Geopolitics Midterm Exam - Coursework Example

Geopolitics What is geopolitics as a field of knowledge, a set of methods, and as a policy practice? In addition to discussing concepts, please provide specific examples to illustrate your points (Mandatory essay). Geopolitics is a vast field of knowledge which encompasses various things. It relates geography and power. Geopolitics also defines how people portray and represent actions. This field of knowledge also scrutinizes the efforts of the powerful in creating worlds which the weaker have tried to resist. Geography is a prominent part of the field of geopolitics. As a field of knowledge geopolitics relates geographical settings to political power. Geopolitics is a multifaceted field of knowledge which address demography, anthropology, geography, economics, international security, military policies, natural resources and various other subjects (Chapman, 2011, p.g.2). Foe ease the field of geopolitics can be understood through three approaches. Classical geopolitics, critical geopolitics and feminist geopolitics are the three approaches. Classical geopolitics should not be associated with an outdated approach because it can still be outlined in the present world. Classical geopolitics started when the European countries initiated exploration and longed to see the world as an interconnected region. Examples of geopolitics can be seen in the nineteenth century when the British faced challenges from states like Germany, Japan and United States. In this period practice of power with reference to geographical increment was observed. More recently an example of classical geopolitics can be seen in America’s “War on Terror” which was a response to the attacks on the World Trade Centre. By doing this they identified vague targets that required military response. To summarize classical geopolitics is a state of mind that asserts to take a stand for global causes but actually it is the misuse of power by the powerful. Feminist geopolitics is also present in the world. The feminist geopoliticians claim a particular perspective. An example of feminist geopolitics is a woman soldier in Afghanistan (Flint, 2012, p.g. 3, 6). Critical geopolitics show various approaches. The main thought behind critical geopolitics is that intellectuals of an administration build up ideas about places. The ideas put forward by intellectuals have effect on political behaviors and policy choices. Critical geopolitics approach people, processes, places and politics. Critical geopolitics basically cancel the balance of power and influence of international affairs. For example, it deals with geographical aspects of the United States and other Western powers (Chapman, 2011, p.g.3). The history of geopolitics dates back many years. History states that the word was first used by a Swedish political scientist called Rudolf Kjellen. Kjellen defined geopolitics as the role of geographical factors towards determination of national behavior. Political geography also has a prominent role in geopolitics. Political geography describes the relation between the physical features of an area and the related political issues. The field of geopolitics is vast and has various areas that it addresses such as economy, environment, diplomacy, security and relations with other states. History shows that geopolitics has been practiced by various nations and states through time but in the 20th century it became a formalized method for policy making. The main factors that geopolitics practices is that there should be a recognition of other state’s borders, capitals, culture, resources, communication lines and power. Geopolitics is also beneficial because it reaches out to address issues such as demographic movement within a state, economic development, natural resources distribution and usage of land by the people of the state. Throughout history there are accounts of geopolitical influence in Britain when Halford Mackinder feared uprising of Germany’s navy and formed a league of democracies with British territories. These territories then got preferences. The concept of geopolitics was deterred in North America and Europe due to Nazi stigma (Chapman, 2011, p.g.7-8). Hence geopolitics is an important field of knowledge as it puts forward a state’s political approach with reference to its geography. The field of geopolitics is multidisciplinary in nature with main focus on political geography and international relations. All these facets of geopolitics in combination affect a country’s economy. 3. If national identity construction lies at the center of understanding the construction of the modern nation and the modern state, (a) please outline the main ideological and scholarly perspectives on national identity construction, and (b) discuss how the phenomenon may be studied from the perspective of geopolitics National identity is actually a state of mind which is an amalgamation of two words. National refers to a person’s country, nation or nationality. Identity on the other hand is the person’s conception about themselves. Hence national identity is a method of self-identification and also it addresses multiple identities. National identity is a volatile thing because it continuously constructs and deconstructs on the basis of factors. The factors on which people identify themselves are place, religion, gender and ethnicity. National identity places a crucial role in the character building of an individual. Scholars such as Benedict Anderson stated that national identity is a matter of cultural artifact. Nation, nationalism and national identity are all correlated and identify a person’s state of mind (Ryschka, 2008, p.g.19-20). Nationalism signifies formation and maintenance of nations, a consciousness of association to a state, a language that describes the nation and lastly an ideology which affirms national motivation. The ideology of nationalism is based on the following doctrines. The core doctrines are that the world is divided into nations which have their own culture and history. Another element of ideology is that a nation is the main source of political and social power. Humans of a nation should relate themselves to their nation and put loyalty to their nation above anything else. Lastly, nations must have a sense of freedom if peace is to prevail in the world. Ideology is related to a nation not to a state. Ideology of nationalism puts the nation and its concerns in the center (Smith, 1991, p.g.73-74). Nationalism or national identity has a strong relation with geopolitics of a nation. The geopolitical actions of a nation show the way the nation interacts with internal and external affairs. Geopolitical representation has a special importance in a state’s identity. National identity of a state traces its roots to the state’s boundary. The precise location and control of borders has effect on the national identity and geopolitics. Borders or boundaries delineate the population and resources of a nation. Mapping of boundaries is done in three stages. Firstly, the boundary must be established. Then it must be demarcated. Lastly the boundary must be respected by the people of the nations. National identity basically relates to geopolitics because national identity is territorial identity. This territorial identity is basically the desire and urge for sovereignty of a state. Borders or boundaries are tools that define state policy, expression of government power and also markers of national identity. The boundaries provide a sense of security to the citizens of the nation (Flint, 2012, p.g.125-130).In contrast international borders impose security threats to nations. Geographical demarcation has a key role in chances of warfare. Borders in the world are becoming permeable to chances of foreign intrusions and chances of war. Hence it is necessary that boundaries are set that monitor security (Braden and Shelly, 2000, p.g.69-72). Geopolitics as stated before involves a geographical area’s politics which involves internal and external matters. The field of geopolitics is a vast field of knowledge which may be scrutinized further in association with national identity of a nation. Geopolitics has three forms which are present and is practiced in the world. Classical geopolitics, critical geopolitics and feminist geopolitics are prevalent in the governments of states. Geopolitics is basically the show of power of the stronger against the weak. The core feature of an ideology of nationalism of a state is the fact that separate states that are demarcated geographically have their own geopolitics. Boundary or border of a state is the thing on which states are differentiated from other states. It should be kept in mind that borders are also an area of terrorism. Works Cited Braden, Kathleen E, and Fred M. Shelley. Engaging Geopolitics. Harlow: Prentice Hall, 2000. Print. Chapman, Bert. Geopolitics: A Guide to the Issues. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger, 2011. Print Flint, Colin. Introduction to Geopolitics. Routledge, 2012. Print. Ryschka, Birgit. Constructing and Deconstructing National Identity: Dramatic Discourse in Tom Murphys the Patriot Game and Felix Mitterers in Der Löwengrube. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2008. Print. Smith, Anthony D. National Identity. Reno: University of Nevada Press, 1991. Print. Read More