Poli Sci Midterm #2

Hegemonic War

a large-scale war where a dominant power (hegemon) is directly challenged. Typically challenged by a rising power. Concerns the purpose of controlling the entire world order (rules of the international system as a whole)

also called: world war, global war, general war, systemic war

total war

the idea where a state or nation mobilizes all possible resources, regardless of military or civilian resources to win a war

limited war

military operations aimed at achieving goals short of the enemy’s complete surrender or occpation

raids

raid is a sudden military action into a territory trying to achieve certain objectives

civil war

a war between factions within a state, conflict fought between groups of the same country

guerilla war

war without frontlines with irregular forces (anything that’s not a conventional army) in midst of a civilian population

(ex. Vietnam war) 

truth commissions

government run groups established to record honest testimonies after a war in exchange (most of the time) for asylum. to make sure victims get their stories told (ex. Rwanda) 

conflict

a difference in preferred outcomes in bargaining situations (conflict ≠ war)

• rarely leads to violence, but can

• Cold war (no fighting)

cycle theories

the idea that IR operates in repeated events, defined IR in terms of powers rising and falling over time. Hegemons create power imbalances that ultimately weaken them, a power vacuum gets created, and a new Hegemon steps in completing the cycle

infantry

soldiers who fight on foot, military personnel

counterinsurgency

military or political tactics used against revolutionary/terrorist groups that use guerilla war tactics (win hearts and minds of civilians to get them to stop sheltering guerilla fighters) 

landmines

explosives in the ground that activate when stepped on. often left active after the war is over and are notorious for harming innocent civilians. there have been global efforts to remove them with varying success

power projection

the ability to use military force in areas far from a country’s region or sphere of influence

Nationalism

the belief that one’s own nation is the most important, mainly focusing on loyalty and shared identity above all else

self-determination

the idea where groups of people have the right to govern themselves and make their own choices

Fascism

a far right, authoritarian, and extreme nationalist political ideology characterized by a dictatorship, the forcible oppression of an opposition, and strong control over society and its economy

ethnic groups

a group of people who share common culture or descent

dehumanization

stigmatization of enemies as subhuman or non-human

genocide

international and systemic attempts to destroy a national, racial, ethnic, or religious group, a crime under international law

secular

created apart from religious establishments, high degree of seperation between religious and political organizations

Islam

A broad and diverse world religion whose divergent populations include Sunni Muslims, Shi’ite Muslims, and many smaller branches and sects from Nigeria to Indonesia, centered in the Middle East and South Asia

Irredentism

a form of Nationalism whose goal is to regain territory lost to another state, can lead directly to violent interstate conflicts

(ex. Russia vs. Ukraine) 

ethnic cleansing

mass expulsion or killing of an ethnic group in an area committed by another ethnic group

territorial waters

water is marked off to countries of a certain distance, (12 nautical miles, 200 nautical miles EEZ) from the coastlines. a state has jurisdiction over waters inside these lines and unexpected encroachment into them can be seen as threatening

airspace

area of air that is under the jurisdiction of a particular state and dictates where aircraft can and cannot fly

Mercantilismn

a state wishes to gain power by trading with a less powerful state at a much better margin of profit. allows for the stronger state to become much more powerful and accumulate more wealth

opposed to free trade, shares with Realism the belief that each state must protect its own interests

(ex. Europe in 16th and 18th century)

terrorism

political violence that targets civilians deliberately and indiscriminately

state-sponsored terrorism

the use of terrorist groups by states, usually under control of a state’s intelligence agency, to achieve political aims

counterterrorism

policies to combat terrorism

Weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) 

3 types:

• nuclear

• chemical

• biological

all distinguished from conventional weapons by their enormous potential lethality and their relative lack of discrimination in who they kill

nuclear weapons

in sheer power, the world’s most destructive weapons

fissionable material

Uranium-235 and Plutonium-239, whose atoms split apart and release energy via a chain reaction when an atomic bomb explodes

ballistic missiles & ICBMs

the major strategic delivery vehicle for nuclear weapons; carries a warhead along a trajectory (typically rising at least 50mi high) and lets it drop on the target

ICBMs are the longest-range ballistic missiles, able to travel 5,000mi

cruise missile

a small winged missile that can navigate across thousands of miles of previously mapped terrain to reach a particular target; it can carry either a nuclear warhead or a conventional warhead

Missile Technology Control Regime

a set of agreements through which industrialized states try to limit the flow of missile-relevant technology to developing countries

chemical weapon

releases chemicals that disable and kill people. vary from lethal ones (nerve gas) to merely irritating ones (tear gas) 

Biological Weapons Convention & Chemical Weapons Convention

prohibits the development, production of biological weaponsp and chemical weapons, respectively

WMD’s proliferation

the spread of WMDs (nuclear, chemical, or biological) into the hands of more actors

Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) (1968) 

created a framework for controlling the spread of nuclear materials and expertise, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a UN agency based in Vienna that is charged with inspecting the nuclear power agency in NPT member states to prevent secret military diversions of nuclear materials 

nuclear strategy

decisions about how many nuclear weapons to deploy, what delivery systems to put them on, and how to determine how they’re used

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

the possession of 2nd strike nuclear capabilities; which ensures neither of two adversaries could prevent the other from destroying it in an all-out war

Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)

A U.S. effort, also known as Star Wars, to develop defenses that could shoot down incoming ballistic missiles, spurred by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. See also Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty

Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty (1972)

A treaty that prohibited either the United States or the Soviet Union from using a ballistic missile defense as a shield

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) (1996)

bans all nuclear weapons testing, thereby broadening the ban on atmospheric testing negotiated in 1963

international norms

the expectations held by participants about typical interactions among states

International Organizations (IOs)

IGOs such as the UN and NGOs such as the International Committee of the red Cross (ICRC)

UN Charter

the founding document of the UN; it is based on the principles that all states are equal, have sovereignty over their own affairs, enjoy independence and territorial integrity, and must fulfill international obligations. also lays out the structure and methods of the UN

UN General Assembly (UNGA)

a body composed of representatives of all states that allocates UN funds, passes non-binding resolutions, and coordinates programs in the Global South and various autonomous agencies through the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

UN Security Council (UNSC)

a body composed of 5 permanent great power members (all of which can veto resolutions) and 10 rotating members that make decisions about international peace and security, including the dispatch of UN peacekeeping forces

UN Secretariat

the UN’s executive branch, led by the Secretary General

peacebuilding

the use of military powers, civilian administrators, police trainers, and similar efforts to sustain peace agreements and build stable, democratic governments in societies recovering from Civil Wars. since 2005, a UN Peacebuilding Commission has coordinated and supported these activities 

World Health Organization (WHO)

an organization based in Geneva that provides technical assistance to improve health conditions in the 3rd world and conducts major immunization campaigns

World Court (aka International Court of Justice (ICJ))

the judicial arm of the UN; located in The Hague, it hears only cases between states.

*World Court and ICJ are the same thing

immigration law

national law(s) that establish the conditions under which foreigners may travel and visit within a state’s territory, work within the state, and sometimes become citizens of the state (naturalization)

human rights

the rights of all people to be free from abuses such as torture or imprisonment for their political beliefs (political and civil rights) and to enjoy certain minimum economic and social protections (economic and social rights) 

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) (1948)

the core UN document on human rights; although it lacks the force of international law, it sets forth international norms regarding behavior by governments toward their own citizens and foreigners alike

Amnesty International

an influential NGO that operates globally to monitor and try to rectify glaring abuses of political (not economic or social) human rights

responsibility to protect (R2P)

principle adopted by world leaders in 2005 holding governments responsible for protecting civilians from genocide and crimes against humanity perpetrated within a sovereign state 

war crimes

violations of the law governing the conduct of warfare, such as mistreatment of prisoners of war or the unnecessary targeting of civilians

crimes against humanity

a category of legal offenses created at the Nuremberg trials after WW2 to encompass genocide and other acts committed by the political and military leaders of the Third Reich (Nazi Germany) 

(an unlawful act, typically as part of a systematic campaign, that causes suffering or death on a large scale to civilians)

International Criminal Court (ICC)

a permanent tribunal for war crimes and crimes against humanity

prisoners of war (POWs)

soldiers who have surrendered who thereby receive special status under the laws of war

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

an NGO that provides practical support, such as medical care, food, and letters from home, to civilians caught in wars and to POWs. exchanges of POWs are usually negotiated through the ICRC

supranational

larger institutions and groupings such as the European Union to which state authority or national identity is subordinated

European Union (EU)

the official term for the European Community (formerly the European Economic Community (EEC)) and associated treaty organizations. 27 member states

Treaty of Rome

the founding document of the European Economic Community (EEC) or Common Market, now subsumed by the European Union

Euratom

an organization created by the 1957 Treaty of Rome to coordinate nuclear power development by pooling research, investment, and management 

free trade area

a zone in which there are no tariffs or other restrictions on the movement of goods and services across borders

customs union

a free trade area in which participating states adopt a unified set of tariffs on goods imported from states that are not members

common market

a zone in which labor and capital (as well as goods) flow freely across borders

Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

an EU policy based on the principle that a subsidy extended to farmers in any member country should be extended to farmers in all member countries

European Commission

the EU's executive branch, responsible for proposing new EU laws, managing the EU budget, implementing decisions, and ensuring that EU law is upheld in member states

Council of the European Union

an EU institution in which the relevant ministers (foreign, economic, finance, etc.) of each member state meet to enact legislation and reconcile national interests. formerly known as Council of Ministers. when the meeting takes place among the state leaders, it’s called the “European Council”

European Parliament

a quasi-legislative body of the EU that operates as a watchdog over the European Commission and has limited legislative power

European Court of Justice

a judicial arm of the European Union, based in Luxembourg. the court has actively established its jurisdiction and its right to overrule national law when it conflicts with EU law 

Single European Act (1985)

An act that set a target date of the end of 1992 for the creation of a true common market (free cross-border movement of goods, capital, people, and services) in the European Community (EC)

Maastricht Treaty

A treaty signed in the Dutch city of Maastricht and ratified in 1992; it commits the European Union to monetary union (a single currency and European Central Bank) and to a common foreign policy

euro

also called the ECU (European currency unit); a single European currency used by 20 members of the EU

Lisbon Treaty

an EU agreement that replaces a failed attempt at an EU consitution with a similar set of reforms strengthening central EU authority and modifying voting procedures among EU’s expanded membership

Economic Liberalism

It holds that governments should avoid interfering in markets and that states can mutually benefit from economic exchange. Further, an “open” or liberal international economy is a force for both prosperity and peace. It matters little to liberals whether one state gains more or less than another—just whether the state’s wealth is increasing in absolute terms. Shares assumption of anarchy

free trade

the flow of goods and services across national boundaries unimpeded by tariffs or other restrictions; in principle (if not always in practice), free trade was a key aspect of Britain’s foreign economic policy after 1846 until WW1 and US’s policy after WW2

balance of trade

the value of a state’s exports relative to its imports

comparative advantage

states should specialize in making goods that they produce with the lowest relative cost

autarky

a policy of self-reliance, avoiding or minimizing trade and trying to produce everything one needs (or the most vital things) by oneself

protectionism

the protection of domestic industries against international competition, by trade tariffs and other means

dumping

the sale of products in foreign markets at prices below the minimum level necessary to make a profit

tariff

a duty or tax levied on certain types of imports (usually as a percentage of their value) as they enter a country

nontariff barriers

forms of restricting imports other than tariffs, such as quotas (ceilings on the volume of imports of a particular good)

industrialization

the use of fossil-fuel energy to drive machinery and the accumulation of such machinery along with the products created by it

centrally planned economy (aka command economy)

political authorities set prices and decide on quotas for producing and consumption of each commodity according to a long-term plan

transitional economies

former Soviet republics and Eastern European countries that have shifted from communist to capitalistic economic systems with varying degrees of success

state-owned industries

industries such as oil companies and airlines that are owned wholly or partly by the state because they are thought to be vital to the national economy

mixed economies

economies such as those in the industrialized West that contain both some government control and some private ownership

digital divide

the gap in access to information technologies between rich and poor people and between the global North and South

virtual currencies

currencies created by users as a way to facilitate the exchange of goods and services beyond control of governments (ex. Bitcoin)

cultural imperialism

a term critical of US dominance of the emerging global culture

tragedy of the commons

a situation where individuals acting in their own self-interest deplete or degrade a shared, unregulated resource for personal gain, ultimately harming the collective good

enclosure

the splitting of a common area or good into privately owned pieces, giving individual owners an incentive to manage resources responsibly