International Political Borders

An Examination of Global Border Control/Disputes

Mullin

International Borders: Canada-U.S.-Mexico Examples

DefinitionsBoundaries differentiate places from each other, e.g. Roman Catholic areas from Lutheran ones in the United States; Alpine from Mediterranean climates in Europe; or cities from surrounding rural areas. Boundaries lack nation-state enforcements.

Borders separate places from each other, creating barriers between places, and are established and maintained by nation-state enforcements.

Overview• Political boundaries between states are never

permanent. As a result, most states experience boundary disputes.

• Many boundary disputes are unsettled territorial claims, or a result of one state desiring the resources of a neighboring state.

• Physical and political boundaries have their advantages and disadvantages depending on the situation at a given moment in time.

Borders vs. Boundaries• In all cases, the police power of states

were/are critical to the creation and maintenance of borders.

• Throughout history, borders ranged from controlled but otherwise open to restricted to highly fortified and even militarized and, thus borders effectively close off areas in one way or another. Regardless of which types of borders, borders are exclusionary, whereas boundaries fundamentally only differentiate

With the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, political systems emerged as nation states with fixed territories defined by borders, sovereignty, and citizenship, which characterize the countries of the world today.

International Borders: Types and Consequences

International Borders: Types and Consequences

International borders are both the end of one cultural-political system (leaving one country) and the start of another cultural-political system (entering another country) on either side of borders.

International Borders: Types and Consequences

Research Activity

• Give me examples of borders today?• What do these borders look like?• What are some characteristics of borders?• 1 paragraph

• What are the pros/cons of political borders?• 1 paragraph

• Do borders create MORE/LESS political stability?• 1 paragraph

Warm Up

• What is the difference between a border and a boundary?

• What treaty created the modern nation-state?• Define nation.

International Borders: Types and Consequences

International Borders: Types and Consequences

The European Union is debordering its member country borders, an example of postmodern cooperation.

International Borders: Types and Consequences

I want to use the borders of the United States with Canada and Mexico to illustrate

the types of international borders.

Video

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nzm2CidMpM

Activity

• Read the following article and summarize in 2 paragraphs.

Warm Up

• Read the following articles and summarize in 2 paragraphs.

Canada-U.S. Border

Source: National Film Board of Canada, 1941

U.S.-Canada Border

Manitoba border

Quebec border(http://scrapetv.com/News)

Greater Mexico, past and present -- based on vodka!?

Would a map showing the former British/U.S. territorial claims in Canada be used for an advertisement?

U.S.-Mexico BorderThe United States is rebordering its border with Mexico. A once open border is increasing been turned into a highly restricted, fenced, even walled, and most recently militarized border.

2,000 mile border: The longest border between a rich country and a poor one in the world; Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the USA was $ 47,422; in Mexico, $14,932 in 2009.

Research Activity

• List 3 problems with the US-Mexico border?• In your opinion, which border poses a greater

threat-US/Mexican border or US/Canada border?– 1 paragraph

• How has the US-Mexico border changed in the last 20 years?– 1 paragraph

Current U.S.-Mexico Border

Current U.S.-Mexico BorderArticle 12 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights says “Everyone shall be free to leave any country, including his [sic] own,” but it does not assure the right of people to enter another country! Only the rights of individuals within existing nation-states are recognized but not the universal human right of the free movement of people regardless of nation borders. Hence, “evil” governments, as the Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies and North Korea have been called, were/are shamed by this declaration, but all the countries that keep people out are acting legally, if not morally!

International laws does not prohibit using propaganda and financial incentives to lure people to leave their own countries, as the West German governments did with people in “Communist” East Germany, the Israeli governments did with Jews in “Communist” Soviet Union, and the USA governments has done with people from “Communist” Cuba.

Source: Based on information from Daniel D. Arreola, “The Fence and Gates of Ambos Nogales: A Postcard Landscape Exploration,” pp. 43-79, in On the Border, edited by Andrew Grant Wood (Lanham, MD: SR Books, 2001).

Canada-U.S.-Mexico BorderIn 1979 Mexicans and U.S. residences were playing volleyball in Naco, Arizona, using the border fence between Mexico and Arizona as a net.Source: The High Definite, http://www.thehighdefinite.com/?s=mexican+border, accessed 9/17/2010.

Source: National Geographic, http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/05/us-mexican-border/bowden-field-notes, accessed 9/17/2010.

The Arizona-Mexico border between Douglas and Naco, Arizona in 2010!

Canada-U.S.-Mexico Border Trade

Future of U.S Bordersclosed borders?

These U.S. government signs appear on a grassy trail (shown by the orange arrow) which goes into Manitoba, Canada. But local people just drive around the sign! Canadian governments have not put up such signs on their side of the border.

or open borders?

Video

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH_Z5BEZ5ts

Video Analysis

• How has the border defined the migrant experience?

• How has the border negatively affected Mexico?• How has it negatively affected the US?• What is a solution to better border control in

this area?• What border situation is similar to the

US/Mexico border?

Paper Objective• You will examine a recent and/or present

political border dispute between two or more nations.

• Through the process of completing this paper, you will understand the history and geographical dimensions to a boundary dispute.

• You will fully grasp the present situation and then make predictions regarding prospects for solving the conflict.

Paper Focus• Chose one of the these continents -- Africa,

Europe, Asia, South America, North America -- and research the past, present, and future of a particular political boundary dispute.

• Argue why this political boundary is important in international politics!! (This will be your thesis statement).

• Ex: “By observing x, y, and z, one can conclude that the border dispute between NK and SK poses a dangerous threat in maintaining world peace.”

REQUIREMENTS

• Past (text: two paragraphs)Describe the historical context of the political boundary. – What geographical factors played a role in

determining the boundary? – How did the boundary evolve?– What factors helped to create the boundary in

the first place?

REQUIREMENTS

• Present (text: two paragraphs)Discuss the present boundary situation. – How does geography enter into the conflict? – How serious is the situation? – What steps are being taken to resolve the

problems?– What geographical, political, and cultural factors

are making it difficult to solve the boundary dispute?

REQUIREMENTS• Future (text: 1 paragraph)

Analyze the information gathered and make future predictions regarding the viability of the present boundary. – What does the future hold given the dynamics of various social,

political, cultural, and environmental challenges confronting populations on both sides of the border?

– What boundary/boundaries might make more sense in order to solve the dispute? Offer alternative boundaries and critique your solutions.

– If this boundary conflict is not resolved will other states get drawn into the conflict?

Requirements

• Minimum:– 5 paragraphs– Typed– Double spaced– Size 12 Times New Roman Font– MLA format– 5 in-text citations– 5 sources– 1 works cited page at the end.

Due Today

• Thesis Statement

Due Today

• Works Cited Page with 5 sources • Intro Paragraph• Due date for entire paper: TBD