Topic: Geopolitics

Aim: Understand how the study of geopolitics helps us make sense of the world.
Do Now:
What is geopolitics?

Objectives:
4.) Describe the concepts of political power and territoriality used by
geographers.
10.) Explain how political, economic, cultural, and technological changes challenge
state sovereignty.

Geopolitics
Spatial analysis of how states interact with one another
Influence of geography and environment on political entities (e.g., states)
How the site/situation of a state can affect its role in international relations
Examples?

Heartland Theory
Halford Mackinder, 1904 (UK)
Possibility of world conquest based on natural habitat advantage
(Environmental determinism)
Eurasian continent = “world island”
Heartland
Remote from seas (except Arctic but who cares)
Invulnerable to naval power
Technology enabled better land mobilization
Resources
“Who controls Eastern Europe controls the world”
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Rimland Theory
Nicholas Spykman, 1942 (US)
Geography is the most important factor in foreign policy because it is the most
permanent
Maritime areas more crucial to worldwide power
More and more varied resources
“Who controls the Rimland rules Eurasia, who rules Eurasia controls the destinies
of the world”
How did this affect post-WWII foreign policy?

Map of Containment Policy

One more thing about Eastern Europe….

It’s a shatterbelt
Unstable due to location between different regions

Geopolitical World Order

Temporary periods of relative stability in defining international politics
Cold War = bipolar geopolitical world order
2 superpowers (+ their allies/satellites)
After collapse of USSR, “new world order”
Supranationalism / multilateralism, OR
Unilateralism
What describes today’s geopolitical world order?

What are the geopolitics of your Balkanized states?

Topic: Supranationalism
Do Now: For what various reasons do states cooperate with one another?

Objectives:
10.) Explain how political, economic, cultural, and technological changes challenge
state sovereignty.

Supranationalism: organizing political and economic affairs at the international

level
“Supra-”
Above and beyond
States have formed over 60 major supranational organizations
Entities in which > 3 countries ally to benefit members
(Examples?)

3 types of supranational unions

Economic, Political/Diplomatic, Military

Identifying #Supranational Organizations

Political and Military Cooperation

The United Nations (1945)
Evolved out of the League of Nations (1919)
51 countries committed to preserving peace through international cooperation and
collective security
Today UN membership totals 193 countries.
5 permanent members of Security Council:
China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, and United States
Mixed support on recent issues (e.g. overthrowing Saddam Hussein, Palestinian
statehood, etc.)

Cold War Competition and Alliances: Division of world into military alliances
resulted from the emergence of two superpowers: U.S. and Soviet Union.
Military Cooperation in Europe
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
16 democratic states, including the U.S., Canada, and 14 other European states
Relationship to containment policy?
Warsaw Pact
Military agreement among Communist Eastern European countries to defend each other
in case of attack.
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EUROPE MILITARY AND ECONOMIC ALLIANCES (left) During the Cold War. Western European
countries joined the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO), whereas Eastern European countries joined COMECON and the Warsaw Pact.
(right) Post–Cold War. COMECON and the Warsaw Pact have been disbanded, whereas the
European Union and NATO have accepted and plan to accept new members.
FIGURE 8-43 EUROPE MILITARY AND ECONOMIC ALLIANCES (left) During the Cold War.
Western European countries joined the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO), whereas Eastern European countries joined COMECON and the
Warsaw Pact. (right) Post–Cold War. COMECON and the Warsaw Pact have been
disbanded, whereas the European Union and NATO have accepted and plan to accept new
members.
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The European Union (5:51)

The EU in the 21st Century

Started as the European Economic Community in 1958
Expanded to 12 countries during the 1980s; expanded to 27 in the 2000s.
Main task of the EU is to promote development within member states through economic
and political cooperation.
Eurozone
Most dramatic step toward integrating Europe’s nation-states into a regional
organization.
European Central Bank given responsibility of setting interest rates and minimizing
inflation throughout the Eurozone.
Common currency established: euro
Recent additions to EU were members from the disbanded COMECON

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5 primary purposes of the EU

Free Trade Union: no taxes or tariffs charged on goods crossing internal borders of
the EU
Open border policy: no border control stations between EU member states. Can cross
without stopping at customs or control inspections
Monetary union: In 2000, began conversion of money into the Euro, eliminating
exchange fees (UK retained its currency
Judicial union: provides venues for cases between litigants in separate EU member
states
Legislative bodies: 785-seat EU Parliament established to propose and approve laws

Current EU Members (27):

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

The European Economic Area (EEA)

The EEA includes EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. It allows
them to be part of the EU’s single market.
Switzerland is not an EU or EEA member but is part of the single market.

Eurozone = #countries in the EU that use the Euro:

Austria
Belgium
Cyprus
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy

11. Latvia
12. Lithuania
13. Luxembourg
14. Malta
15. Netherlands
16. Portugal
17. Slovakia
18. Slovenia
19. Spain

How does supranationalism affect the state?

How has the EU affected European states? How has it changed Europe?

Challenges state sovereignty

BREXIT
How did Brexit happen? (4:23)
January 31, 2020
Referendum was June 2016
Leave 51.9% vs. Remain 48.1%
Voter turnout was 72.2%

FRQ: 2021 #2
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a supranational organization.

Only answer B, C, D1, D2, F

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(A) Describe the concept of a supranational organization.

A1. Organization comprising multiple member countries with shared objectives and
cooperation in political, economic, and/or sociocultural spheres.

A2. Organization comprising multiple member countries with common objectives and
policies that are binding for each member.

A3. Organization of multiple member countries that promotes common objectives to

improve the welfare of member states and/or to represent their interests on the
global stage.

A4. Organization of multiple member countries that collaborate on security,

educational, cultural, economic, environmental, and political issues that affect
them individually and as a group.
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(E) Define the concept of economy of scale.

E1. As the scale of production increases, the average production cost per unit
decreases.
E2. The larger a business is, the greater competitive advantage it has as it is
able to produce more with greater cost savings.
E3. Companies that cut costs and increase production may attain economies of scale
through greater efficiency.
E4. External factors such as access to specialized labor and reduced taxes can
lower production costs and help companies attain economies of scale.
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(B) Using the gross domestic product (GDP) data in the table, explain ONE economic
benefit
to a country that joins ASEAN.
B1. A country joining ASEAN, with its large and rapidly growing economy, is likely
to be able to improve the member country’s standard of living.
B2. The ASEAN GDP of $2.8 trillion, larger than India and Brazil, gives its members
a competitive edge in world trade.
B3. An economic benefit of belonging to a group of countries with rapid GDP growth
is growth of GDP per capita over time.
B4. Joining ASEAN benefits a new member by becoming part of an economy growing
twice as fast or faster than Brazil, Japan, the United States, or the EU.
B5. The combined GDP of ASEAN countries grew 106% (e.g., more than doubled) in a
decade, so a new member would likely benefit from participation in a region with
one of the world’s fastest growth rates.
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(C) Using the ten-year GDP growth data in the table, explain ONE way that
membership in ASEAN will affect the quality of life for citizens in member states.
C1. GDP per capita as well as household income will rise (e.g., an average of 10% a
year, a high rate of growth).
C2. Quality of life will improve as rapid GDP growth stimulates government spending
in education, healthcare, public welfare, and infrastructure (e.g., clean water,
power grids, sewers).
C3. Rapid economic growth will provide citizens greater access to employment and to
higher-paying jobs, raising household incomes.
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(D1) Explain ONE political advantage for countries that join a supranational
organization
D1a. Increases political and military strength in the face of threats external to
the organization.
D1b. Reduces political or military tensions between member countries.
D1c. Food security among member states reduces hunger and incidences of famine that
can lead to political instability.
D1d. Economic growth through trade and other mechanisms (e.g., open borders, free
trade) can lead to greater political stability for members.
D1e. Supranational organizations represent their members on the world stage and act
in the political interests of the member countries.
D1f. Faster or less complicated intergovernmental or diplomatic agreements on trade
or foreign policy between member states.
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(D2) Explain ONE political disadvantage for countries that belong to supranational
organizations
D2a. Member countries lose sovereignty and/or independence as some supranational
organizations’ laws and policies apply to internal political issues.
D2b. A financial crisis in one country can spill over to other member states,
creating political crises.
D2c. As member countries appear to lose sovereignty, nationalist and separatist
movements and parties that reject supranationalism may become problems.
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(F) Using the data in the table, explain how economies of scale are important to
understanding ASEAN’s competitiveness with Japan and China.
F1. ASEAN can combine its members’ resources (e.g., land, labor, capital) to
increase production, reduce costs, and be more competitive with larger economies
such as China and Japan.
F2. ASEAN has a competitive advantage because it has lower labor costs that reduce
the cost of production for basic goods (e.g., low-technology goods, low-skill
goods, low-cost goods) making it more efficient and competitive with China and
Japan for foreign investment.
F3. ASEAN has a competitive disadvantage with Japan because Japan’s smaller labor
force is more effective at manufacturing specialized goods (e.g., high-technology
goods, high-skill goods, high-cost goods) due to its highly efficient production
system.
F4. ASEAN has a competitive disadvantage with China because China’s large workforce
has become better educated and more skilled, moving production from cheaper to
higher-cost and specialized goods.
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