International Relations Midterm

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, theories, thinkers, and taxonomies of International Relations and state building based on lecture notes.

Sovereign State

A state that possesses internal authority (controls what happens within its territory), external authority (recognized as independent from other states), a clearly defined territory, and political institutions.

Sovereignty

Authority and control over a territory combined with independence from outside authority.

Polity Formation

The historical process through which political systems and states developed.

Charles Tilly's State Building Theory

A theory arguing state development was closely connected to war and organized violence, comparing early states to 'protection rackets' because rulers provided protection while extracting resources from populations.

War making (Tilly)

The activity of eliminating or neutralizing external rivals in state formation.

State making (Tilly)

The activity of eliminating or neutralizing internal rivals in state formation.

Protection (Tilly)

The activity of defending a state's clients from enemies.

Extraction (Tilly)

The activity of acquiring the resources needed to carry out war making, state making, and protection.

Peace of Westphalia (1648)

An event associated with the development of the modern sovereign-state system.

Montevideo Convention (1933)

A convention that established an important definition of statehood.

Sovereignty Taxonomy Matrix

A framework categorizing political entities based on whether they possess internal control and external control.

De facto State

A state that possesses internal control over its territory but has absent or limited external control and recognition (e.g., Taiwan, Somaliland, South Ossetia).

Failed State

A state legally recognized under international law that possesses weak or limited ability to exercise authority, enforce rules, or provide effective governance (e.g., Somalia, South Sudan, Yemen).

Partially Independent Territory

A political entity possessing mixed internal control and mixed external control (e.g., Scotland, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong).

Order (Hedley Bull)

A pattern of human activity that sustains the basic goals of social life, specifically life, truth, and property.

International Society (Hedley Bull)

A society that exists when states share common interests and values, shared institutions, and shared practices that help maintain basic social goals.

Natural Law

Rights and duties that exist because people are human, regardless of particular laws or cultures, such as life, freedom, and protection from unjust treatment.

International Law

Rules that govern relationships between states and other actors in world politics, sourced from natural law, custom, and treaties.

Realism

An IR tradition asserting that the international system is anarchic, states are rational unitary actors relying on self-help, and military power and security are the primary concerns.

Balancing

An alliance strategy where states ally with others against a common threat or rising power.

Bandwagoning

An alliance strategy where states align themselves with the stronger side or power.

Security Dilemma

A state of affairs where actions a state takes to increase its security cause other states to react with military buildup, creating a cycle of mutual insecurity.

Regional Hegemony

A state condition where a single country possesses overwhelming power within its geographic region.

Bloodletting / Bait and Bleed

A strategy where a state encourages two rival nations to fight each other so that both become weakened.

Liberalism

An IR tradition holding that international cooperation, institutions, democracy, and free trade can mitigate anarchy and produce mutual benefits.

Locke's State of Nature

A state where individuals possess natural rights (life, liberty, property) that are insecure, leading them to establish government for protection.

Three Major IR Traditions Comparison Table

A comparative framework contrasting Realism, Liberalism, and Constructivism across key dimensions such as actors, anarchy, power, and systemic change.

Constructivism

An IR tradition emphasizing that international politics is socially constructed through shared identity, ideas, ideology, legitimacy, and norms.

Alexander Wendt's Key Constructivist Phrase

'Anarchy is what you make of it,' expressing that anarchy does not automatically dictate state behavior, but depends on social interaction.

Norm

A typical or accepted behavior within a particular social context.

Normative Life Cycle

The three-stage progression of norm development: Stage 1 (Persuasion), Stage 2 (Imitation/Institutional enforcement), and Stage 3 (Internalization).

Regulatory Rules

Rules that prescribe or govern behavior within an already existing system or activity.

Constitutive Rules

Rules that create or define the system or activity itself.

Hobbesian Tradition

An international perspective viewing world politics as a state of war governed by anarchy, struggle, and self-help, where a global Leviathan is impossible.

Grotian Tradition

An international perspective viewing world politics as an international society shaped by shared rules, practices, and institutions despite anarchy.

Kantian Tradition

An international perspective emphasizing global solidarity, morality, and systemic reform toward greater international cooperation.

Morgenthau's Three Conditions for Peace/Order

1. Overlapping loyalties, 2. Overwhelming force, and 3. Expectation of justice.

Feminist IR

A theoretical approach arguing that international politics is structured around gendered assumptions and seeking to expose these biases to promote equality and emancipation.

Problem-solving Theory

A theoretical approach focused on addressing and fixing issues within the existing international system.

Critical Theory

A theoretical approach that questions dominant institutions, theories, and power structures to understand why the existing system came to look this way.