key concepts

power

is viewed as one’s ability to affect change in the world

instead of power being viewed as a unitary or independent source, it should instead be seen as an aspect of relations among individuals functioning within various social organizations

specifically in this era of increased globalization, the contested relationships between people and groups of people often dominate politics

sovereignty

characterises a state’s independence, its control over territory, and its ability to govern itself

some theorists argue that sovereign power (a state’s ability to make decisions/enforce laws) is being challenged, because states cannot fully control certain aspects of globalization, such as global communication and trade

others argue that sovereign states exercise power when acting in their nation’s interest, and this is unlikely to change

legitimacy

refers to an action or actor being considered acceptable, by the majority (or it being commonly considered acceptable)

this forms the basis/rationale for all forms of governance and other methods of exercising power over others

most accepted contemporary source of legitimacy: a form of democracy or constitutionalism, where the governed have a defined opportunity to choose who they wish to exercise power over them

however, not all actions taken by the state can be consider legitimate (or acceptable/justified)

interdependence

refers to the mutual alliance between and among groups, organizations, areas and states for access to resources that are necessary to live

this mutual reliance can be economic (like trade), for security (like defence arrangements) and, increasingly, a sustainability dimension (like environmental treaties)

globalization has increased interdependence (maybe because globalization has revealed the lack of resources certain countries have, so they rely on other states for these resources), while also changing the relationships of power between different actors

kinda a side - note: but the part about mutual reliance can be for security connects to the term ‘nuclear umbrella’ - the US protects allies that don’t have nuclear weapons, from nuclear threats. In return, the ‘non-nuclear equipped’ allies don’t have to build nuclear weapons. a

another thing this connects to is US & Japan. they made changes to their agreement - US can have troops/military bases on Japanese territory, and in return, US protects Japan from nuclear threats

human rights

basic rights and entitlements that everyone should be able to claim, simply by virtue of being a human being

Universal Declaration of Human Rights - adopted by the UN in 1948 - is recognized as the beginning of the formal discussion of human rights around the world

justice

different definitions, but is often associated with the notion of fairness, and each individual getting what they deserve

is also associated with rights & what individuals can legitimately demand of each other and their government (what is acceptable for individuals to demand of each other & their government?)

liberty

refers to having freedom and autonomy

divided into positive and negative liberty

positive liberty - person having their autonomy (having the freedom to carry out their own will)

negative liberty - freedom from external coercion

however, some scholars argue that liberty is not divided into two types, as one type of liberty cannot exist without the other

equality

egalitarian theories are based on a concept of equality where all people, or groups of people, are seen to have the same intrinsic value

therefore, equality is closely linked to fairness and justice, because egalitarians argue that justice can only exist if there’s equality