International Relations Terms

Front 1

Politics

Back 1

The process through which a society (a group of actors) settles its conflicts over scarcity of resources and/or differences in values. This process determines who gets the resources and whose values will be passed onto the next generation.

Front 2

Power

Back 2

The ability of a political actor to achieve its goals despite the resistance of others. For Realists, power is defined in terms of critical resources that a State/Nation possesses: such as size of armed forces, gross national product, industrial capacity, natural resources and population. Liberals would additionally contend that moral force or ideas are also elements of power.

Front 3

Nation

Back 3

A collective of people, united by shared cultural features. These people believe they have a right to territorial self-determination and control and to create either an autonomous or completely sovereign National "homeland"

Front 4

State

Back 4

a permanent population occupying a defined territory under a "central" government politically independent of all other states and not under any higher juridical political authority.

Front 5

Nationalism

Back 5

The pursuit of a set of rights for the self-defined members of a nation with the goal of Autonomy and/or sovereignty. The idea that the nation is the core of identity and is the people's primary political allegiance.

Front 6

National interest

Back 6

The interests of a country or its government (as defined by those in power) but can also mean the interests of its people

Front 7

Transnationalism

Back 7

Political identity and advocacy not primarily aligned with a State/Nation

Front 8

Modernization

Back 8

the transformation of human society from self-contained, self-sustainable centers of agrarian society to highly specialized, industrialized and interdependent units

Front 9

Institutions

Back 9

Stable, valued, recurring patterns of behavior. Institutions can and no change but only slowly, generationally

Front 10

Realism

Back 10

The sovereign State/Nation is the principal actor in world politics and the environment in which states inhabit is a perilous, anarchical place. States act in a consistent, rational way to maximize either security and/or power to ensure the primary goal of the State: survival. Supra-national structures are relatively unimportant. The most important factor in determining what happens in international relations is the distribution of power. Skeptical of the idea that universal moral principles exist. There is not "justice or injustice, right or wrong" in regards to action in the international sphere. States are amoral.

Front 11

Anarchy

Back 11

In realist theory the absence of political authority. It is the "ordering principle" of international politics wherein a system operates in the absence of any central, dominating, stabilizing power. Anarchy does not imply chaos as individual States in anarchical world are still rational actors. There are no laws or rules governing behavior. Survival of the State is only imperative. States operating in an anarchical system will do whatever is necessary to survive.

Front 12

Balance of Power

Back 12

An equilibrium between states. It is a doctrine and an arrangement whereby the power of one state is checked by the countervailing power of other states. Stability, and hence peace, is achieved through the balancing of those powers.

Front 13

Hegenmoy

Back 13

A system regulated or heavily influenced by a dominant leader, or political domination of a region. It plays a key rule in determining the rules and norms by which the system operates. The extent of influence ranges from leadership to dominance.

Front 14

Mutual Assured Destruction

Back 14

a situation in which both parties possess the capability to destroy the other party even after sustaining a devastating first blow

Front 15

Zero sum game

Back 15

A contest in which gains by one player can only be achieved by equal losses for other players. Winners and losers.

Front 16

Offensive realism

Back 16

If you have a stick you need to beat the others into submission before the stick is taken from you.

Front 17

Defensive realism

Back 17

Understand the difference between the battles you must fight, the battles you want to fight and the battles you cannot win. Do not squander your limited resources on futile quests.

Front 18

Liberalism

Back 18

A way of thinking and a domestic and international relations theory. Liberalism on the individual level contends the vast majority of people are inherently rational and either know, or can be taught, what is in their ultimate best interest. Humans can create institutions and laws guaranteeing to all a just and fair society. Governing a state at the domestic level:
1. Citizens are equal under law and have equal rights.
2. The legislature is elected by the people of the state and represents the will of the people. The legislature possesses only the authority given to it by the people.
3. Right to own property
4. Largely market driven economy

Front 19

International relations theory of liberalism

Back 19

States achieve more power by cooperating and finding mutual areas of interests with other states. Power/gain is not a zero sum game but is open ended. Anarchy is reduced/eliminated by finding laws every reasonable state can agree to. Countries should form ties between them and work together for a common good through international organizations/institutions and to mutually agree upon international law.

Front 20

Capitalism

Back 20

An economic system based on private ownership of the means and production and distribution of goods, competition and profit incentives. Land, resources, human labor and all its products are commodities that can be bought and sold in a market-place. Every individual can become an economic engine of growth.

Front 21

Democratic peace theory

Back 21

A central plan of liberal internationalist thought, the democratic peace theory makes two places. Liberal states exhibit restraint in their relations with other liberal states but are anarchic in relations with authoritarian states.

Front 22

Multilateralism

Back 22

Taking important international actions, especially those using force, within the framework of a multilateral organization

Front 23

Economic internationalism

Back 23

The international economy is a non-zero-sum-game in which prosperity is available to all if the actors cooperate

Front 24

Pluralism

Back 24

Many separate groups using their power and influence to reach a common political decision for the mutual benefit of most actors involved in the decision making process

Front 25

United Nations

Back 25

An international body created with the intention to maintain peace through cooperation of its member-states

Front 26

Globalism/Globalization

Back 26

The view of the world as a whole, single unit with several things in common and with real connections and cut across political borders, national identities and cultural differences. A broad concept that represents the increasing integration of economics, communications and culture across national boundaries.

Front 27

Internationalism

Back 27

Growing economic interactions in flows of trade, investment, and capital. Between national states shaped by inter-state agreements.

Front 28

Marxism

Back 28

A reaction to the laissez-faire capitalism of the 19th century and Marxists see capitalism as having three main characteristics:
1. Everything has a price, including people's working time and their very lives
2. Everything important is owned by one small class (the capitalists). Capitalists don't do any wokr but do get all the profits from the work.
3. Workers in order to survive in society must sell their labor (lives) to the capitalist class.
The capitalist class "controls" and exploits the workers and creates a system/society to maintain control and domination. In this perspective 99% of humanity are simply wage-slaves to the capitalist system. Marxists believe the workers should overthrow capitalism and replace it with a Communist economic system where workers are given control of the means of production and thereby receive any profit created by their labor.

Front 29

Intl Rel theoty of Marxism

Back 29

Non-communist States and completely controlled by the Capitalist class. The capitalist class is only concerned with their "class" welfare regardless of where they happen to live. nationalism patriotism, religion, culture, etc are just tools used by Capitalists to control the workers. All state actions are controlled by the capitalist class to maintain the domination of the world by their class.

Front 30

World Systems Theory

Back 30

Views the world as an economic system created by the spread of capitalism. There is a division of labor between capital intensive activities in wealthy countries and labor intensive activities in poor countries and by domination of poorer countries and regions by richer ones. The countries controlled by the capitalist class exploit the lesser developed countries. The lesser developed are "dependent" upon the wealthier nations.

Front 31

Imperialism

Back 31

The practice of a foreign conquest and rule in the context of global relations of hierarchy and subordination. It can leader to the establishment of an empire.

Front 32

Cultural imperialism

Back 32

The attempt to impose your own value system of others

Front 33

Exceptionalism

Back 33

The belief by some that their nation or group is better than others. Possess special knowledge. Is inherently superior based upon race, breeding, culture, blood, etc

Front 34

Clash of Civilizations

Back 34

Samuel Huntington's term to describe the main cultural fault-line of international conflict in a world without communism. These fault lines will be the basis for political conflict in the 21st century

Front 35

Terrorism

Back 35

THe use of violence by non-State groups to inspire fear, by attacking civilians and/or symbolic targets. This is done to draw widespread attention to a grievance, provoke a severe response, or wear down their opponents moral resolve, in order to affect political change

Front 36

Sovereignty

Back 36

The condition of a State being free from any higher legal authority. Increasingly understood as the shared exercise of public power and authority between national, regional, and global authorities