1. Political Organization
By: Jackie Deffer and Liz Mittan

2. Political Geography
Study of human political organization of the Earth at various levels (Three levels: Supranational, County/nation, Sub-national).
Territoriality: creating ownership over a defined space.
Sovereignty: internationally recognized control a place has over the people and territory within its boundaries

3. History of Political Organization (Colonialism & Imperialism)
Mercantilism – The colonies would send back raw materials to the mother country so they could produce goods.
2 Periods of Colonialism
15th Century, Western Hemisphere by Europe
Late 19th Century, Africa was split up by European Countries
Colonialism – The domination by a state over a separate state
Imperialism – When a state establishes political, social, and economic dominance over an area.
Colonialism comes first, imperialism second!!

4. Colonialism Today & Geopolitics
Neocolonialism – How today countries still economically depend on their former “mother country”
Colonized countries had to ask for loans to build their economies once their colonizers left, which left them in a continuous debt.
Geopolitics – Branch of political geography that studies how states interact with other states and the landscape.

5. Different Theories to Know!
Organic – Each state wants to gain more land
Heartland – Theory that sea power had ended, and it was all about land power. Whoever held Eurasia, controlled all.
Domino – Democratic countries have to work together to keep other countries from falling to communism
Dependence – Poor countries are poor because of colonization by Europe
Rimland – Build on Heartland Theory. Defined the “rimland” as all of Eurasia’s periphery. Believes not one country should hold all the power in the rimland.

6. States vs. Nations
State: an independent political unit with recognized boundaries, most powerful institution in globalization.
Nation: group of people sharing certain elements of culture, such as religion, language and history.
States have citizenship and sovereignty, while Nations DO NOT always have territory!
Different States!
Multinational State – States composed of more than one nation. Ex – Soviet Union
Nation State – State composed of only one nation. Ex – Denmark, Japan
Stateless Nation – When a nation does not have territory. Ex – Kurds in Iraq, Assyrians of Iraq

7. Ethnonationalism & Conflict
A powerful emotion an ethnic minority group in a country feels when they feel differently from other minorities.
This can cause conflicts when the minority does not feel they have self determination.
Irredentism – When a nation tries to reunite after being spread across multiple borders.
Ex – Germans had spread into Yugoslavia, so Hitler wanted to control that land to reunite the Germans.
Example of Ethnonationalism Conflict – The Chechnya's are a nation in Russia that want to form there own nation.

8. Ethnonationalism & States
Buffer States & Zones – A country located between two countries that are in conflict
Satellite States – A country that rules over less power countries. Ex – Soviet control over Eastern Europe
Shatterbelts – A state(s) that is fought over by more power countries, and tend to be politically or culturally fragmented.

9. Boundaries & Frontier Three types
Geometric – Straight line boundaries, not relating to cultural or physical features of the land
Physical (Natural) – Separating the land based off of natural barriers such as rivers and mountains.
3. Cultural – Boundaries drawn due to cultural differences such as religion or language Frontier- Land that is not politically controlled by boundaries, and is uninhabited, or a little, by people. Today it is mostly in Antarctica & Saudi Arabia.

10. Boundary Evolution & Creation
Antecedent Boundary – Existed before humans culture developed into what they are now.
Subsequent Boundary – Grow to divide space as a result of humans interacting
Superimposed Boundary – Boundary forced on landscape.
Relict Boundary – No longer a boundary.
Boundary Creation
Definition – Where the exact boundary is legally described.
De Jure – Means to be legally recognized.
Delimitation – Boundary is drawn on a map.
Demarcation - Visible marking of a boundary such as wall, line, or sign.
Administration – Enforcement of the boundary, such as border patrol.

11. Territorial Morphology
The relationship between a state’s geographic shape, size, relative location, and it’s political situation
Compact- A state where distance from the center to the boundary is even almost everywhere.
Elongated – Long and narrow State
Prorupted (Protruded) – A compact state with a piece of land sticking out.
Perforated – A state that completely surrounds a different state.
Fragmented – Includes discontinuous pieces of territory.

12. Problems due to Shapes Other State Types
Elongated – Communication problems with center
Prorupted – Prorupted state might want sovereignty
Perforated – Tensions may rise between two states
Fragmented – Fragmented pieces want sovereignty
Other State Types
Landlocked – When a state does not have a border touching water. Ex. Chad in Africa
Enclave – A State surrounded by another state. Ex. Lesotho in South Africa
Exclave – A state that is a political extension of a state. Ex. Alaska in the United States.

13. Unitary vs. Federal Confederation Structure
A states shape influences it’s political organization.
A compact state, typically with one culture, tends to have a unitary government. Unitary Government – Where all of the power is located in the central government.
A large state, with multiple ethnicities or cultures, tends to have a federal government. Federal Government – Where power is not located all in the central government but where some power is given to local governments.
BUT SIZE DOES NOT MATTER!!! NOT ALL COMPACT, HOMOGENEOUS STATES HAVE UNITARY, AND ALL LARGE STATES HAVE FEDERALISM.
Today most governments are working towards federalism.
Confederation Structure
A state where the regional governments hold almost all the power, the central government has barely any power.

14. Political-Territorial Arrangements
Core States: region in a state where its economic and political power is concentrated, helps spread development.
Multicore States: countries that have more than one core region. Ex: Nigeria with its northern and southern regions competing for control.
Primate City: Capital city that has the most political and economic power than any other city in the state, often seen in LDC’s.
Forward Capital: A capital city built by the state in order to achieve a national goal. Ex: Brasilla, Brazil.
Electoral Boundaries: redrawn every 10 ears by the U.S. House of Representatives
Gerrymandering: redrawing of the electoral districts to favor one party and give an advantage.
Three Forms:
Wasted vote: spreads opposition voters across many districts.
Excess vote: concentrates opposition voters into a few districts.
Stacked vote: linked distance through like-minded voters in an oddly shaped district.

15. Centripetal vs. Centrifugal
Centripetal: something that unifies a country and its people.
Ex: National Anthem
Centrifugal: something that divides the county and its people.
Ex: Different ethnicities
Devolution: moving from a unitary government to a federal where power is devolved from the central government to regional areas.
Ex: U.K. and its devolution of Scottland

16. Supranationalism and the UN
Supranatonalism: organization of political and economic affairs at the international level, countries of three or more can form an alliance.
Many established post WWII to prevent a third world war and foreign attacks.
Examples:
United Nations
Warsaw Pact
NATO
ASEAN
European Union
African Union
United Nations
Most extensive supranational ever to exist, consisting of more than 200 members
Mainly peace-keeping force, with little military troops
NATO
Created post WWII to prevent communism from spreading to other countries, now expanded to former communist countries.
Warsaw Pact
Created to oppose NATO, comprised of all coummunist states but eventually fell apart.

17. Regional Organizations
African Union
53 countries, established in to help economic integrations in Africa
European Union
Goal is for the member countries to all develop through economic cooperation.
Created the Euro
Original Members: Belgium, France, Italy, West Germany, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. (27 members today)
Economic Supranationalism – When three or more states come together to work on economic goals!
Ex. European Union
Leading superpower is not United States or China, but the EU led by Germany!
Leading Military superpower is the United States, but tested by terrorism.

18. Terrorism
Terrorism is the use of violence and terror to intimidate or coerce mainly for political purposes.
Terrorism against Americans
1993 WTC car bombing
1995 Oklahoma City bombing killed 168
September 11, WTC and Pentagon
Al-Qaeda
Founded by Osama Bin Laden
Issued a fatwa (religious decree) Muslims have a religious duty to rage a Holy War against the U.S.
Located in 34 countries and live in “cells” around le world
Use religion to justify attacks

19. Middle East Summary Iran
Hostile with US since 1979, were worried since they could be helping terrorists & forming nuclear weapons.
Afghanistan
Civil War began in 1970’s, Soviet Union went in and withdrew in 1989.
Taliban gained control after, but now there is a power struggle after they fell apart in
Iraq
Saddam Hussein was president in 80’s, where US sided with them against Iran
The US linked Saddam with Al-Qaeda and invaded in
Pakistan
Created after partition in
Multiethnic state that it is in political turmoil over control, includes Taliban. There is a war on terror.
They hid Saddam in their mountains.

20. Helpful Links!
entripetal-centrifugal-forces
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21. Territoriality
Kurds
Cells
Subsequent
Unitary
Compact
Alaska
National Anthem
Protruded
Supranationalism
Irredentism
Nation State
Sovereignty
Ethnic Conflict
Gerrymandering