MULTINATIONALISMand the CHANGING

POLITICAL LANDSCAPE

Devolution

The movement of power from the central government to regional governments within the state.

WHO??

Ethnocultural Devolutionary Movements

Many of Europe’s devolutionary movements came from nations within a state that define themselves as distinct ethnically, linguistically, or religiously.

Examples of devolution in Europe

Scotland: against joining the EU, wanted independence

-oil and natural gas revenues would flow to Scotland, not London

-taxpayers funds would serve Scotland instead of the UK

1997 Scotland and Wales voted for devolution and their own parliaments were created.

This gave rise to the idea of independence, not satisfied with being part of the UK

Regionalism: minority group self-awareness and identification with a region instead of a state.

Basque separatists in SpainSeparatists in Corsica want to leave France.

Other ethnocultural devolutionYugoslavia

Bretons in France

Czechoslovakia: Became Slovakia and Czech Rep

1. Slovakia: border between Slovakia and Hungary has 11% Hungarians

2. Hungarians face discrimination based on language and culture and want greater autonomy

Changes in Europe due to Ethnonationalism

1. formation of new states

2. more power to regions, new legislatures (parliaments)

3. linguistic or religious revival

4. regional separatism

5. political instability (civil war, fighting, hostility, ethnic cleansing, conflict)

6. Economic instability (economy declining)

7. Mass migration(refugees, emigration)

Other examples of devolutionSri Lanka

Canada: Quebec

Soviet Union into 15 independent states

(Chechnya)

Sudan: Muslim North and non-Muslim south

Western China: Uyghur separatist movement

Palestinians in Israel

Subnationalism: give their primary allegiance to traditional groups or nations that are smaller than the population of the entire state.

Self-determination

Economic Devolutionary ForcesCatalonia in Spain: cite economics: 6% of territory and 17% of population, produces 25% of Spanish exports and 40% industrial exports.

Mezzogiorno region of Italy, rich core of Europe separate from poor south.

Economic Devolution in Brazil3 Southernmost States of Rio Grande Do Sul, Santa Catarina, and Parana.

Government misspending their tax money on assistance to Amazonia.

-found a leader

-created a flag

-demanded independence calling themselves Republic of Pampas

(govt outlawed this party)

Spatial Devolutionary ForcesMost of the places seeking devolution are on the margins or periphery of a state or are isolated islands.

-distance

-remoteness

-marginal locations, sometimes separated by a river, mt, or desert from central power

Hawai’i:

-right to reestablish an independent state called Hawai’I

-Island of Kauai or part of the island

Supranationalism

The efforts of three or more states to forge associations for common advantage and in pursuit of common goals

International sanctions

From League of Nations to United Nations

The United NationsRepresentation of countries has been more

universal than that of the League

The United Nations

Peacekeeping operations– Internal conflicts– Not always successful– > 40,000 peacekeeping troops serve– The UN peacekeeping function provides

major benefits to the international community

Unrepresented peoples– UNPO

By 2002 had 51 members and 13 applicants

The Law of The Sea

UN Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982The Truman ProclamationWidening maritime claimsThe UNCLOS process– Main provisions of the treaty:

The territorial sea—12 nautical milesThe exclusive economic zone (EEZ)—200 to 350 nautical miles

Median lines– States on opposite coasts divide the waters separating

them– The “High Seas”…

Regional Multinational Unions

The first multinational union– Benelux—Netherlands, Belgium, and

Luxembourg– The Marshall Plan

First-step of cooperation among European states

Toward a European Union

The Organization of the European Economic Community (OEEC)

France proposed a union with six other states called the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)

The ECSC through negotiations and agreement led to the formation of the Common Market (EEC)

Expansion created the European Community (EC)

In 1992, further expansion led to creation of the European Union (EU)

Changes resulting from supranationalism in Europe

1. larger market (greater trade, reduced tariffs, greater economic prosperity)

2. Greater international influence(greater pol/eco power, greater ability to compete with economies of other countries)

3. Open borders (labor, tourists)

4. common currency (EURO)

5. Common policy (resources, agriculture, economic, environment, trade, military) or loss of control over individual policy

6. Loss of identity

7. War is less likely

Regional Multinational Unions

Toward a European Union– The future of European Supranationalism

Difficult

The United Kingdom did not allow its citizens to vote on membership in the EU

– ExpansionMay cause strains

Progress toward supranational goals tends to be cyclic and flourishes when economic times are good

Regional Multinational Unions

Supranationalism elsewhere– NAFTA—the North American Free Trade Agreement– CARICOM– South America’s MERCOSUR– ECOWAS– Today, new groups are forming in almost all parts of

the worldFTAA—Free Trade Area of the Americas

Other forms of Supranationalism– NATO– Cultural unions– Political unions

ResourcesDe Blij, Harm, J. (2007). Human Geography People, Place and Culture. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Domosh, Mona, Neumann, Roderic, Price, Patricia, & Jordan-Bychkov, 2010. The Human Mosaic, A Cultural Approach to Human Geography. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company.

Fellman, Jerome, D., Getis, Arthur, & Getis, Judith, 2008. Human Geography, Landscapes of Human Activities. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Pulsipher, Lydia Mihelic and Alex M. and Pulsipher, 2008. World Regional Geography, Global Patterns, Local Lives. W.H. Freeman and Company New York.  

Rubenstein, James M. (2008). An introduction to human geography The cultural landscape. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Benewick, Robert, & Donald, Stephanie H. (2005). The State of

China Atlas. Berkeley: University of California Press.