Global Geopolitics: Borders, Power, and Governance

Political Geography

The study of the political organization of the world.

State

The largest political unit, defined as an area with defined boundaries, a permanent population, sovereignty, and recognition by other states.

Nation

A group of people sharing a common cultural heritage, claiming a particular space as their homeland.

Nation-State

A singular nation of people that fulfills the qualifications of a state; cultural borders match political borders.

Stateless Nation

A cultural group that has a history of self-determination but lacks a recognized state.

Multinational State

A country that contains more than one nation, typically with one dominant nation controlling political power.

Multi-state Nation

A nation that primarily has a state of its own but extends across borders of other states.

Autonomous Region

A defined area within a state that has a high degree of self-government.

Neocolonialism

Control of less-developed countries by developed countries through indirect means.

Choke Points

Strategic straits or canals that could be closed to stop sea traffic.

Shatterbelts

Regions caught between stronger colliding cultural-political forces, often under stress.

Boundary

Defined, delimited, and demarcated lines that establish the limits of sovereignty.

Antecedent Boundary

A boundary drawn before a large population was present, based on physical geography.

Subsequent Boundary

A boundary drawn after settlements, accommodating differences such as ethnicity and religion.

Consequent Boundary

A type of subsequent boundary drawn to separate conflicting groups.

Superimposed Boundary

A boundary drawn by outside powers ignoring existing cultural differences.

Relic Boundary

A border that no longer functions but can still be detected culturally.

Geometric Boundary

Straight lines drawn on a map, often based on lines of latitude and longitude.

UNCLOS

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; defines rights of nations regarding the oceans.

Territorial Sea

The area from 0 to 12 nautical miles from a state's coast, where it enjoys complete sovereignty.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

The area from 24 to 200 nautical miles from a state's coast, where it has exclusive rights to exploit resources.

Unitary State

A state where power is concentrated in the central government with local governments enforcing central control.

Federal State

A state where power is shared between the central government and regional governments.

Gerrymandering

The practice of redrawing legislative districts for political gain.

Cracking

A gerrymandering strategy that splits a unified group across several districts to dilute their vote.

Packing

A gerrymandering strategy that clusters a group into a single district to marginalize their influence in surrounding areas.

Devolution

The transfer of decision-making power from a central government to a lower level.

Balkanization

The fragmentation of a state into smaller, often hostile, units.

Supranationalism

When three or more countries form an organization to achieve shared goals, often giving up some degree of sovereignty.

United Nations (UN)

An international organization focused on promoting peace and security among countries.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

A military alliance formed for mutual defense, originally established during the Cold War.

European Union (EU)

A political and economic union of European countries that have abolished tariffs and facilitate free trade.

Centripetal Forces

Forces that unite a state, such as nationalism and shared culture.

Centrifugal Forces

Forces that divide a state, such as cultural diversity and economic inequality.

Organic Theory

The theory that states are like living organisms, needing land to grow or they will die.

Heartland Theory

The theory that the country that controls Eastern Europe commands the Heartland and thus the world.

Rimland Theory

The idea that power lies in the coastal fringes of Eurasia rather than the Heartland.

Self-determination

The principle that nations have the right to govern themselves.

Recognition

The acknowledgment by other states that a political entity is a legitimate state.

Sovereignty

The independence from control of a state's internal affairs by other states.