Border Politics

Borders- If I was a geography lecturer, this would be my subject.
Currently I work on a border, and recognise all the peculiarities of this territory.
Borders are often 'disputed', Historic', 'Neglected', full of barbed wire and minefields.  They are often difficult to cross, and sometimes they shift, with shifting political climates.

Names-  Sometimes at a border you cross from one country, into the same country!?  Examples- travel from Macedonia into Macedonia.  Or Luxembourg into Luxembourg.

Other examples are well known- Korea into Korea, Cyprus into Cyprus and Sudan into Sudan. What about Moldova?  Romanian Moldova includes the cities that were once the historic Capitals of the nation, and Moldova, recently created from the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

The pink area is Romanian Moldova-
The independent country of Moldova is the the east.

 What about Ireland into Ireland?  Is it one country?  Was is one country in the context of the UK, or the Island of Ireland?  Before the Protestant migration was it one country, or was is that just the geography of 'land'.  Should Sri Lanka be partitioned?  Not one country?  Borders, Islands, languages and ethnicities.  All very complex, hence perfect for a degree.

Borders sometimes don't shift.  The famous Serbian- Croatian border follows the course of a river bed that has long since moved on, leaving chaos behind it.

Other borders that don't make sense are India- Bangladesh, unless you live there.  Also Netherlands- Belgium, though since the EU came along, this has been of little consequence.

The Northern Irish border is a prime example of the stupidity of borders.  I think of them in a similar way to 'security' as a whole- it largely inconveniences the innocent and rarely the guilty.

The only border that I think is visible from the air (satellite) is the Gaza border.  The Israeli mechanised farms sit next to the patchwork of Palestinian farms.  Even the intensity of green is visibly different.

Borders don't make sense.  Apparently up until the first world war anyone could come into the UK without border checks.  The USA- Mexican border has proved how stupid borders are.  A wall will not only prevent humans interchanging, but also large species of wildlife; wolves, bears, cougars.

There are great examples of 'good' borders.  One is on the border between France and Spain.  Pheasant Island in the Bidasoa River changes sovereignty every six months, back and forth.  Lets have a bit more of this.

We visited Drielandenpunt (the German name) on the Vaals Hill, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium.  This is a celebration of the stupidity or borders.  You can cycle round and round the 'three countries' marker.  There is a funfair nearby.  This is where marks, francs and gilders were all cast aside.  It also marks the highest point in The Netherlands, so many a Dutch cyclists has ascended Vaals Hill.

The old borders are still visible with barriers and police stations, but like the IRA arms dumps, they are slowly rotting away.

It is interesting to note that if there were free movement of all people across the whole world, it is highly likely that all the problems of the world would be resolved very quickly.

The Italian, Austrian, Slovenia border is interesting.  We currently have

North Tyrol and South Tyrol (divided by Austria and Italy)

Austrian Tyrol in Red.  Italian in Orange.

Austrian Carinthia and Lower Carinthia (divided by Austria and Slovenia)
and
Austrian Styria and Slovenian Styria (divided by Austria and Slovenia).  These where once united as the Dutchy of Styria which dates back to 1180

Austrian Styria in Red, and Slovenian in Orange