Geopolitical Relationships between Countries (Edexcel IGCSE Geography)

Geopolitics of trade

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

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

• All countries want these movements/interactions to achieve greater benefits than costs

• 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 are 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 exerting their dominance over developing countries

  • This gives them an unfair advantage

• Trade blocs are when barriers to trade between member countries are reduced or removed

  • Outside trade  is still subject to normal trade tariffs

• Examples of trade blocs include:

  • the European Union (EU)

  • NAFTA

  • ASEAN

• 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

  • 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 in 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 to tourism, 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 often 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, it is the main employment sector and foreign exchange (20% of GNP)

  • It is to Jamaica's advantage to reduce barriers to people travelling to and from the country

  • 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 

• Tourists are exposed to different cultures; 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