Week 2: Geography and Geopolitics PDF

# Geography and Geopolitics - **State (country):** a clearly and legally defined territory inhabited by a citizenry governed from a capital city by a representative government. - **Realm boundary:** can cut across states i.e. in Indonesia, they are usually what separates realms too like North and...

# Geography and Geopolitics - **State (country):** a clearly and legally defined territory inhabited by a citizenry governed from a capital city by a representative government. - **Realm boundary:** can cut across states i.e. in Indonesia, they are usually what separates realms too like North and Middle America with the US-Mexico border. - **Sovereignty:** Controlling power and influence over a territory, especially by the government of an autonomous state over the people it rules (i.e. government reigns supreme is the final word within its borders). - **Geopolitics:** Political relations among states or regions that are strongly influenced by their geographical setting, including proximity, accessibility, sovereign boundaries, natural resources, population distribution, and the like. ## Challenges to State Integrity The integrity of many states have been challenged by terrorist groups, some of the most contested areas are found in the Middle East (i.e. Taliban, Al-Qaeda, ISIS). ## Development - **Development:** is used to gauge a country's economic, social, and institutional growth and overall well-being (import and exports, other data) reported to the UN. - **Development** is very uneven across different regions, even among regions. ## Globalization - **Globalization:** process where spatial relations, economic, cultural, political shift to the macro scale, aka what happens in one place can affect another place i.e. supply chain problems (global village). - **Globalization** sped up with things like better technology (so you can hear about opportunities easier), easier transportation to move. - Wealthy countries pull migrants to them, but not all migrants can entry their country of choice (i.e. poverty or oppression). - More developed countries are increasingly not want immigration, specifically illegal immigration (people think they are a threat to culture, their own stability). - **Populist politicians** have taken on anti immigration positions to gain support (specifically concerning less educated or poor, or religious or ethnically different migrants or refugees). - Many of these countries face demographic problems with low birth rates and aging population (they might even need immigrants to stabilize their populations). ## Week 2 Lecture 1: Sub-Saharan Africa - There is a correlation between population density and water supply. - **Fertile Crescent:** where agriculture first occurred, the Cradle of Civilization, also developed in areas like Central America with maize, and in Asia with rice and pigs. - **Levant:** is top of the peninsula. - **Fertile Crescent Crops:** figs, olives, grapes, almonds, pistachios, millet, flax, barley, wheat, sesame. - **Two types of agriculture:** - **Dry agriculture**, where cereal crops relied on rainfall, mainly practiced in hill countries with more rainfall like Lavant and Upper Mesopotamia. - **Irrigation agriculture**, centered in alluvial plains of lower Mesopotamia, irrigation to water crops. - **Agriculture** allowed people to stay in one place, which is HUGE. ## Agriculture - Agriculture most likely started when hunter gatherers took the plants back to camp, then detritus from plants resulted in new plants growing the next time. - Goats and sheep were first to be domesticated, simultaneously cattle and the boar (pig) were domesticated in the region (mostly docile, in groups, wide diet). - **Domestication:** breeding for specific traits over several generation (artificial selection?) - Tame is just habituated to humans, eventually will kill you, as they are temporarily docile. - Once people could stay in one places, temporary villages developed. Separation of labor, skill specialization appears. - **Fertile Crescent** was semi arid, but had access to Tigris-Euphrates River, humans used aqueducts. Jerkin Aqueduct is oldest known in the world (made between 703 and 690 BCE). - Irrigated farmland is under constant threat of salinization, aka more salt and minerals from evaporation in soil, destroys soil, they will dry up and crack. Plows were developed to combat this. - Crop yields of ancient Mesopotamia were roughly comparable to traditional middle eastern farmers yields in 19th and early 20th century (so very very fertile). What happened? - **Overuse of resources.** - **Mesopotamia** had a lot of influence, which went east west south, and into europe, which is confusing why did the far more advanced society not take over the world? - **Deforestation and desalinization** was suspected to be factors for why the region became less powerful, conflict is also a huge source. ## Week 2 Lecture 2: Religion of the Region - **Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all come from the same area, and their holy sites are all around Jerusalem.** All 3 are monotheistic. - **Islam** is very important in this region. Divided like Christians, main are the Sunni and Shiites. - **Islam** originally brought stability and a way of life to the region, united middle east under one religion. Arab is ethnicity, Muslim is someone who follows Islam. - Mostly in North America, Middle East, Western Asia. - Now different sects have conflicts and can divide regions. - **Ottoman Empire** was the largest political entity in Europe and Western asia, and fell apart slowly, broke during WWI. - **Economic strife**, Crimean War really weakened the empire. - **Political and social instability**, the Balkan wars of '12 '13, uprising by Turkish nationalists. - After WWI Ottoman empire ended with treaty of Severus. - **Politics and Religion** have always been tied together. Some countries try to separate them but its really unavoidable. - **Majority of Muslims** are not fundamentalists, and most fundamentalists are not militants, and not all militants are terrorists. - The small terrorist population brought a bad image to Islam. - Some countries embrace it the religion, have their whole government based on it. - **Main terrorist groups** are ISIS, Taliban, and Al Qaeda. ## ISIS - **ISIS** controlled territory in Syria and Iraq, but defeated as a territorial state in 2019, but still is a terrorist organization. - **Al Qaeda** is quite strong and has territory, international influence, founded by Osama Bin Laden, involved in numerous terrorist attacks. - **Taliban** is a Sunni Muslim group founded by Mullah Mohammed Omar, ruled Afghanistan from '96-'01, thrown out by the U.S., but then recaptured after U.S. left in 2021. - Allegedly started to fight against warlords, sponsored by the Afghanistan Transit trade to clear a path across Afghanistan. - Captured areas of Afghanistan and some of Pakistan and imposed Sharia law. ## Israel and Gaza - Deadliest conflict between Israelis and Palestinians since their conflicts started, Numbers are hard to get. - **Hamas assault on Oct 7** was the deadliest attack on Jews since Holocaust, ~1200 dead. 250+ hostages taken to Gaza. - **Israel responded** with attack on Gaza, deadliest conflict for Palestinians ever, mass famine and destruction and death. - Only 43% of Gazans supported the October 7 attack as of Sep 2024, 6 months ago 57% support it. - Only 1% of Palestinians saw the videos of what happened. - Who owns what land is a huge issue for hundreds of years. - People from all 3 Abrahamic religions, during Ottoman rule all occupied the land. - **Palestine** was former Ottoman territory, quite large bc Arab population was large. - Palestine went under **British rule** after ottomans fell. They let Jews have their own homeland, which resulted in conflict. - **Arabs and Jews** have a lot of Nationalism. During WWII a lot of Jews went to that area, and countries supported the idea of an independent Jewish state. - 1947 the UN divided the land into Israel and Palestine, Jerusalem would be under UN rule. - **Gaza Strip, West Bank, and East Jerusalem** are main areas of conflict. - **Water** is the second biggest conflict in the region. The whole area has a water problem. - **Israel and Palestine** share 3 main water sources: Jordan water basin, coastal aquifers, mountain aquifers. - One of peace accord was **Oslo two accord**, made it so Israel controlled almost 87% of water resources in West Bank, which made West Bank Palestinians dependent on Israel. - In **Gaza Strip**, they are downstream and near the sea, therefore suffering from pollution from sewage and rising sea water (90% of Gaza's water is unfit for drinking). - **Water** is essential for quality of life. ## Other resources - 6 of the 9 biggest oil producers are in this realm: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Libya. Combined, worlds largest oil exporter. - **Brent sweet crude** has very low sulfur content, which is very good. - Discovery of oil helped these countries go up in wealth. ## Oil and Geopolitics - Borders were drawn with rulers, with no regards to other factors, such as the distribution of oil. - Many countries had oil, but didnt have the money, skill, or equipment to get it, meaning they needed foreign help which they did not want, allowing foreigners to influence economic and political affairs. - Transportation of oil also made transportation places more important like red sea and persian gulf. - In Iran, the ruling Shaw was alienated from this people, leading to religious revival and his ousting the rising of Ayatollah Khomeini. Economics, oil, politics have been inseparable. - Urban transformation was a huge effect, Dubai, Tehran, Riyad. Makes an image of those countries. Reliance on oil means there is fluctuation in oil prices. - Some countries realize this and are trying to diversify their industry, expanded in other industries like tech. - There are farms in Arizona growing to export to Saudi bc they cant grow crops anymore. - There is a connection between the realm and other Muslim communities, but that also led to resentment in foreign investment and foreign involvement within these countries, xenophobia. - Large disparity of income between native and foreign born residents. Foreign borns often helped build the big cities, but live poorly. - **Fragmented modernization**: a pattern where a few regions are highly modern and prosperous, while others are traditional, stagnant and poor. - Inequality between economy, social structure, availability of goods and services. ## Week 2 Lecture 4: Algeria and Tunisia - Algeria and Tunisia are both pretty similar. Part of roman empire, taken over by French in 1800s, Islamic countries, Arabic languages. - Algeria had more natural resources but less developed and poor than Tunisia. Women were oppressed, no credit cards or checks, alot of violence. - Tunisia didnt have alot of resources, but very European and did trade w them, better treatment for women, better banking system. - **Curse of natural resources**: the country w a lot of nat resources that got colonized would have their resources stripped and conquered, the fewer the resources, the less interference they had from conquerors. - Algeria had its best farmland taken from France and French people settled on that land. - Tunisia got independence from France in 1964, cool bc they didnt have many ties w France. - Algeria fought for France in WWII, asked for vote and was rejected. Violence ensued, 1954-1962, French kept fighting bc they had alot of french ppl there. 1.5 mil Algerians killed. - First president of Tunisia gave more rights to women, helped advance education, kept Tunisia out of anti colonial problems like with Algeria. - Algeria made a very socialized government that was religion heavy. Oppressed women, stores closed on thurs-fri, bad for trade. Bad bank system. ## Arab Spring - Arab Spring started w a young men setting himself on fire in frustration after government confiscated his vegetable stand. A lot of ppl were frustrated w government and wanted democracy. Women and young ppl took to streets to demand an end to government corruption, repression, cronyism, and economic mismanagement. - Went east into other parts of Africa and southwest asia, uprisings in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain. - Ppl followed and kept up through the internet and TV. - Egypt was a big domino to fall, as it was central part of Arab countries, long period without progress, oppression, causing its then President Mubarak out of office, even when protestors were beat and killed by police. - Most of pop was under 25, who kept up w social media, so knows about stuff they didnt have like rights in other countries, through Twitter, where updates on atrocities and protest were happening. - Disconnect between aging ruling class and younger subjects. - Success didnt happen everywhere. In Egypt, Mohamed Morsi was elected in 2012, then Defense Minister Abdel Fatah Al Sisi led a coup and became president in 2013. - In Libya, Momar Gaddafi, over thrown in Oct 2011, seen by millions. Libya has remained in civil war since, civilian population has suffered, basically two governments ruling their own parts of the country. Refugee situation. - Syrians took to streets to protest the 50 some year rule of Al Assad family, initially peaceful, but president took military action and **TORTURED CHILDREN**. - In 2012, UN declared the conflict a civil war, several Islamic military regimes had emerged like Al Qaeda, held off by Al Assad backed by Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah. - Hezbollah was a anti Israeli militant group and political party w alot of power in Lebanon. - Ppl took Aleppo but it was taken back by Al Assad w chemical weapons. - Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah had to pull back due to war w Ukraine and israel respectively. Syrian rebels (HTS), took to arms and depose Assad and his regime, fall took a week. Coup backed by Turkey, led by a former al Qaeda member. - HTS was called a terrorist group by UN, US, and Turkey. Leader dropped Al Qaeda name and used birth name Ahmed Al Shara, pushing for sanctions to be dropped, convince western countries that they are no threat. 15 mil ppl need humanitarian aid. - Stability of region is very precarious. - Yemen, civil war happened since Arab Spring, country infrastructure damaged, everything can turn on a dime ## Week 2 Part 5: The Sahara: Deserts - **Sahara Desert, Rub;al-Khali** (largest contiguous sand desert in the world), Arabian Desert (area of land that receives less than 10" of precipitation a year) antarctica is also a desert! - Population density is concentrated along the seas and Nile river. - There are also mountain ranges, Atlas Mountains in northwest africa (sw to ne) Morocco, algeria, tunisia, more than 1200 mi, thick room which rise for a highsill separating mediterranean basin from sahara like california. - Berber ppl live in atlas mountains. - **Unique animal** like barbary stag (only deer native to africa in forest area), sheep, cuvier gazelle, atlas mountain viper. - **Asir mountains** (sw saudi, parallel to red sea, a little into yemen) 40k sq miles, a little more diverse, arabian highlands, highest landmass in peninsula (arabian leopard, hamadryas baboon, caracal, rock hyrax, philby partridge) east of mountains, land slopes into arabian gulf, region has highest avg rainfall in saudi 24" - 39", most of regions crops are here (wheat, cotton coffee, indigo, ginger, vege, palms. Also livestock. 2000 vascular plants 170 are native. - **Alborz Mountains** (borders between south caspian sea and iranian peninsula) special ecosystem much cooler from the sea. Some believe these mountains are the best ski areas in the whole world (roe deer, aragali, caucasus lynx) looks like california alot. - **Dead sea** (salt lake, southern israel, lowest point on earth, diversion of water from sea of galilee, only water comes from sulfur springs and wastewater. The lake was divided into two from drying, parts of it have been sections to dry off for salt. - Northern beaches are alot of mud, south has alot of salt formations. drying at 3 ft/yr, continue and will speed up. making sink holes as it dries. - Ppl want to pump red sea into desalination plant and residue would go into the dead sea, but this has not really gone forward. ## Ethiopia - Period of mass genocide, horrible atrocities against tribes, slavery common into 20th century, never colonized by a European country. - **Last one was Haile Selassie**, ended slavery, tried to modernize country, wanted education for men and women, like sending ppl abroad. His rule ended when italian invaded. - **When italians defeated Haile Selassie came back**. - Centuries of internal conflict -> emperor ruled -> 1935 italian invasion -> 1941 italian defeat british governance -> 1944 Eritrea become autonomous region of ethiopia -> 1952 british no longer in full control -> 61 Ethiopian Independence Haile came back (he grew older ppl didnt like) -> coup against haile 1974-91 Communism leader found guilty of genocide -> 91-2018 Tigray peoples liberation front -> 2019 eritrea and ethiopia sign peace deal -> 2018-22 more ethnic hostilities. - **Lot of famine**, 1983-1985, residual unrest left country unstable, continues this day. ## Endangered Endemics: - **Eastern black rhino**, black maned lion, walia ibex, ethiopian wolf (dying from canine diseases from ppls dogs, cattle ranchers kill them), african wild ass. - A lot of green mountains alot of different terrains. - **Gelada baboon** (bleeding heart baboon), not actually baboons, most terrestrial primate except humans (grazers, live on mountains) eats grass. - Ethiopian are trying to farm on mountains, taking areas from monkeys, impacted by deforestation and soil erosion. **#1 What are the challenges and opportunities associated with managing resources in Sub-Saharan Africa, such as minerals, conservation areas, or carbon credits? Consider how different strategies might balance economic growth, environmental protection, and the well-being of local communities.**