Learn: International Relations: War, Conflict, Cooperation, and Globalization

Political Violence

Use of force to achieve political goals.

Interstate War

War between two or more countries.

Intrastate War

War within a country, often involving governments and rebels.

Conventional War

War using traditional armies and military weapons.

Unconventional War

War using tactics like guerrilla warfare and sabotage.

Asymmetric Conflict

Conflict between opponents with unequal military power.

One-sided Violence

Deliberate attacks on civilians by a government or organized armed group.

Extrasystemic Conflict

War between a state and a group outside its territory, often involving colonial control.

Nonstate Conflict

Fighting between organized armed groups that are not governments.

Rational Actor Model

Theory that leaders make decisions by weighing expected costs and benefits.

Costs of War

Losses caused by war, including lives, money, and destruction.

Benefits/Payoffs of War

Political, territorial, or economic gains expected from fighting.

Civilizations

Large cultural groups sharing history, traditions, or religion.

Bargaining Model

Theory that war occurs when states fail to reach a peaceful agreement.

Rational Actor

Decision-maker who chooses actions based on expected outcomes.

Grievance

Anger over perceived injustice or unequal treatment that can motivate conflict.

Greed

Desire for wealth or resources that can motivate conflict.

Opportunity

Conditions that make starting or continuing a conflict easier.

Ethnic War

Conflict in which ethnic identity is a major dividing factor.

State Capacity

Government's ability to enforce laws, provide services, and maintain order.

Commitment Problems

When parties cannot trust each other to keep future agreements.

Information Problems

Uncertainty or misinformation about opponents' capabilities or intentions.

Peacekeeping

Efforts to maintain peace and prevent renewed fighting.

Peacebuilding

Long-term efforts to address causes of conflict and create lasting peace.

Combatant

Person who directly participates in armed conflict.

Noncombatant

Person who does not participate in fighting, such as a civilian.

Extremism

Holding political or ideological beliefs far outside mainstream positions, often rejecting compromise.

Paramilitaries

Armed groups organized like military forces but separate from the regular military.

Radicalization

Process of adopting increasingly extreme political or ideological beliefs.

International Cooperation

Countries working together to achieve shared goals.

International Law

Rules and agreements governing relationships between countries and other international actors.

Relative Gains

How much one country gains compared to another.

Absolute Gains

How much a country benefits regardless of what others gain.

Compliance

Following international rules, laws, or agreements.

Enforcement

Actions taken to encourage or require compliance with rules.

Vertical Enforcement

A higher authority enforces rules on those below it.

Horizontal Enforcement

Countries enforce rules through actions against one another without a higher authority.

Monitoring

Checking whether countries follow agreements.

Shadow of the Future

Expectation of future interactions encourages cooperation today.

Prisoner's Dilemma

Situation where individual incentives lead to a worse outcome than cooperation.

Coordination

Countries aligning their actions to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome.

Tragedy of the Commons

Shared resources become depleted because individuals overuse them.

Collective Good

A benefit shared by members of a group.

Public Good

A good that is nonrival and nonexcludable.

Rival

One person's use reduces how much is available to others.

Excludable

People can be prevented from using a good or resource.

Free Riding

Benefiting from something without contributing to its cost.

Liberal Economic System

Economic system emphasizing free markets, private ownership, and open trade.

Globalization

Increasing economic, political, and cultural connections worldwide.

Economic Nationalism

Prioritizing national economic interests and state control over economic activity.

Heckscher-Ohlin Model

Theory that countries export goods using resources they have in abundanceto maximize their economic gains by specializing in the production of those goods.

Mercantilism

Belief that national wealth and power grow through exports, trade surpluses, and government intervention.

Economic Radicalism

Perspective emphasizing class inequality and unequal distribution of wealth and economic power.

Protectionism

Government policies that protect domestic industries from foreign competition.

Comparative Advantage

Ability to produce something at a lower opportunity cost than another producer.

Exchange Rates

Value of one country's currency compared to another's.

Fixed Exchange Rate

Currency value maintained at a set level against another currency or standard.

Floating Exchange Rate

Currency value determined mainly by supply and demand.

Impossible Trinity

Countries cannot simultaneously maintain fixed exchange rates, free capital movement, and independent monetary policy.

Bretton Woods

1944 agreement establishing a postwar monetary system and institutions including the IMF and World Bank.

IMF

International Monetary Fund; organization promoting monetary stability and providing financial assistance.

Financial Crisis

Severe disruption in financial markets or institutions that threatens economic stability.