International Relations Vocab

Front 1

Anarchical Society

Back 1

“no world government” – the international system is anarchic by nature; there is no common authorial power to unite separate states, each with their own rules and duties that are applicable within respective borders.

Front 2

Mercantilism

Back 2

economics are a tool of politics and a basis for political power. International economy is an arena of conflict; a zero-sum game. Political regulation creates a framework for economic activity.

Front 3

DEFENSIVE/BENIGN

Mercantilism

Back 3

states look after economic interests for national security, don’t have overly negative effects on other states.

Front 4

AGGRESSIVE/MALEVOLENT
Mercantilism

Back 4

states look to exploit other states for the sake of expansion. Emphasis on creating trade surplus.

Front 5

Behaviouralism

Back 5

the belief that quantitative methods can be applied to social science, including I.R.; objective is to formulate objective & verifiable “laws” to explain I.R. neorealism & neoliberalism were heavily influenced by behavioralism

Front 6

Modernization theory

Back 6

progress of nations is as follows; traditional, pre-industrial, agrarian society modern, industrial, mass consumption society.

Front 7

Classical realism

Back 7

Thucydides, Machiavelli, Hobbes; there is continuous conflict between states, therefore the goal, means and uses of power are central to I.R. Focuses on the core political values of national security & state survival. Actors over structure;

Front 8

Thucydides

Back 8

emphasis on the natural reality of unequal power rather than private morality & the principle of justice. The strong do what they will, the weak do what they MUST.

Front 9

Machiavelli

Back 9

The Lion (power) & the Fox (deception)- supreme political values are national freedom/independence. A leader must use power and deception to achieve goal; the world is a dangerous place but also an opportune place. Leaders must NOT operate within Christian ethics.

Front 10

National security

Back 10

one of the fundamental responsibilities of the state; actions taken & policies pursued by a state to counter real or potential threats to security

Front 11

Hobbes

Back 11

State of Nature – people are living in constant fear of each other and will create a sovereign state to protect them which consequently produces the “Security Dilemma”. The core value for Hobbes realism is domestic peace.

Front 12

Neorealism

Back 12

structure determines actions; balance of power shifts as great powers rise and fall; structure dictates policy. Anarchy States look after self-interests  Co’op is limited and on a short term basis  Int’l institutions are weak  States must defend themselves. Great powers manage the system. (Waltz)

Front 13

Pluralism

Back 13

Civil rights (within states) take precedence over human rights (between states). A policy of non-intervention must be maintained, even in a humanitarian crisis.

Front 14

Postmodern states

Back 14

states with high levels of cross-border integration; the economy is global rather than national. EU – multilevel governance; supranational, national & sub-national.

Front 15

Power

Back 15

“power is the capacity to direct the decisions and actions of others” – (Freeman) The ability to exercise influence.

Front 16

Communitarianism

Back 16

normative doctrine that is focused on political communities; states’ interests come before those of individuals or that of humanity in general; contrary to Cosmopolitanism.

Front 17

Quasi-state

Back 17

recognized as states and participate in the state-system; however, they have weak or corrupt political institutions, undeveloped economies, & little or no national unity.

Front 18

Cosmopolitanism

Back 18

– normative doctrine that is focused on individuals and humanity as a whole whose needs come before the states’ interests. Is contrary to Communitarianism

Front 19

Rational choice theory

Back 19

Whatever happens in the social world, including in international relations, can be explained by individual choices. To understand how state policies are affected we must determine how preferences influence behavior.

Front 20

Rationalism

Back 20

states are legal organizations that operate in accordance with international law and diplomatic practice

Front 21

Realism

Back 21

humans are self-interested/self-serving; international relations are conflictual and lead to war; national security/state survival are paramount; skepticism of progress in international politics.

Front 22

Revolutionism

Back 22

progressive aim of changing the international state system in the expectation of creating a better world; believe in achieving human perfection

Front 23

Security dilemma

Back 23

Permanent state of warState of fear yields a sovereign state States become fearful of each other  create state of protection through alliances; State provided protection is better than protection provided on an individual basis ; based on the natural anarchy of the system; can never be solved because there is no possibility of forming a world government/state.(Hobbes)

Front 24

Social constructivism

Back 24

the most important aspect of I.R. is social rather than material; focuses on the ideas/beliefs that inform international actors.

Front 25

Soft power

Back 25

“co-optive power” - that ability to structure a situation so that other nations develop preferences consistent with one’s own nation.

Front 26

Dependency

Back 26

attack on late capitalism; an effort to provide the theoretical tools by which 3rd world countries can defend themselves against globalizing capitalism.

Front 27

Foreign policy

Back 27

the manner in which states interact with each other.

Front 28

Functionalism

Back 28

functional groups develop from common interests and needs that transcend existing organizational frontiers; evolution to functionalism is inevitable as communication methods increase. Poorer states want to join the game in order to avoid being alienated on a system level. Appeal of Functionalism: Global tasks, such as security, economic development, etc., are daunting as separate states, but become less burdensome when functional groups are made.

Front 29

Globalization

Back 29

the spread and intensification of economic, social and cultural relations across international borders.

Front 30

Hegemony

Back 30

– refers to a state’s power relative to that of other states.

Front 31

Imperialism

Back 31

the projection of power by a political entity for the purpose of territorial expansion and political and economic influence beyond its formal borders. Roman, Mongol, British & Ottoman Empires all used imperialism.

Front 32

Interdependence

Back 32

a dynamic of being mutually responsible to and sharing a common set of principles with others. I.R. presents economic interdependence and the liberalist approach uses interdependence as a means to reduce conflict

Front 33

International justice

Back 33

– normative value of International Society; has 3 levels: human, interstate & world i.e. human rights, equal state sovereignty & what is right for the world, respectively.

Front 34

International Political Economy

Back 34

is about international wealth and poverty; about who gets what in the international system. There is a complex interplay in the international context between politics and economics, between states and markets.

Front 35

International Society School

Back 35

emphasis on the simultaneous presence of both realist/liberal elements; there is conflict AND cooperation, there are states AND individuals. Takes a normative & historical outlook; tends to focus on statesmen as major players.

Front 36

Levels of analysis

Back 36

human/individual, state & system; individual decision makers & their characteristics, the type of government a state has adopted and its relations in society, and the distribution of power among states. (respectively)

Front 37

Liberalism

Back 37

– emphasis of the great potential for human progress and international cooperation.

Front 38

Marxism

Back 38

put economics first and politics second; the bourgeoisie and proletariat are two antagonistic classes and at the heart of Marxism. The Bourgeoisie own the means of production and the Proletariat owns only its labor.

Front 39

Sovereignty

Back 39

ultimate internal authority & external recognition; greatest threat to it are IGO/NGO’s

Front 40

State

Back 40

populated territory of the state and the political body that governs that territory. States first emerged after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.

Front 41

Terrorism

Back 41

illicit use or threatened use of violence against civilians in order to achieve political, religious, economic, social goals.

Front 42

World System Theory

Back 42

– characterized by a certain economic/political structure that is interdependent. There have been world-empires (Roman Empire) and world-economies (present day?)

Front 43

Materialism

Back 43

power and national interest are the driving forces in international politics; they are material factors that are objective entities of states because of the anarchic nature of the system.