The study of the geopolitics around the globe and over time is a complex task. Numerous factors influence the causal chain of events that determine the course of a state’s history. Geography in its broadest sense limits the ability of a state to become a superpower, but it also allows certain states to thrive with relative ease compared to lesser developed countries. Location, terrain, technology, and demographics work in conjunction to affect the power of certain states, and it is through the effective use of these elements states attempt to raise or maintain their power. It is the fundamental goal of states to seek relative power over other states and regions, and states will act in ways they believe will maintain or increase their power. However, whiles sometimes states may act irrationally or in ways contrary to their own best interest, ultimately what is fundamental to the actions of a state is the belief that their actions will maintain or increase the state’s power.
In the creation of a geopolitical utopia it is vital to understand the proper application and function of physical geography and its influence on a states power potential. The location of Geopolitically Utopian State (GUS) is approximately 1200 miles north-northwest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is approximately 1700 miles from the eastern end to the western end of the GUS, and approximately 1200 miles from the southern tip to the northern tip. A large mountain range runs along most of the southern border of the GUS with the Pacific Ocean, but as the continent heads north the mountains recede into mostly flatlands and with sporadic patches of hills and waterways with a variety of geological formations.
The terrain and location of the GUS is important for a ...
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...GUS can rapidly trade with both inexpensive labor states like China and Vietnam, while also trading with states producing high end consumer goods like the United States and Japan. Through efficient commercial transportation domestically and internationally, the GUS can maintain its economic power.
Personal transportation between major metropolitan areas is conducted through a combination of railway systems and domestic highway systems. With the efficient ability for people to move across country, there are no largely unproductive regions of the country. Modern transportation infrastructure creates efficient and rapid transportation, allowing increased economic power, but they also allow for increased military power within the state. If attacked the government can move troops and equipment overland quickly and efficiently and counter and naval based threats.
Geopolitics has been a major obsession of nation-s¬tates throughout history and even today. The strategies that nation-states use to assert their position in relation to other states are complex and changing with the new nature of states and power in the World. Mackinder originally formulated one of the most crucial geopolitical models in order to capture the way in which states vie for power over space, which has seen renewed relevance as Afghanistan continues to be at the heart of a world power struggle. Whilst organic theories of how nation-states behave and exist in a manner similar to that of organism(relating to geopolitical actions and ambitions) were penned by early German writers such as Ratzel and Haushofer(though have existed before this), that have tended to be adopted by authoritarian regimes and have been extended to the utilisation of repression. These models can be seen to work in conjunction with one another and are at the backbone of geopolitical theory and can be widely applied. However they were originally ideas that were conceived with a very different world in mind when compared with the present. So it would be interesting to see whether the modern nation states in the face of globalisation (whereby the states’ own role have been redefined) still adhere to these theoretical frameworks in regard to how they conduct geopolitical activity.
International politics traditionally focuses on the relationship between states and international organisations. Despite the fact that the geography may remain inert, the geopolitical situations in regions are shifting over time, and changes in global environment can make an influence on the regional powers. The world’s great powers are the main and decisive actors among states, which make an enormous influence on the processes of the international relationship. Throughout history, the world environment has demanded from nations to get more resources in order to develop their economy and military power. Therefore, countries struggled to get more possessions and territory in order to survive. A high developed economic industry
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.
Ronald Regan quoted ‘‘the United States does not start fights. We will never be an aggressor. We maintain our strength in order to deter and defend against aggression – to preserve freedom and peace. The world does not work the way we have been led to believe - by our mainstream media, by our politicians, by our corporations, by our financial institutions, by our military, by our schools. We are bombarded daily with so much misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, half-truths, and outright lies, that it takes a persistent individual to sort through the fog of information to find the truth.. This paper seeks to determine if rogue states are more aggressive in challenging other states’ claims to territory in comparison with non-rogue states. Rogue states are defined as those, which methodically violate accepted international human rights norms of gender and ethnic nondiscrimination and protection from state repression. Suggestions suggest that states that regularly violate international human rights customs are more likely to challenge other states’ territorial claims while rogue states are more likely experience territorial disputes.
With the advances of modern military technology and more specifically, nuclear weaponry, in the past half-century, war between great powers has seemingly become a relic of the past. The prospect of mutually assured destruction has radically transformed military and diplomatic strategy since the end of the Second World War. Rather than direct confrontation between great powers these states now elect for more indirect means at challenging their opponents. One manifestation of these changes has been the emerging importance of proxy wars as a means to confront and challenge powerful states without directly provoking them. This is the largely accepted reason for the use of proxy wars, but this essay will argue a different interpretation of the concept. This essay will analyze the concept of proxy wars through the lens of a world-systems theorist: Christopher Chase-Dunn. With extensive emphasis on his writings in Global Formation: Structures of the World Economy this essay will provide an interpretation that is consistent with Chase-Dunn's worldview. It will be argued that the logic behind proxy wars is less a matter of geopolitical and geostrategic aim than it is a matter of economics and the domination of the interstate mode of production. After an outline of the world-systems view, the terminology that will be used to describe the actors in the world-system, and the relationship between these actors, this essay will commence with the application of these ideas to the use of proxy wars in achieving the strategic goals of the state. Most prominent among these goals is the reinforcement of the core/periphery hierarchy, which is necessary to the continued functionality of the capitalist mode of production that has proliferated th...
The word "geopolitics" has become increasingly popularlately and has also continuously been regarded as a framework for understanding and trying to cope with the latest events that happen within a specific region, but that indirectly affect the global security and perspectives. Not only people are involved in the disturbance of international peace and stability, because the geographical territories act as conductors for armed or unarmed conflicts, altogether deteriorating further the international political behavior. And even though the main purpose of geopolitics is to study the effects of these geographic variables through studying foreign policy, the method is rarely able to predict
In his book State-building: Governance and world Order in the 21st Century, Francis Fukuyama examines the multiple dimensions of stateness and illustrates the significance of establishing a strong and capable state to individual states and the world order. As Fukuyama points out, it has been a recent trend to weaken stateness for some reasons. Many states were so powerful that they waged wars on their neighbours and the development of global economy tended to erode the autonomy and sovereignty of nation-states through international laws, rules, treaties and so forth. However, after September 11 event, the crucial issue for global politics will not be how to cut back the state sector; instead, it is vital to build the state up. Weakening states is harmful for individual state and for the global community. Weak stateness, figured by low level of capability, efficiency and institutional development, impedes the economic development in weak nation-states. Besides, weak states have become one potential birthplace of terrorism that probably poses threats to the developed countries as well as the world security.
The definition of modern state is also essential to understanding which political theory best applies. For the purposes of this paper, the definition of modern state will be as follows: an organized territory with defined geographical boundaries that are recognized by other states has a body of law and institutions of government. A state that offers protection, order, justice, foreign trade and the facilitations of inner state trade in exchange for citizen loyalty. The goal of the modern state is to maintain order and...
Moreover political resources in comparison with Malaysia are said to be an instruments of nation-states thereby use of political resources often interacts particularly with economic resources vice versa. However to the mere of international realists, a nation-state’s international status is often reflected by its national power, including its military, economy, national will, social cohesion, literacy rate etc. As a matter of fact there is a notion which says that if a country’s looks stronger is dependent upon the country’s national power which improves international status level with greater ability to influence the global arena. Indeed international standing can be established in the decision-making process of unilateral organizations. Another example of international relations strength is on economic resources which are upon foreign trade; overseas deal and foreign aid are the most popular economic resources...
It is not human nature that drives world politics, but rather a system where each state is in pursuit of gain, and its actions on an international arena depend on its individual interests. Anarchy of the international system is an order in itself. Concerned with its security and development, each state is in constant competition with other states. Power is central to understanding the relations among states. In pursuit of power makes states increase their arsenals, boost their economies and develop science and
The state is one of the major actors in International Relations, but cannot always claim to be the major actor. The issues that a state might face in claiming the position as the major actor in international relations include non-state violent actors, international bodies, and ethnic groups. However, one must recognise that the state will still be a major actor, and this is to be expected in a world where certain countries are the powerhouses of the world.
Today's world is full of problems present on an international scale. Yet, differences amongst states compel them to eschew cooperation. The division between the global North and South is the greatest challenge to global governance. The contrast in economic welfare, political stability, and culture among states creates many dilemmas for the international community. The economic differences between highly developed economies and the rest of the world deters cooperation. In addition, social differences between North and South create cultural clashes that breed violence, and adds difficulty to forming international norms. Moreover, the political weakness of some states in the global South create security dilemmas and keep global governance initiatives away from success. The international order is skewed in favour of the global North and serves to empower them. However, international leaders can solve these issues by promoting global equity. In order for global governance to achieve its fullest potential, the world must first address the inequality of states.
Transportation is movement of people and goods from one location to another. Throughout history, the economic wealth and military power of a people or a nation have been closely tied to efficient methods of transportation. Transportation provides access to natural resources and promotes trade, allowing a nation to accumulate wealth and power. Transportation also allows the movement of soldiers, equipment, and supplies so that a nation can wage war.
According to Wikipedia, has defined transport or transportation as goods and animal from one location to another and movement of people. The modes of transport is including air, water, road, rail, cable, space, and pipeline. Transportation is important as it travel , facilitates trade and exchange,. Without an effective transport, the region is largely isolated from each other. Affordable and effective transportation also play a role to letting people move into new
Highways are the major means of transporting people and freight in this country and a reliable land transportation system with the supporting infrastructure is important for a strong economy (Tsoucalas, 2007). For any industry to operate effectively, it needs the services of road transportation. Road transportation is the most commonly used mode of transport for moving freight worldwide, even when one is using air, sea or rail a truck is always responsible for delivering the goods from the port of arrival to the final destination.