What are spheres of influence?
The region over which a group or institution has power which is separate from whoever is traditionally in control.
How can the ownership of natural resources be disputed?
- Invasion and conquest of another country’s territory, which is rare.
- Claiming offshore, undersea resources by extending a country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which is more common.
Give two examples to show how the ownership of natural resources can be disputed.
Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and Arctic oil and gas resources.
Why did Russia invade and take Crimea (part of the Ukraine) by force in 2014?
A key reason for doing this was to gain total control of the Russian naval base at Sevastopol in Crimea - home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet
The base was leased to Russia in 1997, but not owned by Russia.
Russia fears that if Ukraine joins the EU and/or NATO this strategic base could be lost
Fearing the loss of land and port, both physical resources, Russia acted.
Why are there disputes over Arctic oil and gas resources?
- Huge oil and gas reserves may exist under the Arctic Ocean.
- This area is beyond the EEZ of Canada, the USA, Russia and Denmark.
- All these countries have claimed EEZ extensions, which are disputed by others, and lodged these with the UN (which ultimately rules on them).
- Since 2007, military patrols and activity have increased in the Arctic as each country shows interest in the area and is willing to defend its claims.
- Melting of the ice caps has meant that there are now shipping routes that weren’t previously available and that cut down travel times.
- Resources such as huge fish stocks, oil, gas and minerals beneath the melting ice caps. The US geological survey estimates the Arctic has 25% of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas.
Why are human resources a key element of power?
- New military technology, used for defence or attack.
- Inventions and new products that could bring riches.
What is intellectual property and its purpose?
Why is patenting importance for TNCs?
- It stops TNC’s being reluctant to invest in R&D because it means inventions won’t be copied.
- Increases trade as they can trust their ideas won’t be copied by other countries.
- Having a unique selling point is crucial for profits. large amounts of money are paid in legal fees each year by TNCs trying to stop other companies from using their ideas.
What is an example of tensions due to other countries abusing IP laws?
The USA have accused Thailand of abusing the TRIPS agreement (agreement concerning copyright etc.). This is due to the counterfeit culture that exists in Thai tourist spots.
What would the consequences be if new inventions are not protected by an international system of intellectual property (IP)?
- TNCs would be reluctant to invest in R&D because they would gain little profit from inventions that were immediately copied.
- Countries would be reluctant to trade because their IP would fall into the hands of others who would steal it.
How much in US$ do royalty fees alone amount to?
What percentage of royalty fees alone go to the USA, Japan and western Europe?
What percentage of China’s GDP counterfeit goods sales been estimated to account for?
US$150-200
80%
5-8%
Why are counterfeit goods sales a problem for countries such as China?
- TNCs may limit investment in China if they fear IP theft.
- Total losses worldwide are probably US$400-600 billion annually.
- Trade deals with countries such as China are made harder by its failure to tackle IP theft.
- Counterfeit goods are often unsafe, putting consumers at risk.
What are EEZS?
Exclusive Economic Zone
Extends 20 nautical miles offshore from a country’s coast, and includes all resources in and under the sea. in some circumstances, its size can be extended.
Name five overlapping spheres of influence.
- Eastern Europe
- The Middle East & Central Asia
- East China Sea
- South China Sea
- Central America
Why is the South China Sea a very tense region?
China’s ‘Nine-Dashed Line’ and ‘First and Second Island Chain’ policies force it to try and control a large area of the ocean south and east of China. The USA has considered this it’s sphere since the end of the Second World War. Overlapping spheres of influence over the sparkly islands.
Why are there tensions in the south china sea over physical resources?
- The Sparkly islands are artificial islands in the south china sea that were created for industrial and military purposes.
- They lie near potential oil and gas reserves and offer rich fishing grounds.
- It is contested between China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
- There hasn’t been any warfare, but there have been military displays from China and US.
How has the Eastern Europe sphere of influence changed?
Eastern European countries joining the EU, and moves by Georgia and Ukraine to do so, angered Russia, leading to the Russian invasions of parts of Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014, as well as a build up of NATO armed forces in the Baltic States.
How has the east china sea’s sphere of influence changed?
Strained relations between North Korea (a Chinese ally) and South Korea (a US ally) as North Korea has become a nuclear power. China sees South Korea and Japan (US allies) as economic competitors. All countries have ongoing disputes over islands in the sea.
How has the Eastern Europe sphere of influence changed?
Eastern European countries joining the EU, and moves by Georgia and Ukraine to do so, angered Russia, leading to the Russian invasions of parts of Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014, as well as a build up of NATO armed forces in the Baltic States
Why is land ownership a sphere of the contest?
- There are borders and islands that remain unclear over who owns them.
- This may be because there is untapped energy sources, an opportunity for expansion, military strategic importance.
What is neo-colonialism?
Superpowers pulling the economic and political strings even though they don’t directly rule and control developing nations.
What tensions are there within Asia?
- There are tensions between the communist govt. of China and the republic of china govt. which has retreated to the Chinese island province of Taiwan. Both claim to be the official govt. of China.
- Tibet has for a long time sought separation from China however this hasn’t happened and China refuse to acknowledge the Tibetans leader the Dalai Lama.
What are some of the reasons for the large Chinese investment in Africa?
- Political and economic ties and geostrategy.
- Young people they can educate.
- Rapidly growing populations so cheap labour.
- Resources such as minerals, oil and gas.
- Landscape for factories and agriculture.
- Raw materials.
What are the benefits of Chinese investment in Sub Saharan Africa?
- They are Africa’s largest trading partner.
- Increased education.
- They have benefited from China building schools and infrastructure.
What are the problems with the Chinese investment in Africa from an African perspective?
- Only 5% of the FDI actually goes to Africa whilst half is in Asia.
- There is an over dependence of Africa on Asia and if the Chinese economy slows down so would the African one.
- China is effectively doing what the western world did to them as they are exploiting the growing population with cheap labour.
