Creating an International Order: Historical Politics, World Governance, and Regionalism

A set of vocabulary flashcards defining key political, international governance, and regionalism terms based on the lecture notes.

Nation-State

A territorially bounded sovereign polity—a state—that is ruled in the name of a community of citizens who identify themselves as a nation.

People (Element of State)

Inhabitants or the population of the state that comprises its citizens.

Territory

A definite geographic area occupied by the people of a state.

Sovereignty

The supreme power of the state to rule over its citizens within its territory and be free from control of foreign states.

Government

The agency or instrumentality through which the will of the people is formulated, expressed, and realized.

Interstate System

A system of heightened interaction between various sovereign states, historically shaped by events such as the Treaty of Westphalia and the French Revolution of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Internationalism

The desire for greater cooperation and unity among sovereign states.

International Organization

International intergovernmental organizations or groups that are primarily made up of member-states.

United Nations (UN)

An international organization created to maintain international peace and security, give humanitarian assistance to those in need, protect human rights, and uphold international law.

Security Council (SC)

The UN organ with primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, composed of 15 Members where each Member has one vote, and all Member States are obligated to comply with its decisions.

General Assembly (GA)

The main organ of the UN composed of representatives from all Member States, where each Member State has one vote.

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

The UN body where the world's economic, social, and environmental challenges are discussed and debated, and where policy recommendations are made.

Trusteeship Council

A principal UN organ established to provide international supervision for 11 Trust Territories to ensure adequate steps were taken to prepare them for self-government or independence.

International Court of Justice (ICJ)

The principal judicial organ of the UN, charged with settling legal disputes between States and providing advisory opinions.

UN Secretariat

The organ of the UN that carries out the day-to-day work, services the other principal organs, and administers their programmes and policies.

Regionalism

The consciousness of and loyalty to a distinct region with a homogeneous population, or a political process characterized by economic policy cooperation and coordination among countries.

Regions

Groups of countries located in the same geographically specified area.

Regionalization

The regional concentration of economic flows.

European Union (EU)

An organization working towards establishing a security union, offering its citizens an area of freedom, security, and justice without internal borders, set up with the aim of ending frequent wars between neighbours.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

A regional organization of 10 Southeast Asian and Pacific Rim countries whose governments collaborate to promote socio-cultural, economic, and political advancement and accelerate economic growth in the region.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

The largest free trade agreement in the world, implemented in order to promote trade between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.