Impact of Geopolitics & Technology on Development (Edexcel GCSE Geography A) : Revision Note

Geopolitics is the impact of a country’s human and physical geography on its international politics and relations

India is now the second-largest market in the world and continues to establish good trading relations with other countries

Foreign policy

• India is building links with France and Canada to encourage defence, energy and infrastructure

  • A trade deal with Canada provided 3.2 million kilos of uranium to build nuclear power plants instead of using fossil fuel, reducing pollution and improving health

• India joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 

  • ASEAN promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational, and sociocultural integration among its members and other countries in Asia

• India launched Act East in 2014, which aims to build partnerships with its neighbours and other countries in the Indo-Pacific region

• This has increased India's influence and trade, making it more attractive for foreign companies to invest in the country 

Territorial disputes

• India is in dispute with China over dams, which limit each other’s water supply

• India has a long-standing dispute with Pakistan and China over Kashmir, where all countries claim the region is theirs

  • This dispute has resulted in wars and continued skirmishes

  • This diverts funds away from the development of India's peripheral regions

Defence

• India currently has the world’s third-largest military budget, which has an impact on development

• To reduce its reliance on imports for defence equipment, India is building links with the USA to provide warships and planes for assistance and disaster relief

• India is also developing a defence production industry that will focus on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity

• This has the potential to create millions of jobs and increase foreign investment

Military pacts

• In the past, India had close military ties with Russia to supply them with missiles and jets

• This affected economic policies, including the lack of private investment

• Recently, India completed a deal with the USA that allows mutual use of military bases

• Trade has increased as a result of the change, which has led to further development

India’s technology has expanded rapidly with its own ICT industry and huge wireless network

• It is estimated to contribute US$240 billion to India's GDP

However, there is a digital divide between the core (urban) and periphery (rural) regions

Major centres are found in central-south India. Bengaluru, known as the 'Silicon Valley of India', has attracted companies such as Google and employed local software developers and senior leaders

India is the second-largest manufacturer of mobile phones and the latest figures show that there are over 1.2 billion mobile phone users and 600 million smartphone users in India

• This has improved development for different groups, who are now able to start businesses because of online digital payments rather than travelling to a bank