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109 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
Demography
The study of population changes, their sources, and their impact
Carrying capacity
The maximum number of humans and living species that can be supported by a given territory
Tragedy of the commons
A metaphor, widely used to explain the impact of human behavior on ecological systems, that explains how rational self-interested behavior by individuals may have a destructive collective impact
Replacement-level fertility
One couple replacing themselves with two children, so that a country’s populaton will remain stable if this rate prevails
Fertility rate
The average number of children born to a woman (or a group of women) during her lifetime
Least-developed of the less-developed countries (LLDCs)
The most impoverished members of the Third World in the Global South
Demographic transition
An explanation of population changes over time that highlights the causes of declines in birth and death rates so that a country’s population achieves a stable level
Population implosion
A rapid reduction of population that reverses a previous trend toward progressively larger populations
Neo-Malthusians
Pessimists who warn of the global ecopolitical implications of uncontrolled population growth
Cornucopians
Optimists who question limits-to-growth analyses and contend that markets effectively maintain a balance between population, resources, and the environment
Genetic engineering
Research geared to discover seeds for new types of plant and human life for sale and use as substitutes for those produced naturally
Food security
Access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life
Mercantilism
A government strategy for accumulating state wealth and power by active government management of the state’s economic, population, and environmental policies
Ecopolitics
How political actors influence perceptions of, and policy responses to, changing environmental conditions, such as population density
Politics of scarcity
The view that the unavailability of resources required to sustain life, such as food, energy, or water, can undermine security in degrees similar to military aggression
Environmental security
A concept recognizing that environmental threats to global life systems are as dangerous as the threat of armed conflicts
Sustainable development
Economic growth that does not deplete the resources needed to maintain growth
Coercive diplomacy
The use of threats or limited armed force to persuade an adversary to alter its foreign and/or domestic policies
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
A UN agency created in 1972 to study environmental deterioration and propose regulations to protect the global environment
Collective goods
Goods, such as safe drinking water, from which everyone benefits
Life-boat ethics
world is a boat that can carry so much population. You don’t want it to sink, but you know the boat’s capacity so you must let the excess die.
Constructivism
A scholarly approach to inquiry emphasizing the importance of agents (ppl + grps) and the shared meanings they construct to interpret
Intraspecific aggression
Killing members of one’s own species
Interspecific aggression
Killing members of species other than one’s own
Realism
The theory that states that driven to compete for power through war and imperialism b/c of human nature, which is flawed by the urge to sin that can rationalize killing
Survival of the fittest
A realist concept derived from Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution that advises that ruthless competition is ethically acceptable to survive, even if the actions violate moral commands not to kill
Nature v. Nurture
The controversy over whether human behavior is determined more by the biological basis of “human nature” than it is nurtured by the environmental conditions that humans experience
Socialization
The processes by which ppl learn to accept the beliefs, values, and behaviors that prevail in a given society’s culture
Territorial imperative
The term coined by anthropologist Robert Ardrey to popularize the proposition that ppl and nations will defend to the death their territory, just like animals instinctively do
National character
The collective characteristics ascribed to the ppl within a state
Rational choice
The assumption that decision makers make choices through cool-headed calculations of costs and benefits and pick the options that have the best chance of realizing preferred goals, rather than making choices on the bases of uninformed snap judgments and psychological impulses
Groupthink
The propensity for membes of a decision-making grp to accept and agree with the grp’s prevailing attitudes, rather than speaking out for what they believe would be the most rational choice
Neorealism
The so-called structural version of realism that explains state conduct as a fxn of changes in the global system’s structure, such as shifts in the distribution of states’ military capabilities
Sovereignty
The legal doctrine that states have supreme authority to govern their internal affairs and manage their foreign relations w/ other states and IGOs
Feminist theory
A body of scholarship emerging from the social feminist mvt to promote the political equality of women w/ men, critiquing sexual biases and challenging masculine gender roles that encourage female subordination and warfare
Cultural conditioning
The impact of nat’l traditions and societal values on the behavior of states, under the assumption that culture affects nat’l decision making abt issues such as the acceptability of aggression
Laissez-faire economics
Free markets in which goods are exchanged w/ minimal management by the state
Globalization
The integration of states, through increasing contact, communication, and trade, to create a single cosmopolitan global system in which the process of change increasingly binds ppl and states together in a common fate and culture
Neoliberal theories
The “new” liberal theories stressing the critical impact of free governments and free trade in promoting peace and prosperity through democratically managed institutions, following the liberal world politics philosophies of Immanuel Kant, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Woodrow Wilson
Human rights
The political rights and civil liberties recognized by the international community as inalienable and valid for individuals in all countries by virtue of their humanity
Democratic peace
The liberal theory that lasting peace depends on the deepening of liberal democratic institutions within states and their diffusion throughout the globe, given the “iron law” that democracies do not wage wars against one another
Nationalism
Sentimental devotion to the welfare of one’s own nation-state without concern for the common interest of all nations and states in the global community
Security dilemma
The tendency of states to view that defensive arming of adversaries as threatening, and when they arm in response, everyone’s security declines
Anarchy
At the global level, the absence of instiutions for global governance with the power to enforce rules and regulate disputes between state to ensure that international relations are peaceful
Power transition theory
The theory that was is likely when a dominant great power is threatened by the rapid growth of a rival’s capabilities, which reduces that difference in their relative power
Structural realism
A neorealist theory which emphasizes that the structure of world power, and changes in the great power’s military capabilities relative to their closest rivals, strongly influences the behavior of the states within the global system
Long-cycle theory
An interpretation of world history that focuses on repeating patterns of interstate behavior, such as the outbreak of systemwide general wars at different intervals, after long periods during which other patterns (global peace) were dominant
Hegemon
An single dominant military an economic state that uses its unrivaled power to create and enforce rules aimed at preserving the existing world order and its own position in that order
War weariness hypothesis
The proposition that fighting a major war is costly in terms of lost lives and income, and these costs greatly reduce a country’s tolerance for undertaking another war until enough time passes to lose memory of those costs, at which time leaders tend to one again view a new war against a new enemy as a realistic option that will not provoke public opposition
Failing states
Those governments that are in danger of losing the loyalty of their citizens, who are rebelling against corruption and administrative failure, and, in the process, tearing the country into separate political parts
Human development index (HDI)
A scale that uses life expectancy, literacy, average number of years of schooling, and income to assess a country’s performance in providing for its citizen’s welfare and security
Bipolarity
A division of military capabilities between two dominant competing poles or centers of power, each led by a superpower and joined by its allies against the other
Diversionary theory of war
The hypothesis that leaders initiate conflict abroad as a way of increasing their citizens’ approval of them and national cohesion at home
State-sponsored terrorism
Formal assistance, training, and arming of foreign terrorists by a state in order to achieve foreign policy goals
Just war
The theory popularized in the middle ages that identifies the conditions under which it is morally permissible, or “just” to a state to go to war and the methods by which a just war may be fought
Self-help
The principle that because in international anarchy all global actors are independent, they must rely on themselves to provide for their security and well-being
National security
A country’s capacity to resist external or internal threats to its physical survival or core values
Power
The factors that enable one state to coerce another; to realists, arms and military capabilities are the most important factors in determining which rival state will win a dispute
Power potential
The capabilities or resources held by a state that are considered necessary to its asserting influence over others
Realism
A paradigm based on the premise that world politics is essentially and unchangeably a struggle among self-interested states for power and position under anarchy, with each competing state single-mindedly pursuing its own national self-advantage without altruistic concern for others of sentimental attachment to moral values
Coercive diplomacy
The use of threats or limited armed force to persuade an adversary to alter its foreign and/or domestic policies
Peace dividend
The global savings from arms expenditure reductions made possible by the end of highly hostile international rivalries such as the Cold War
National security
A country’s psychological freedom from fear that the state will be unable to resist threats to its survival and national values emanating from abroad or at home
Human security
A concept that refers to the degrees to which the welfare of individuals is protected and advanced, in contrast to national security, which puts the interests of entire states first
Relative burden of military spending
A measure of the economic burden of military activities calculated by the share of each state’s gross domestic product allocated to military expenditures
Soft power
The ability to exercise international influence that is increased when a country’s values and way of life are respected throughout the world
Military-industrial complex
The term coined by US president Eisenhower to describe the coalition among arms manufacturers, military bureaucracies, and top government officials that promotes unnecessary defense expenditures for its own profit and power
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT)
An international agreement that seeks to prevent horizontal proliferation by prohibiting further nuclear weapons sales, acquisitions, or production
Horizontal nuclear proliferation
An increase in the number of states that possess nuclear weapons
Vertical nuclear proliferation
The expansion of the capabilities of existing nuclear powers to inflict increasing destruction with their nuclear weapons
Nonproliferation
Rules to contain arms races so that weapons or technology do not spread to states that do not have them
Security dilemma
The propensity of armaments undertaken by one states for ostensibly defensive purposed to threaten other states, which arm in reaction, with the result that the arming states’ national security declines as their arms increase
Deterrence
A preventative strategy designed to dissuade an adversary from doing what it would otherwise do
Countervalue targeting strategy
The bargaining doctrine that declares the intention to use weapons of mass destruction against an enemy’s most valued non-military resources, such as the civilians and industries located in its cities
Counterforce targeting strategy
Targeting strategic nuclear weapons on particular military capabilities of an enemy’s armed forces and arsenals
Second-strike capability
A state’s capacity to retaliate after absorbing a first-strike attack with weapons of mass destruction
Mutual assured destruction (MAD)
A condition of mutual deterrence in which both sides possess the ability to survive a first strike with weapons of mass destruction and launch a devastating retaliatory attack
Rational choice
The theory that decision makers choose on the basis of what they perceive to be in the best interests of themselves and their states, and select options according to their expectations about the relative usefulness of alternate means to realize their preferred goals. Sometimes called “expected-utility theory,” this concept is emphasized in realist interpretations of decisions about war and peace
Preemptive war
A quick first-strike attack that seeks to defeat an adversary before it can organize an initial attack or a retaliatory response
Just war theory
The theory that identifies the criteria under which it is morally permissible, or “just,” for a state to go to war and the methods by which a just war might be fought
Asymmetrical warfare
Armed conflict between different types of enemies, one of which is much more militarily powerful than the other
Coercive diplomacy
An approach to bargaining between states engaged in a crisis in which threats to use arms or inflict high financial costs are made to force an adversary to reach a compromise
Military intervention
Overt or covert use of force by one or more countries that cross the border of another country to affect the target country’s gov’t and policies
Covert operations
Secret activities undertaken by a state outside its borders through clandestine means to achieve specific political or military goals with respect to another state
Failed states
Countries whose gov’ts have so mismanaged policy that they have lost the loyalty of their citizens who, in rebellion, threaten to divide the state into separate countries
Sanctions
Punitive actions by one state against another to retaliate for its previous objectionable behavior
Unilateralism
A go-it-alone, self-reliant strategy for dealing with threats from another actor or global problem
Multilateralism
A cooperative strategy of working with allies or with collective problem-solving institutions to face threats from another actor or global problem
Bilateralism
An intermediary strategy of working with a specific ally or in a specially created ad hoc partnership to face threats from another actor or global problem
Liberalism
A paradigm predicated on the hope that the application of reason and universal ethics to int’l relations can lead to a more orderly, just, and cooperative world, and that int’l anarchy and war can be policed by institutional reforms that empower orgs and int’l law for global governance
Zero-sum
Competitive situations in which there is little room for compromise, b/c the gains from one choice or one goal require a loss for another
Bush Doctrine
The declaration that the US intended to behave globally in terms of its perceived nat’l self-interests, w/o the necessary approval of others and, as a corollary, would consider taking unilateral preemptive military action against any perceived security threat (such as Iraq) to defeat it before it could attack the US
Democratic peace
The liberal theory now embraced by some US realists that b/c democratic states do not fight each other, the diffusion of democratic governance throughout the world will reduce the probability of war
Power transition
A situation resulting from the rapid increase or deterioration in one state’s military capabilities relative to its rivals often provoking fears that lead to warfare
Bandwagoning
The tendency for weak states to seek alliance w/ the strongest power, irrespective of that power’s ideology or form of gov’t to increase security
Containment
A term coined by US policymaker George F. Kennan for deterring Soviet Russia’s expansionist aims by counterpressures, which has since become a general term used by strategists to describe the methods used to prevent an expanding great power from using its military muscles for expansionist hegemonic purposes
Yoshida Doctrine
Japan’s traditional security policy of avoiding disputes w/ rivals, preventing foreign wars by low military spending, and promoting economic growth through foreign trade
Security dilemma
The chronic distrust that actors living under anarchy feel b/c, w/o sanctions or regulatory rules, rivals will do anything, including arming and using aggression, to get ahead with the result that all lose their security in a climate of mistrust
Security dilemma
The propensity of armaments amassed by one state for ostensibly defensive purposed to be perceived by others as threatening, which drives the alarmed competitors to undertake as a countermeasure a military buildup, with the result that the arming states’ insecurities increase
Collective security
A global or regional security regime agreed to by the great powers setting rules for keeping peace, guided by the principle that an act of aggression by any state automatically will be met by a combined military response from the rest
Security regime
Norms and rules for interaction accepted by a set of states to cooperatively increase their mutual security
Balancer
Under a balance-of-power system, an influential global or regional great power that throws its support in decisive fashion to a defensive coalition
Preemption
A quick, first-strike attack that seeks to defeat an adversary before it can attack or organize a retaliatory response
Bandwagoning
The tendency for weak states to seek alliance with the strongest power, irrespective of that power’s ideology or form of government, in order to increase their security
Hegemonic stability theory
The argument that a single dominant state is necessary to enforce international cooperation, maintain international rules and agreements and keep the peace
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
A military alliance created in 1949 to deter a Soviet attack on W Europe that now has expanded and has redefined its mission to emphasize not only the maintenance of peace, but also the promotion of democracy
Extended deterrence
The protection received by a weak ally when a heavily militarized great power pledged to “extend” its capabilities to it in a defense treaty
Power transition
A change in the ratio of military capabilities between great-power rivals that produces tensions and increases the probability of war between them
Bush Doctrine
The policy of assertive unilateral hegemonic leadership proclaimed by George W Bush in 2001 as the policy principle that would guide American foreign policy, elaborated in the 2002 Nat’l Security Strategy of the US pledging to maintain a unipolar world and to use preemptive warfare to prevent enemies’ use of force