Sphere of influence
In the field of
While there may be a formal
In more extreme cases, a country within the "sphere of influence" of another may become a subsidiary of that state and serve in effect as a satellite state or de facto colony. This was the case with the Soviet Union and its Eastern Bloc after World War II. The system of spheres of influence by which powerful nations intervene in the affairs of others continues to the present. It is often analyzed in terms of superpowers, great powers, and/or middle powers.[citation needed]
Sometimes portions of a single country can fall into two distinct spheres of influence. In the 19th century, the
Historical remnants
Many powerful states in past centuries had subordinate tributary states, whose native dynasty acknowledged the suzerainty of the great power.[citation needed]
Many areas of the world are joined by a
Early United States (1820s)
This doctrine, dubbed the 'Monroe Doctrine', was formalized under President James Monroe, who asserted that the New World was to be established as a Sphere of influence, removed from European encroachment. As the U.S. emerged as a world power, few nations dared to trespass on this sphere[3] (A notable exception occurred with the Soviet Union and the Cuban Missile Crisis.).
As of 2018, Secretary of State
New Imperialism era (late 1800s – early 1900s)
For Siam (Thailand), Britain and France signed an agreement in 1904 whereby the British recognised a French sphere of influence to the east of the River Menam's (Chao Phraya River) basin; in turn, the French recognised British influence over the territory to the west of the Menam basin and west of the Gulf of Thailand. Both parties disclaimed any idea of annexing Siamese territory.[5]
In the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907, Britain and Russia divided Persia (Iran) into spheres of influence, with the Russians gaining recognition for influence over most of northern Iran, and Britain establishing a zone in the Southeast.[6][7]
China
In China, after the First Sino-Japanese war ended in 1895, to the mid 20th century, Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and Japan held special powers over parts of Chinese territory based on securing "nonalienation commitments" for their "spheres of interest"; only the United States was unable to participate due to their involvement in the Spanish–American War. These spheres of influence were acquired by forcing the Qing government to sign "unequal treaties" and long-term leases.[8]
In early 1895, the French laid claim to a sphere in
The Russian government militarily occupied Heilongjiang and Jilin from 1900 to 1905 between the Boxer rebellion and Russo Japanese war. In Heilongjiang province, they imposed their law and schools, seized mining and logging privileges, settled their citizens, and even established their municipal administration on several cities in Heilongjiang,[16] the latter without Chinese consent.[17]
The powers (and the United States) might have their own courts, post offices, commercial institutions, railroads, and gunboats in what was on paper Chinese territory. However, the foreign powers and their control in some cases could have been exaggerated; the local government persistently restricted further encroachment.
On September 6, 1899, U.S. Secretary of State
In 1910, the great powers, Britain, France, Germany, United States, and later, Russia and Japan, ignored the Open Door Policy to form a banking consortium, consisting of national banking groups backed by respective governments, through which all foreign loans to China were monopolised, granting the powers political influence over China and reducing economic competition between foreigners. This organisation controlled the majority of Chinese tax revenue in a "trust", utilising a small portion to bolster the rule of Chinese warlord Yuan Shikai to great effect. The renewed consortium of UK, France, Japan and the U.S. in 1920 effectively vetoed all developmental loans to China, exerting control over the Chinese government by aiming to control all railroads, ports and highways in China.[22][23] The Consortium helped to contain the political and financial conflict between parties and states over the loans, while imposing foreign control on China's finances during the period of revolutionary upheaval, which the Consortium also helped to precipitate.[24]
World War II (1939–1945)
Empire of Japan
For another example, during the height of its existence in
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
According to a secret protocol attached to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 (revealed only after Germany's defeat in 1945), Northern and Eastern Europe were divided into Nazi and Soviet spheres of influence:[25]
- In the north, Finland, Estonia, and Latvia were assigned to the Soviet sphere.[25]
- San Rivers going to the Soviet Union, while Germany would occupy the west.[25]
- Lithuania, adjacent to East Prussia, would be in the German sphere of influence, although a second secret protocol agreed in September 1939 assigned Lithuania to the USSR.[26]
Another clause of the treaty stipulated that
End of World War II
From 1941 and the
The wartime spheres lacked a practical definition and it had never been determined if a dominant allied power was entitled to unilateral decisions only in the area of military activity, or could also force its will regarding political, social and economic future of other states. This overly informal system backfired during the late stages of the war and afterward, when it turned out that the Soviets and the Western Allies had very different ideas concerning the administration and future development of the liberated regions and of Germany itself.[29]
Cold War (1947–1991)
During the
However, the level of control exerted in these spheres varied and was not absolute. For instance,
With the
Contemporary Russia (1990s–present)
Following the
According to Ulrich Speck, writing for
In 1997, NATO and Russia signed the Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security, stating the "aim of creating in Europe a common space of security and stability, without dividing lines or spheres of influence limiting the sovereignty of any state."[32]
On August 31, 2008, Russian president Dmitri Medvedev stated five principles of foreign policy, including the claim of a privileged sphere of influence that comprised "the border region, but not only".[33] In 2009, Russia asserted that the European Union desires a sphere of influence and that the Eastern Partnership is "an attempt to extend" it.[34] In March that year, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt stated that the "Eastern Partnership is not about spheres of influence. The difference is that these countries themselves opted to join."[34]
Following the 2008
Russia now appears to be attempting to recreate a sphere of influence by seizing a part of Ukraine, maintaining large numbers of forces on its borders, and demanding, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently stated, that "Ukraine cannot be part of any bloc."[36]
Criticising Russia in November 2014, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that "old thinking about spheres of influence, which runs roughshod over international law" put the "entire European peace order into question."[37] In January 2017, British Prime Minister Theresa May said, "We should not jeopardise the freedoms that President Reagan and Mrs Thatcher brought to Eastern Europe by accepting President Putin's claim that it is now in his sphere of influence."[38]
Contemporary United States (1991–present)
Corporations
In corporate terms, the sphere of influence of a business, organization, or group can show its power and influence in the decisions of other businesses/organizations/groups. The influence shows in several ways, such as in size, frequency of visits, etc. In most cases, a company described as "bigger" has a larger sphere of influence.
For example, the software company Microsoft has a large sphere of influence in the market of operating systems; any entity wishing to sell a software product may weigh up compatibility with Microsoft's products as part of a marketing plan.[citation needed] In another example, retailers wishing to make the most profits must ensure they open their stores in the correct location. This is also true for shopping centers that, to reap the most profits, must be able to attract customers to their vicinity.[citation needed]
There is no defined scale measuring such spheres of influence. However, one can evaluate the spheres of influence of two shopping centers by seeing how far people are prepared to travel to each shopping center, how much time they spend in its vicinity, how often they visit, the order of goods available, etc.[citation needed]
Corporations have significant influence on the regulations and regulators that monitor them. During the Gilded Age in the United States, corruption was rampant as business leaders spent significant amounts of money ensuring that government did not regulate their activities.[39] Wall Street spent a record $2 billion trying to influence the 2016 United States elections.[40][41]
List of spheres of influence
- America's Backyard — areas of United States' influence in the American continent
- Anglosphere — English-speaking world
- Arabsphere— Arabic-speaking world
- Sinosphere — historically Chinese-influenced cultures
- Russian world — Russian-speaking world
- Eurosphere — area with European Union influence
- Francosphere— French-speaking world
- Germanosphere— German-speaking world
- Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere — imperial influence of the Japanese Empire
- Hispanosphere— Spanish-speaking world
- Indosphere — area with Indian linguistic and cultural influence (Greater India)
- Islamosphere— the Muslim world
- Persophere— historically Iran-influenced cultures
- Slavisphere— Slavic influence
- Soviet sphere of influence — imperial influence of the Soviet Union
Other examples
For historical and current examples of significant battles over spheres of influence see:
See also
- Cultural area
- Geopolitics
- National interest
- Balance of power in international relations
- Sprachbund
- Unequal treaty
- Informal empire
References
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- ^ British Documents on the Origins of the War 1898–1914, Volume IV, The Anglo-Russian Rapprochement 1903-7. Edited by G.P. Gooch and H Temperley. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London 1929. p618-621. Appendix IV – Revised Draft of Agreement Concerning Persia, Sent to Sir A. Nicholson by Sir Edward Grey on June 6, 1907
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Further reading
- Ferguson, Iain, and Susanna Hast. 2018. "Introduction: The Return of Spheres of Influence? [PDF]" Geopolitics 23(2):277-84. .
- Hast, Susanna. 2016. Spheres of Influence in International Relations: History, Theory and Politics. Milton Park, UK: Routledge.
- Icenhower, Brian. 2018. "SOI: Building a Real Estate Agent's Sphere of Influence." CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
- Piffanelli, Luciano. 2018. "Crossing Boundaries: A Problem of Territoriality in Renaissance Italy", Viator. Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 49(3):245–275.
- White, Craig Howard. 1992. Sphere of Influence, Star of Empire: American Renaissance Cosmos, Vol. 1. Madison: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
External links
- The CommonCensus Map Project – Calculates the spheres of influence for American cities based on voting
- Russia – a counterbalancing agent to the Asia.