Motivations and Advances in Exploration

The submerged extension of a coastal state's land territory extending beyond its territorial sea.

The area extending 200 nautical miles from a coastal state's baseline, where the state has exclusive rights to explore and exploit natural resources, like fishing and oil.

The area up to 12 nautical miles from a coastal state's baseline where that state exerts full sovereignty, but allows for innocent passage of foreign ships.

The area spanning 24 nautical miles from a coastal state's baseline where the state can enforce laws like customs and immigration, but doesn't have full sovereignty.

The body of law governing maritime affairs, regulating everything from navigation and shipping to resource management and environmental protection.

Established in 1982, this convention codifies long-standing maritime law, introducing new frameworks for ocean governance. This legal framework ensures fairness and order in the oceans, contributing to global peace.

The ability to control the use of the high seas, including navigation and fishing, but not to claim ownership of the waters.

The right to explore and exploit the natural resources on the continental shelf, extending up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, an international treaty adopted in 1982 and entered into force in 1994, establishes the legal framework for the rights and responsibilities of states regarding the use of the world's oceans and their resources.

A zone extending up to 12 nautical miles from a coastal state's baseline, where the state has full sovereignty over the waters, airspace, seabed, and subsoil.

The right of foreign ships to pass through a state's territorial waters peacefully and without threatening national security.

A zone extending up to 200 nautical miles from a coastal state's baseline, granting the state exclusive rights to explore, exploit, conserve, and manage the natural resources in the waters, seabed, and subsoil.

Within the EEZ, the state has the right to regulate resource use (fishing, oil, minerals), but does not have full sovereignty over the waters.

A zone extending 12 to 24 nautical miles from the baseline, giving a state limited powers to enforce customs, immigration, and other laws in their territorial waters.

Areas beyond the EEZ, open to all nations for free navigation, fishing, and scientific research, with no state having sovereignty over them.

UNCLOS establishes provisions for the sustainable management of living and non-living marine resources, emphasizing responsible practices.

A set of priorities and strategic objectives that a state pursues to ensure its survival, sovereignty, and prosperity.

A foreign policy approach where countries actively engage in global affairs to address issues that have cross-border impacts. This fosters cooperation and international unity to address shared challenges.

A policy of non-alignment in international conflicts, focused on staying neutral and impartial while maintaining sovereignty.

A policy where a country purposely avoids involvement in international affairs and politics, isolating themselves from global issues and obligations.

Challenges posed to the freedom of the seas, such as piracy and territorial disputes.

A policy of non-alignment in international conflicts, focused on staying neutral and impartial while maintaining sovereignty.

A state's approach to environmental protection and resource management. This encompasses policies like reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable practices for natural resources.

A state's approach to controlling the spread and use of weapons of mass destruction, like nuclear weapons. This involves enacting treaties and regulations to limit nuclear proliferation and ensure global security.

Realpolitik focuses on national interests and power, prioritizing security and survival over ideology or morality.

Liberalism believes international cooperation and institutions can promote peace and solve global problems.

Constructivism argues that the international system is shaped by ideas, beliefs, and norms.

Marxism analyzes international relations through the lens of economic class struggle, emphasizing the exploitation of the working class by capitalists.

This theory suggests that democratic states are less likely to go to war with each other.

Historical Materialism argues that history is driven by material conditions and class struggles.

Marx believed a classless society based on the abolition of private property would be the ideal outcome.

Marx argued that the economic base, like technology and resources, determines the superstructure, including society's culture, laws, and politics.

The process where a dominant power imposes its culture, language, and governance on another society, resulting in disruption of local traditions and identities.

The continuation of indirect control over formerly colonized nations after independence, often through economic means like trade or influence of multinational corporations.

A theory that challenges the fixed truths and power structures that govern our understanding of the world. It suggests these are created by powerful entities and are not necessarily objective.

The idea that there's no single, objective truth. Different groups and cultures interpret events and ideas based on their own experiences, perspectives, and power.

The concept that power structures and institutions are actually narratives created and maintained by powerful individuals and groups. These narratives shape our understanding of the world.

The idea that concepts like authority and sovereignty are not absolute, but are dependent on specific historical and social contexts.

Both theories emphasize the role of language in shaping our understanding of the world and how it is used to maintain power structures.

Both Postcolonialism and Poststructuralism criticize power structures that maintain dominance over others.

The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in 1494, divided newly discovered lands in the Americas between Portugal and Spain. It established a line of demarcation, effectively granting Portugal control of Brazil while Spain claimed the majority of the Western Hemisphere. The treaty ignored the indigenous populations already inhabiting these lands, establishing a foundation for European colonization and its lasting consequences.

The Columbian Exchange refers to the interconnected exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and cultures between Europe and the Americas that began with Christopher Columbus's voyages in 1492. This exchange had a profound impact on both continents, introducing new crops, livestock, and diseases, and shaping global agriculture, trade, and societies.

Christopher Columbus's voyages in 1492 marked a turning point in global history because they initiated a period of sustained European exploration and colonization of the Americas. These voyages led to the introduction of European influence and the eventual establishment of European global dominance.

The Peace of Westphalia, signed in 1648, marked the end of the Thirty Years' War and ushered in a new era in international relations. It established the principle of national sovereignty, where states were recognized as independent entities with the right to govern their own affairs. This shifted the focus from religion to secular power and laid the groundwork for the modern nation-state system.

The Westphalian System is a model of international relations that emerged after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. It is characterized by the principles of state sovereignty, non-interference in the internal affairs of other states, and the recognition of states as the primary actors in international relations. It is a cornerstone of modern diplomacy.

The Treaty of Tordesillas and the Peace of Westphalia represent a major paradigm shift in global politics. While the former formalized the beginning of European colonization based on territorial claims, the latter established the principles of national sovereignty, shaping modern diplomacy and international relations.

The Treaty of Tordesillas and Columbus's voyages together represent a significant turning point in global history, marking the beginning of a new era shaped by European expansion and its lasting consequences. They set the stage for the rise of European empires, the Columbian Exchange, and the ongoing struggles for power and equality in the world.

Christopher Columbus's voyages, while often celebrated for their explorations, also had a significant negative impact on the indigenous populations of the Americas. His voyages led to colonization, displacement, and the spread of diseases that devastated Native American societies. His legacy is a complex one, reflecting both the advancements and the injustices of early European exploration.