocate from activity fee
Israel's "Trilemma"
Has three goals (Jewish electoral majority, fully democratic state, and control of all occupied lands), but can only choose two, with each pair resulting in different outcome. Jewish electoral majority + fully democratic state = two-state solution. Fully democratic state + control of all occupied lands = single jewish-arab "binational state" Jewish electoral majority + control of all occupied lands = apartheid-like state.
how emerging technology is international issue that is beyond the control of anyone country.
How one country decides to utilize tech like AI or crispr dominoes out and affects other countries. do not exist in vacuum
why is china pursuing a south to north water transfer?
In the south there is orographic rainfall. in the north there is a rain shadow.
who was Savarkar?
Indian politician who believed in a Hindu national state.
Who were Isaac Hawkins and Ann Marie Becraft as individuals and what does Prof. Rothman say is the larger meaning of their names to Georgetown today?
Isaac Hawkins: 1st slave name listed on sale. Ann Marie Becraft: free woman of color/ educator @ GU Renamed halls named after proprietors of sale to instead be after slaves sold and influential free woman
will an end to the one child policy increase birth rates?
It is unlikely for an increase in birth rates to occur. The population is much more educated and wealthier, thus there is more focus on career and personal life than child-bearing. Children pose a burden rather than a service.
100th meridian
Line north to south from the Dakotas through west Texas. Lands west of this line were generally poor and marginal because they are in a rain shadow on the leeward side of mountains.
Lord Gun versus Yu the Great
Lord Gun used brute force (e.g. dykes) to manage Yellow River floods but failed. Yu the Great succeeded using a softer approach (e.g. levees) in which he channeled the floods' power. You might think this is irrelevant to a class about current geopolitical issues. However, one way to engage in contemporary political discussions is through references to the past such as Gun and Yu.
Why does the subtropical high not explain South Asia's climate?
Lots of monsoons, orographic rainfall that disrupt expected patterns of dryness. Creates Indus (exotic river) which flows across india and pakistan, starting in tibetan plateau
Why did Macedonia change its name to North Macedonia?
Macedonia was last to join EU until changed name to north macedonia bc greece has area named macedonia and didn't want any irridentist pressure
Monetary versus Fiscal union
Monetary union = whole area uses same currency. Fiscal union = whole area pays federal taxes and gov't redistributes money
Why does the lack of rainfall associated with the Sub-Tropical High not hold in China (and South Asia)? In other words, be able to explain the Monsoon.
Monsoon is change in direction of prevailing wind between summer and winter. In summer, goes towards eurasian landmass. In winter, goes away from eurasian landmass.
To what extent is the Middle East arab?
Mostly arabic, but Iran, turkey, and israel are majority non arabic
thermohaline circulation
Movement of ocean water caused by density difference brought about by variations in temperature and salinity. As ocean water freezes at the poles it concentrates salt, and the colder, denser water sinks, pulling in warm surface water. Arctic ocean warming relative to equatorial oceans reduces differentials spatially, thus reducing circulation.
Primate city
One city hosts the majority of the population. Usually indicates an imbalance in development - usually a progressive core, and a lagging periphery , on which the primate city depends for labor and other resources
Centrifugal forces associated with europe
Physically fragmented by plate tectonics with lots of mountains, peninsulas, small navigable rivers and good harbors. This is not an environment that naturally unifies but rather one with many "natural" borders. In addition, no historically consistent external threats as in Russia and China that require unification for defense.
statement abt african demographics
Population of 1.1 B with rapid demographic momentum
Be able to describe the basics of African physical geography, and its connection with generally inland political orientation before 1500 (e.g. before significant European influence).
Pre colonially, AF had inland orientation due to few ports (as a result of escarpment around coastlines), and the fact that the rivers aren't navigable so there is a poor connection to the coast. Trade centered around agricultural climate transition zones (sahel and other steppe)
what is common but differentiated responsibility
Principle within the united Nations convention on climate change that acknowledges that different capabilities and differing responsibilities of individual countries in addressing climate change
3. Borders and infrastructure focused on extraction for Europe
Railroads built for extraction of resources builds centers of development that dont make sense in regards to african people
What and who were the Khmer Rough and Pol Pot?
Regime that enacted revolutioanry genocide as form of declaring independence. Killed all people who had any relation to foreign influence. Killed 20% of pop. Pol Pot was the leader.
Current states formally part of ussr
Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan. Rather than memorize them as a list, I suggest developing the skill to mark them on a map. Patterns are easier to remember than lists.
Saudi Arabian v Iranian
Saudi Arabia: Sunni, Arab, monarchy, status quo, US ally Iranian: Shia, persian, Islamic republic, revolutionary (1979 islamic republic), not US ally
The Hu Line
Seperated the East and West of China. 90% of population lives to the east. east of the Hu Line is predominantly Han Chinese. The west side has historically been primarily other ethnic groups such as the Tibetans, Uighurs and Mongolians (but many others as well).
How climate change is international issue that is beyond the control of anyone country.
The causes and impacts go beyond international boundaries, and thus the solutions must also be international
How emerging infectious disease and global health is international issue that is beyond the control of anyone country.
The disease that starts in one place spreads across the globe. Similarly, if there is a failing health system in one country, sickness spreads beyond the borders
columbian exchange
The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world following Columbus's voyages.
Black Soil Line
These places had especially good soil that slave labor was used on. Because of this, these counties have majority black populations today.
Balloon effect
You can squeeze supply in one place, but it will expand elsewhere as long as the drug demand in the destination country continues.
exotic river
a river that issues from a humid area and flows into a dry area otherwise lacking streams
Disputed East Asian Islands
a. Kurile Islands: claimed by Japan and Rusia 2. senkaku (japanese name)/Diaoyu (chinese name) islands: Claimed by China, Jappan, and Taiwan/ROC 3. Spratley Islands: Claimed by Brunei, China, Malaysia, The Philippines, taiwan/ROC, and vietnam 4. Paracel islands: Claimed by China, Taiwan/ROC, and Vietnam
Where do trees get their mass?
air
What is albedo and what is its relationship to arctic amplification?
albedo = how much of the sun's energy reflects back off an object. As arctic has warmed, more ocean has been revealed (low albedo), which then absorbs more sun and warms the ocean more. This creates a positive feedback loop.
Fall line/zone
an imaginary line, marked by waterfalls and rapids, where rivers descend abruptly from an upland to a lowland on the east coast of the united states. (I-95 follows a road that was built more than 200 years ago to connect Fall Line cities).
strategic depth
distance between front lines/ battle sectors and combattants industrial core area's, capital cities, heartlands
Where is the ethnically russian population concentrated in Ukraine? (irridentist pressure)
eastern ukraine and Crimea
Which two baltic states have high ethnically russian populations? (irridentist pressure)
estonia and latvia
africa Direction of economic change
extremely high GDP growth
What did the Radcliffe line delineate?
line btwn pakistan and india
Sykes-Picot Agreement
lines set the stage for the creation of modern borders in the region similar to the way the Berlin Conference set the stage for the creation of modern borders in Africa. Pre WW2 division of Ottoman Empire Between the French and British
where are people located in southeast asia?
on volcanic or alluvial soil
To what extent is the Middle East dry
overall region is water scarce and why (subtropical high) but! 1) Orographic rainfall and exotic rivers and 2) power (energy, money and political-military brings in water)
Sunni-Shia Split
overall sunni majority, but Iran, Iraq, and Bahrain have shia majorities, and lebanon, syria, and yemen have large shia populations.
Resource Curse
paradox that countries w/ more natural resources tend to have less economic growth, less democracy, and worse development
Describe india's spatial approach to democracy
political organization of Indian states is often language based and that some political parties are focused on just a single state. This is in some senses the opposite approach to creating, or "imagining," the nation in the U.S. and China. India is subcontinent made up of different nationalities, governed according to these different nationalities, but still sense of imagined community with "mother india"
africa direction of political change
politically more democratic, fewer strongmen
Yalta Conference
split central europe and created soviet sattelite states
To what extent is the Middle East oil rich?
that region has the largest oil reserves in the world, but that the geo-strategic role is shifting. To understand that, you should know that that the U.S. the largest/one of the largest producers, what oil it does import comes mostly from the western hemisphere, and most Gulf oil now goes to Asia.
What is arctic amplification
the arctic is warming faster than the rest of the world
irridentism
the attempt by one country to provoke coups or separatist movements in another country via literature, radio programs, or tv ads. (ie. country A tries to spark a separatist movement from a nationality within country
Imagined community
the invented sense of connection and shared traditions that underlies identification with a particular ethnic group or nation whose members likely will never all meet
To what extent is the Middle East muslim?
while most of the region is Muslim, most Muslims live elsewhere (South Asia)
