How does the drawing of borders by intellectuals of statecraft affect people's every day lives?
The way in which we draw our maps influences quality of life at almost all scales. In Africa for example, where states' borders are the legacy of profit-driven European colonialism, members of many different nations are clumped together in arbitrarily delineated territories. The current map of the Middle East is, to a lesser degree, the product of this system of European apportionment. Apart from bringing various ethnic and religious groups into conflict with one another, the current geography of the Middle East deprives certain peoples, such as Kurds and Palestinians, of their own sovereign states. The drawing of maps can have less obvious but highly significant impacts on democracy. The practice of gerrymandering in the United States allows politicians to isolate certain voting demographics in ways that benefit their party. By drawing congressional districts, intellectuals of statecraft are able to influence the outcomes of elections and by extension influence policy that may impact millions of people. National borders can also impact people by restricting where they can live and travel based on their country of origin. The arbitrary boundaries given to each independent state have tangible impacts on the lives of innumerable citizens across the world, and create an imbalance of power in both geopolitical and private spheres.
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Kurds wanted to reclaim territory along Syria's Turkish border from the Islamic State, but Turkey feared that this would encourage the formation of a Kurdish state. So, Turkey proclaimed that they would forcibly oppose the formation of such a state.
Benedict Anderson, Man Without a Country - Renowned Benedict Anderson, who famously asserted that nationalism is a centripetal force within countries, has passed away. Born into an Anglo-Irish family in China, he had no real homeland until he adopted Indonesia as his home country.
Texas is Turning Blue - Texas's recent growth consists primarily of minority groups that consistently vote democrat. If this trend continues, it is likely that new majority-minority districts will pull the state left and deprive the Republican Party of their most valuable state in presidential elections.
Lines in the Sand - After WWI, England delineated arbitrary geometric boundaries in the Middle East with little regard for existing nations. These boundaries have contributed to the near constant unrest of the region.
Gerrymandering Solved - The problem of gerrymandering, in which politicians draw district lines in order to benefit their party, could be solved by a computer algorithm that draws unbiased districts. But political interests make it unlike that politicians will willingly surrender their power to draw districts.
Map of supranational organizations in Euerope
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