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Aung Ko Ko ToeKnowledge Propagation Society

Geopolitics of Myanmar

GEOPOLITICS OF MYANMAR

Geopolitics

Strategic important of

Myanmar

Concept * Theory

GeopoliticsThe interplay geography, power, politics & international

relation.

Geopolitics Strategic Aspect of Geopolitics

• International Relation Aspect• Political Aspect • Economic Aspect• Military Aspect

• Geopolitics Branch of Political Geography

• Political geography Political geography is a sub discipline of

human geography  has an evolving relationship with the other

sub disciplines, especially cultural, urban, and environmental geography. 

(Difference Factors)

Geopolitics & Political Geography

Difference FactorsGeopolitics Political

GeographyBase on Geography Politics

Focus on Politics Geographical factor

Form Theory Technique

Field Art Science

Subject Political Subject Geography Subject

Space Macro, Broadly Micro, Detail

Origin of Geopolitics Word

The terms “geopolitics” was fist coined by Rudolf Kjellen, a Swedish political scientist, in 1899.

However, it only came into widespread use in the 1930.

What is Geopolitics?

Geopolitics is relation between politics and territory geopolitics is the practice of states controlling and

competing for territory. 2C (control & compete) for territory geopolitics links between political power and

geographic space and examines strategic prescriptions based on the relative importance of land power and sea power in world history.

Meaning of Geopolitics

Geopolitics is the study of the effect of geographical factors in politics, national power, foreign policy etc.

It also refers to the combination of geographical and political factors affecting a country or area.

(Geopolitics = Geographical factors + Political Factors)

It may also be used to refer to a policy based on the interrelation of politics and geography.

Geopolitics(core of meaning)

Studying to decision making a policy for National Power

in international stage to use geographical factors as

related with politics

Geographical factors are studying ingredient of earth that

include the conditions of land and sea.

- location or position

- size

- population (Demography)

- natural resources

- topography

- climate

Geopolitics

Geopolitics is a branch of political geography

that deals with the strategic aspects of states.

have implications for military defense, national security, the protection of national interests, and any other situation

that may have an impact on the sovereignty of the state.

Important role for decision making on Foreign Policy

Three types of PowerBased on Military Armed Force Power

• Land Power• Sea Power• Air Power

Relation b/t State Power and Geopolitics

• Size• Location• Climate • Topography • Natural Resources and

Availability of Raw Materials

• Population • Human Resources

• Economic Development • Military Preparedness • National Character and

National Morale • Political Structure and

Leadership • Ideology • Technology

Development

Practical Geopolitics

State Power related with various factor The power based on geography Foreign Policy implemented to National power in

international relation field Include national interest and security at national

power of states Thus, Geopolitics focus on interest and security Every geographical factors support national

interest, security and defense

• Size Small Middle Wide

»Position Open Close Islands

• Shape of States

1. Prorupted Shape

2. Fragmented Shape

3. Perforated Shape

4. Compacted Shape

5. Elongated Shape

State Power

There important Natural sources of Power are

1. geographical size and position

2. natural resources3. population

Geographical size and location are the natural sources of power recognized first by international relation theorists.

A large geographic expanse gives a state automatic power.

For Example,• 1. Russia 5. India

2. China 6. Canada 3. USA 7. Brazil 4. Australia

Long Borders

May be weakness Must be defended An expensive Often problem task

Natural Resources- 2nd Source of Natural Power

Controlling a large geographic expanse is not a positive ingredient of power unless that expanse contains natural resources.

Petroleum-exporting states - Kuwait, Qatar, UAE which are geographically small.

States need oil and are ready to pay dearly for it, and will even go to war when access to it is denied.

Since 2006, Russia has used that power potential, cutting off natural gas supplies to Ukraine and hence slowing supplies to Europe, which gets one-quarter of its gas through Ukraine.

The absence of natural resources does not mean that a state has no power potential .

However, Japan is not rich in natural resources, but it has parlayed other elements of power so as to make itself an economic powerhouse.

Population 3rd natural source of power• - China (1.3 Billion)• - India (1.2 Billion)• - USA (307 million) Automatically give power potential and often great power. States with small, highly educated, skilled populations can

fill large Economic Power. Such as

- Switzerland

- Norway

- Austria and Singapore. States with large but relative poor population, such as

Ethiopia (with 79 million people but GNP of only $800 per capital), can exercise less power.

Samuel Huntington – Clash of Civilization Friedrich Ratzal – Political Geography Alfred Thayar Mahan - Sea Power Nation Sir Halford Mackinder – Heartland Theory Nicholas Spyman – Rimland Theory

The Most Famous Geopolitics Theorist

Map of Geopolitics Theory

Samuel Huntington – Clash of Civilization

Year Theorist Theory Citizen Born date

1890 Alfred Thayer Mahan

Sea Power Nation

USA , United States Navy flag officer

(September 27, 1840 – December 1, 1914)

1897 Friedich Ratzal

Political Geography - Living Space

 German geographer

(August 30, 1844,  – August 9, 1904) 

1899 Rudolf Kjellen

Start “geopolitics”

Sweden, political scientist

13 June 1864,  – 14 November 1922

1904 Halford Mackinder

The Geographical Pivot of History

UK (15 February 1861 – 6 March 1947)

1942 in late Nicholas John Spyman 

Rimland  Dutch-American geostrategist

(1893–1943) 

History of Geopolitical Theory and Theorists

.

• Heartland Theory Who rules Eastern

Europe commands the Heartland of Eurasia.

Who rules the Heartland commands the World Island of Europe, Asia and Africa.

Who rules the World Island commands the World.

World Island or Core = Heartland = Eurasia + AfricaPeriphery = Americas, the British & Oceania

Heartland (Pivot Area) – Central Europe, Ukraine, Western Russian

Nicholas John Spyman (1893–1943) was a Dutch-American geo-strategist.

• Rimland Theory

Who controls the rimland rules Eurasia;

Who rules Eurasia controls the destinies of the world.

Sea Power Nation

Alfred Thayer Mahan who has been called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century.“

His ideas still permeate the U.S. Navy Doctrine.

Sea Power Nation

His concept of "sea power" was based on

the idea that countries with greater naval power will have greater worldwide impact;

it was most famously presented in The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660–1783 (1890).

Mahan (Sea Power Nation)

 He proposed six conditions required for a nation to have sea power:

1. Advantageous geographical position;

2. Serviceable coastlines, abundant natural resources, and favorable climate;

3. Extent of territory

4. Population large enough to defend its territory;

5. Society with an aptitude for the sea and commercial enterprise; and

6. Government with the influence and inclination to dominate the sea.

Mahan concentration of naval forces

Naval power was the key to national power. A state that controlled the high seas (as a Britain did at the

time) could dominate international relations. The ability to achieve such control, however, was dependent on

- A large well-armed navy- Long coastlines - Adequate port facilities- capital ships- well manned with crews thoroughly trained- operating under the principle that the best defense is

an aggressive offense.

isolation policy

(Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a policy of nonparticipation in or withdrawal from international affairs

US foreign policy before WW II was “isolation policies”

Russia’s lack of easy access to the sea and its resultant inability to wield naval power have been viewed as persistent weaknesses in that country’s power potential.

Living Space Analysis on the

importance of mobility and the move from sea to rail transport.

But he failed to predict the revolutionary impact of air power.

Friedrich Ratzal’s Political Geography

Summary

• Differences b/t Geopolitics & Political Geography• Six Factors of Geographical • Natural Sources of State Power• Four Concepts of Geopolitics Theorists

Strategic important of Myanmar

• Geostrategic Position • String of Pearl's Strategy• Dewei Deep Sea Port• Sino-Burmese Pipeline• Blockades Strategy to

China

Myanmar China India Bangladesh

Area (sq.km) total: 678,500 s land: 657,740 water: 20,760

9,561,000 3,287,263 148,393

Population 52.8 Million 1351 Million 1237 Million 154.7 Million

Religion Buddhism Buddhism, Taoism

Hindu,80.5% Islam, 83%

Government Types

Communist State

Federal Republic

Parliamentary Democracy

Myanmar’s Geostrategic Position• Largest independent state in mainland Southeast Asia• Land boundary touches five different countries

Land boundaries:

total: 5,876 km border countries:• China 2,185 km,• Thailand 1,800 km • India 1,463 km,• Laos 235 km,• Bangladesh 193 km

Coastline: 1,930 km

Population: 42,909,464 (2005 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 27.2% (male 5,967,487/female 5,717,795) 15-64 years: 67.8% (male 14,448,887/female 14,641,419) 65 years and over: 5% (male 939,092/female 1,194,784)

(2005 est.)

Control of Key Oceanic Choke Points

The Straits of Malacca Gibraltar Hormuz Dardanelles The Persian Gulf Suez Panama Canals• - is viewed as a positive indicator of Power

potential.

Key Choke Point Maps

String of Pearl’s Strategy

String of Pearl’s Strategy

• To reduce the strategic vulnerabilities that could be imposed by India

and the United States, China pursue a number of options to mitigate

the dependency of oil and try to diversify its sources of energy

imports via new transit routes.

• Among them, the String of Pearls is one of the well-known

emerging maritime strategy.

• The 'String of Pearls' strategy is designed to protect its energy

security, negate the influences of U.S and India in the region and

project power in the Indian Ocean.

• The strategy involves establishing a series of nodes of

military and economic power throughout the region.

• Each node represents a pearl in the string

• the string of these pearls extended from

- the coast of mainland China through the littorals of

the South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca, across

the Indian Ocean, and on to the littorals of the

Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf.

String of Pearl’s Strategy

Some of the significant pearls include

• the upgraded military facilities on Hainan Island;

• the upgraded airstrip on Woody Island, located in the Paracel archipelago 300 nautical miles east of Vietnam;

• the construction of a container shipping facility in Chittagong, Bangladesh;

• the construction of a deep water port in Sittwe, Burma and

• the construction of a navy base in Gwadar, Pakistan, etc.

Geopolitical Role of Dewei deep Sea port - 1

Dawei, located in Southern Myanmar, on the Andaman coast facing the Indian Ocean – long been a strategic prize

In Nov 2010, Myanmar Port Authority signed a USD $8.6 billion deal with Italian-Thai Development

Myanmar’s First Special Economic Zone A deep sea port stretching 250 sq km (97 sq mile) industrial

estate including a steel mill, fertilizer plant and a coal fired power station and oil refinery

Japanese Nippon Steel – said to be a potential investor in the Dawei port project including a coal fired power plant, an industrial center, oil and gas pipelines and an eight-lane highway.

Gateway to Indo-China and potentially the world biggest industrial estate

Sea and land (railway and road) infrastructure links to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam

Myanmar & Thailand – Construction of a 130 km road from the Dawei port to Thailand – almost complete

10 year project involving Thailand and Myanmar totaling US$ 8 billion

Thailand’s hope to create a more efficient, less congested route for its exports to Europe and the Middle East

Dawei port – 10 times the size of Laem Chabang, Thailand’s largest port on the Gulf of Thailand

Geopolitical Role of Dewei deep Sea port - 2

Dawei Development Project – invigorate the country’s impoverished economy and revolutionize regional trade

Pipelines will transport gas from the coast of western Rakhine state and oil from the Middle East and Africa across the country to China

Dawei – a “short cut” for crude oil coming into Southeast Asia from the Middle East

The port project – could create up to 100,000 jobs

Geopolitical Role of Dewei deep Sea port - 3

Geostrategic factors of Myanmar’s Coastline

Myanmar’s Coastline – 1300 Miles Have the Close position from North to India

Ocean Best the get of Natural Sunlight on this Ocean

where Growth water organism Sufficient for Food Security at Military and

Economy.

Sino-Burma pipelines

Sino-Burma pipelines refers to planned oil and natural gas pipelines linking Burma's deep-water port of Kyaukphyu (Sittwe) in the Bay of Bengal with Kunming in Yunnan province of China.

In December 2005, Petro China signed a deal with Burma's Government to purchase natural gas over a 30 year period.

The oil pipeline will have a capacity of 12 million tons of crude oil per year. It would diversify China's crude oil imports routes from the Middle East and Africa, and avoid traffic through the Strait of Malacca

The second problem is that 80 % of China’s imported oil goes through the Straits of Malacca

They fear that the USA or India in the future could use that as a chock point and cut of China’s import of Oil.

Economic Considerations

• China is a major player in several fields such as hydro-power projects,

Banking and Finance.

• Yunnan Province also seeks 'a direct access route through Myanmar to

sea ports from which it can export products to South Asia, the Middle

East and Europe' that would reduce transport costs and time, and avoid

the Malacca Strait in the event of a conflict in the South China Sea.

• Kyaukphyu gas pipeline would provide an alternative route for China

to get access to the Indian Ocean via Myanmar and is of strategic

importance for Chinese interests in the 21st century.

Conflict for Territory in South China Sea

1. First island chain2. Second island chain

Falkland Conflict

Cuba Missiles Crisis

Blockades Strategy (Case Study)

Conclusion

Geopolitical Concepts

Location or positionSizePopulation(Demography)Natural resourcesTopographyClimate

Geopolitics Theory

Strategic Important of Myanmar

Heartland RimlandSea Power Nation

String of Pearl's Strategy Sino-Burmese Pipeline Dewei Deep Sea Port

What taken to National Interest for Myanmar to use Geopolitics Advantage Between China and India?

Thank You Very Much For Your Attention.

Any Question.