1. Love will keep us together or
Breaking up is hard to do?
What makes states stay together or break up
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

2. So...
What keeps
relationships together
or conversely, what
breaks them apart?
What do you think?

3. The 3 “R’s”
1. Common Rules
2.Agreed-upon Roles
3. Rituals

4. Other
Having time for each other
Being together

5. Thanks, but how does this apply
to Political Geography?

6. The forces of Political
Relationships
There are two forces that Political geographers use
to describe what keeps countries together and what
breaks them apart...
Centripetal: proceeding or acting in a direction
toward a center or axis (Binding)
Centrifugal: proceeding or acting in a direction
away from a center or axis (Breaking away)

7. Centripetal forces
Forces that promote unity and national stability...
“keep states together”
What are they?
See if you can make Sherwin’s top 5 list...
It’s Partner up time...

8. 1) promoting Nationalism
Same Language and Same Religion (unified)
(Holidays, Heroes, Olympics, Monuments, Flags,
Songs)
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of
America.”
Do intermarriages/relationships face challenges?

9. 2) Unifying institutions
Schools: teach values
Television/media: esp if “state” controlled...less if
there is freedom of the press (4th branch of govt)
Religion
Do you go to temple or church?
Do you read or watch sports?

10. 3) Common Enemy/Threat
Sept. 11th; Pearl Harbor
Government: declaring war (Vietnam or Iraq)...
creating us vs them tension (Cold War)...
Angry Mother-in-law
Wag the Dog

11. Just interesting...
Wag the Dog is a 1997 film
about a Washington spin doctor
who distracts the people from a
U.S. presidential scandal by
hiring a Hollywood producer,
played by Dustin Hoffman, to
construct a fake war with
Albania.
The scheme enlists the musician
Willie Nelson (who creates a
theme song for the 'war') in this
film

12. 4) Transportation and
communication
Where roads are or
aren’t (Can you get to
me now?)
Only 8 RRs cross the
boundary between the
US and Canada-
promotes national
growth
Do relationships work if you don’t have time for
each other?

13. 5) Geo friendly Land
No Islands
No Mts.
Nothing that isolates part from another part
Hawaii and Alaska in the US (DeBlij)
Again, do long distance relationships work?

14. Centrifugal forces
The challenges to state authority

15. Centrifugal forces
Opposite of Centripetal
Bi/Multinational promotion
Bi/Multinational institutions
Poor trans/communication
Poor physical geo (separation)

16. Centrifugal forces can cause states to break-up...
It can happen right away or over time

17. devolution (Trial separation?)
Types of devolution...
Ethnocultural, Economic, Spatial
Devolution:
The transfer of some powers, and the
delegation of some functions, from a central
sovereign government to local government.

18. Definitions of devolutionary
forces
Ethnocultural: sub-group (nation) that has identity
(lang./relgion) and wants to have some control
sometimes called Subnationalism or Regionalism
Economic: a different region might have different
economic goals; rich regions have more say
Spatial: Mts., islands, fragments might get more
control because of distance

20. Ethnocultural
Spatial
Economic

21. Ethnocultural Devolutionary
Movements
Eastern Europe
devolutionary forces
since the fall of
communism
The Balkans are a
_______ region

22. Ethnocultural Devolutionary
Movements
Scotland
rise in independence
movement is coupled with:
- European Union
- ScotlandÕs oil
resources
Independence
(poorer) vs.
Dependence
(richer)

23. Economic
Devolutionary
Movements
Catalonia, Spain
Barcelona is the center of
banking and commerce in
Spain and the region is
much wealthier than the
rest of Spain.

25. Economic
Devolutionary
Movements
Catalonia, Spain
Barcelona is the center of
banking and commerce in
Spain and the region is
much wealthier than the
rest of Spain.
Same for Pandania (Northern Italy)
Which leads me to think...

26. The PoValley is in Pandania
Shouldn’t it be the RichValley?

27. Spatial
Devolutionary
Movements
Honolulu, HawaiÕi
A history apart from the
United States, and a
desire to live apart in order
to keep traditions alive.

28. Review
What are centripetal forces?
What are centrifugal forces?
What is devolution?
Types of devolution?