Notes de cours
Geopolitics: All Units
- Cours
- Établissement
In-depth notes covering all units of Geopolitics 23-24
[Montrer plus]
Vendeur
S'abonner
gelstudent
Aperçu du contenu
GeopoliticsFinal
Politics, Power, Geopolitics
What is politics?
Characteristics of politics:
● It is about making decisions that apply to all members of a political community, given
that by nature every society has "rival opinions, different wants, competing needs,
and opposing interests" (Heywood, 1997).
○ These decisions are binding and can be enforced on the political community's
members.
● "Activity through which people [or societies] make, preserve and amend the general
rules under which they live" (Heywood, 1997)
● The essence of politics is disagreement. Both conflict and cooperation are central in
politics, and politics implies channeling and managing conflict (i.e. conflict resolution).
● It is inherent to and inevitable in human societies and civilizations.
Politics is a highly contested concept. It embraces a wide range of theoretical approaches
and a variety of schools of thought.
● Aristotle viewed politics as a virtuous undertaking, whereas Machiavelli viewed
politics as a means of manipulation and power plays.
Politics is exercised on a wide range of social levels, from clans and tribes of traditional
societies, families, corporations, and any form of a human organization up to sovereign
States and the international level.
Politics is an exercise of power. (Heywood, 1997)
● Power is difficult to define, measure and classify but we can understand how it works;
power does not exist in isolation, it's a capacity that exists and operates in relation to
others (Naím, 2013)
● Power is “the probability that one actor within a social relationship will be in a position
to carry out his own will despite resistance” (Weber, 1920/1978)
Parsons on ‘power’ (1960s)
● Parsons criticized approaches to power as a “zero-sum game.”
● He believed that power could be used for beneficial gains to all parties involved and
that it was a legitimate social instrument to approach common collective interests.
Nye on ‘power’
● Power is the capacity to get a desired outcome or "influencing others according to
your preferences" (Nye, 2017)
● Nye Identified two different kinds of power depending on how influence is exercised:
hard power ("sticks") and soft power ("carrots"), (Nye, 1990).
, ● “Power exercised by States can take many forms: economic sanctions, military
interventions…” (Nye, 1990)
What are the pros and cons of mankind being hunter-gatherers versus
settlers? (material and political perspectives)
Humans lived in societies to achieve protection, specialization, and productivity.
● All human communities face similar challenges such as cooperation, conflict, and
decision-making.
● The big shift in human societies was when hunter-gatherers became settlers during
the Neolithic Revolution.
Pros Cons
Hunter-gatherers Material perspective Material perspective
● Minimal impact on the ● Limited agricultural activity
environment ○ Food insecurity
● Varied diet of animals and ● No permanent shelter
vegetables ○ Less protection
● No property or
possessions to defend Political perspective
○ In conflict, retreat ● No formal rules are in
was a choice place
● Humans were less ○ People had
vulnerable to epidemics impunity
because of their mobility ● Difficulties forming
alliances as mobility
Political perspective obstructed long-lasting
● Small communities relationships
comprised of 30-80
members well-known to
each other
Settlers Material perspective Material perspective
● More engagement in ● Harvest planning became
agriculture necessary, increasing
○ A larger dependence on climate
population was ● Space shrunk, but
maintained possessions grew
● The surplus in farming led ○ Infrastructure and
to more trading relations, armies became
which promoted necessary to
specialization and defend property
, advanced trade networks ● Settlers had increased
● More permanent health issues
structures provided ○ People lived close
increased protection to each other and
● Advancements in animals
technology were made for ○ They had less
agriculture and protein in their diet
engineering
Political perspective
Political perspective ● Big communities
● Collective life needed comprised of thousands of
rules, codes, and members not known to
complex decisions, which each other
led to the creation of ○ Depended on
advanced and organized strangers
societies. ● Hierarchy and bureaucracy
appeared through the
creation of fictions about
legitimacy
The State
Is Brazil a strong, weak, failed, or collapsed state? Provide reasons and
metrics.
The degrees of fragility or success of a state according to Rotberg (2010):
1. Strong State
2. Weak State
● Contains ethnic, religious, and linguistic tensions that erode the supply of
political public goods
● Services such as education and health are exclusive and expensive
● Rule of Law is applied with difficulties
● Tends to despotic politics
● Corruption is common
● Conflict is open or approaching
3. Failed State
● The State provides very few public goods, which are often in the hands of
warlords, factions, terrorist organizations, or other groups
● Economic infrastructure has collapsed
○ Corruption and inflation are high
○ Food shortages are frequent
● The government is unable to provide security, basic services, or effective
decision-making capacity in substantial parts of the territory over which it is
legally sovereign
○ The state has largely ungoverned areas, warlordism, poorly
functioning economies, rampant corruption, violence, population
dislocations (refugees, IDPs…), and lack of legitimacy.
○ They are especially vulnerable to lawlessness, criminality, dissolution,
and violent upheaval.
Les avantages d'acheter des résumés chez Stuvia:
Qualité garantie par les avis des clients
Les clients de Stuvia ont évalués plus de 700 000 résumés. C'est comme ça que vous savez que vous achetez les meilleurs documents.
L’achat facile et rapide
Vous pouvez payer rapidement avec iDeal, carte de crédit ou Stuvia-crédit pour les résumés. Il n'y a pas d'adhésion nécessaire.
Focus sur l’essentiel
Vos camarades écrivent eux-mêmes les notes d’étude, c’est pourquoi les documents sont toujours fiables et à jour. Cela garantit que vous arrivez rapidement au coeur du matériel.
Foire aux questions
Qu'est-ce que j'obtiens en achetant ce document ?
Vous obtenez un PDF, disponible immédiatement après votre achat. Le document acheté est accessible à tout moment, n'importe où et indéfiniment via votre profil.
Garantie de remboursement : comment ça marche ?
Notre garantie de satisfaction garantit que vous trouverez toujours un document d'étude qui vous convient. Vous remplissez un formulaire et notre équipe du service client s'occupe du reste.
Auprès de qui est-ce que j'achète ce résumé ?
Stuvia est une place de marché. Alors, vous n'achetez donc pas ce document chez nous, mais auprès du vendeur gelstudent. Stuvia facilite les paiements au vendeur.
Est-ce que j'aurai un abonnement?
Non, vous n'achetez ce résumé que pour €12,99. Vous n'êtes lié à rien après votre achat.
Peut-on faire confiance à Stuvia ?
4.6 étoiles sur Google & Trustpilot (+1000 avis)
78998 résumés ont été vendus ces 30 derniers jours
Fondée en 2010, la référence pour acheter des résumés depuis déjà 14 ans