What Does Geopolitics Mean In A World?

The defining characteristic of the state is the ability to wield power. The use of power, both inside and outside of one’s border, directly speaks to the sovereignty of the nation. If a nation is incapable of disciplining or punishing its citizens it will invariably become a failed state. Moreover if a country isn’t recognized as powerful in the global political arena, that country stands a very good chance of being dominated by a nation who has the capacity to enforce its own will. The use, or at least the perception, of power is so fundamental in nationhood that those who wield the most power can easily dictate world events.

International law in the nineteenth century provided that only by way of conquest, validated by treaty or subjugation, or by a treaty of cession could an independent State’s complete sovereignty be terminated, thereby merging the former State into that of a successor State.

Charles Tilly’s article “War Making and State Making as Organized Crime” creates an analogy between the creation of European states and acting out an organized crime. Earlier in our course, we learned about Max Weber, who defined a state as “a human community that successfully claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory.” Tilly argues that the word “protection” in relation to physical force has positive and negative connotations, leading to illegitimate use of power during the period time that Tilly is discussing. Tilly’s analysis eventually tells the reader that war is always a major part of state politics; specifically that war making and state making are interdependent.

With nation-state is on the down trod, the process of globalization has further rendered the realist perceptions as anachronistic, diminishing the capacity of policy making autonomy of state. Since states are not been able to function within its own capacity because they are having compulsory interdependence between each other, its self-decision making is greatly affected, inevitably compromising all social, political and economic regulations. Also the massive proliferation of people (refugees) across different borders, undermines security balance and renders it sometimes ineffective, stating the terrorism attack on Germany Dec 2016 as a reminder of the catastrophe that a de-territorialized state can encounter..

Section II: The location, neighbors, land, and natural resources have culminated into a substantial advantage for the United States political development. Geography plays a vital part in the development and sustainability of any nation. However, this role is not always readily apparent.

States and the global community as a whole. This journal was envisioned by two Master of

In the international arena, there is no hierarchical rule to keep states in line or behaved; meaning that the international system is constantly in anarchy, aka the state of nature. This lack of rule enforcement puts states in a constant state of war, in a constant state where they need to stay on guard and in a tactical advantage otherwise the safety and well being of their state will be in jeopardy. In this scenario, the state’s number one priority is to protect itself and act in its self interest when need be, despite if it would typically be deemed immoral. (Donnelly 20)

The most prevalent reasons for states going to war are security, interest, standing, and revenge; of these, I posit that security is the most frequent. For the purposes of this paper, I will focus on warfare occurring since the onset of the 20th century, however many of the core arguments retain efficacy through the countless centuries of human warfare. States don’t trust one another; even the best relationships between states are mired in spycraft with, or in opposition to one another. To summarize Waltz, drive for security is something that all states want, and need, as long as there are multiple states and at least one of them is looking for power.

Conflict between nations over territories raises red flags in maps, as maps can “tell a lie”. Maps are sometimes made in a way to make the viewer believe in something else, a side of a story rather than the accurate exhibition of the true state of territories. There are many disputed grounds between nations. China had claimed some of India, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Taiwan’s territories in its 2012 passports which displayed a map of the country. But, maps like those are usually made with intention of showing what a country wants or what it believes it rightfully possesses. In doing this, there is a way to secure the physical implications that a country’s government governs farther out, therefore fabricating its reach of power farther outwards. Although, when the intention is to show possible future implications of near conflict, things change.

Over the course of history, domestic politics have been shaped by international forces. Forces like war and trade; empire and colonies; migration and the spread of ideas. Globalization and Neoliberalism plays an important role in impacting politics in all states. “Globalization is a system in which human beings are no longer part of isolated communities that are linked through narrow channels of diplomatic relations of trade”(O’Neil,2017, pg.346). Globalization creates a division between international relations and domestic politics. When globalization makes a distinction, then the aspects of domestic politics are controlled by global forces. Globalization changes the  institutions of economics, politics, and society. The institutions are measure by space and time of social norms, culture, boundaries. The boundaries create a local identity and control (particularly-“state, religion, or set of cultural values holds sway over the land and here but not there.”)(O’Neil, 2015, pg.348).  Furthermore, political isolation becomes impossible to happen.

Geopolitics in my life have made me an overall more openminded person. Just recently the legalization of gay marriage was annoucend across the United States. I have grown up in a society that is much more tolerent of lgbtqa+ relationships then any other generation as a whole. Its something that is a norm, there are openly gay poeple in my family and school. Growing up mostly in colorado until i moved to China 2 years ago The legalization of marijuana there changed a lot how i view drugs. In elemtry and middle school we would go through health class learning about how doing drugs once would ruin your life, we would be shown scary videos of peope on drugs, and sign contracts as a promise never to do drugs. I felt for a very long time that people who did these things where out to hurt me and everyone else around me.

In a realist world, states have “supreme power” over its territory and population, there is an absence of a higher authority. The fact that there is no higher authority has its consequences. States become self-interested, they compete for power and security. It can lead states to continuously struggle for power “where the strong dominate the weak (Kegley, 28).” This ultimately creates a system in which each state is responsible for its own survival, making them cautious towards their neighboring states. In addition, a realist world is a self-help system; “political leaders seek to enhance national security” by building armies and forming alliances (Kegley, 28). Economic and military power are key components to a state sovereignty and to national security.

The purpose of this essay is to inform on the similarities and differences between systemic and domestic causes of war. According to World Politics by Jeffry Frieden, David Lake, and Kenneth Schultz, systemic causes deal with states that are unitary actors and their interactions with one another. It can deal with a state’s position within international organizations and also their relationships with other states. In contract, domestic causes of war pertain specifically to what goes on internally and factors within a state that may lead to war. Wars that occur between two or more states due to systemic and domestic causes are referred to as interstate wars.

In the post-cold war era, with the rise of globalisation and the interdependence of markets, one can observe the moribund decline of traditional inter-state conflicts and the rise of more complex intra-state conflicts. The reasons behind these conflicts are manifold but at the heart is arguably always a conflict of interest between two or more groups. The Uppsala Conflict Data Project (2016) defines armed

Sovereignty is a norm of the International system upon which the ‘society of states’ rests. Territorial sovereignty refers specifically to the power of the state ‘the territorial limits within which state authority may be exercised on an exclusive basis.’ This essay will explore the concept and development of sovereignty within the system of states. Firstly, it will identify the state system before the ‘Peace of Westphalia’ in 1648, then it will compare the ever changing forms of sovereignty since, and the reasons for change, which have established the modern form of sovereignty which exists today.