Geopolitical Relationships between Countries (Edexcel IGCSE Geography)

Geopolitics of Trade

• Geopolitical relations between countries is more important than ever due to globalisation

• The movement of trade, people and money involves large-scale interaction between many countries

• All countries want greater benefits than costs of these movements

• Some countries have greater power and influence than others, leading to unequal dominance on the geopolitical global stage:

  • Power comes from:

    • Level of economic development

    • Military force

    • Dominance of modern technology

    • Educated population

    • Wealth of resources

    • Strategic global location and large physical presence

• Political agreements between countries are a way of controlling these movements to various levels

Trade Relationships

• Terms of trade is the most important factor 

• Regional trading has increased over the last forty years with the help of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)

• This has also seen the rise in superpowers and global TNCs wielding their dominance over developing countries and placing them with an unfair advantage

• Trade blocs are when barriers to trade between member countries are reduced or removed, whilst outside trade  is still subject to normal trade tariffs

• Examples include the European Union (EU), NAFTA and ASEAN etc.

• Protection of these trade relationships can lead to tensions and military intervention or support:

  • Tensions in the Middle East over oil production led, in part, to the Gulf War of 1991 with coalition forces deployed to protect the oil fields of Kuwait and ensure continued oil production for OPEC and the rest of the world

• Terms of trade have come under criticism from many developing countries

• They argue that agreements favour developed countries resulting in uneven trading

• This leaves them in a position of vulnerability with not enough benefit being passed on to improve their trading arrangements

Geopolitics of Migration

• The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is an IGO that works to:

  • Assist in the 'orderly and humane' management of migration 

  • To promote international cooperation on migration issues

  • Assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems

  • To provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people

• Migration flow does not appear to be hampered by the geopolitics of distance 

• Economic migrants tend to flow towards a developed economy to benefit from its national prosperity

• These countries tend to have the political power to control the numbers of migrants attempting to enter through work or residential visa criteria

• Some countries have a quota system and choose migrants with skills that are in short supply - Australia and New Zealand operate this system

• The UK has up until recently, operated under EU free border rules, where the movement of people within member states is unrestricted

• With Brexit, the UK took central control of the number of migrants wanting to cross its borders 

• It is expected that all countries will offer sanctuary to refugees and asylum seekers

• However, there is an imbalance with some countries admitting more than others:

  • Syrian refugees, for instance, tend to head towards Germany and the UK 

  • Germany has settled over half a million refugees with less than 20,000 for the UK

  • the UK argues that it prefers to settle the refugees closer to their home borders, so that when hostilities end, they can return home more easily

Geopolitics of Tourism

• Geopolitics is less of an obstacle, with many countries welcoming tourists 

• Modern transport and communications have made travelling to faraway places less of a barrier

• With the advent of the package holiday, costs have become significantly reduced and increased mass tourism

• Developing countries benefit from tourism and encourage a flow of tourists from developed countries

• There are countries whose economy is based around tourism and therefore, have porous borders to facilitate ease of access to the country by tourists

  • Jamaica for instance, relies on tourism as the main source of income ($3.10bn) along with generating taxes, main employment sector and foreign exchange (20% of GNP) it is to their advantage to reduce barriers to travelling to and from Jamaica and the Ministry for Tourism works to ensure ease of transit for its visitors

• The main offices of holiday companies are usually based in developed or politically powerful countries creating economic leakage from the host country and can be a source of tension 

• Different cultures are exposed to tourists; aiding in breaking down pre-conceived ideas

• Relationships between countries are positively boosted particularly in developed countries where their reputation is a draw to the less powerful countries