Historical Eras and Strategic Thinking in International Relations

These flashcards cover key historical eras in world politics, strategic thinking in international relations, and concepts related to alliances, wars, civil conflicts, and terrorism.

Mercantilist Era

A historical period from 1492 to 1815 focused on trade, colonies, and the accumulation of wealth.

Thirty Years’ Crisis (1914–1945)

WWI + WWII period

Post-Cold War (1991–present)

globalization and shifting power

Pax Britannica

The period from 1815 to 1914 during which Britain dominated globally, promoting free trade and maintaining naval superiority.

Cold War

A political and ideological conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union from 1945 to 1990, characterized by proxy wars without direct fighting.

Prisoner’s Dilemma

A scenario in which individuals acting in self-interest leads to a worse outcome for everyone; repeated interactions can lead to more cooperation.

Collective action problem

A situation where individuals fail to cooperate for mutual benefit; institutions help enforce rules to facilitate cooperation.

Alliances

Agreements between states for mutual support, which can be bilateral or multilateral, offensive or defensive.

Entrapment

Being unintentionally dragged into a conflict due to an alliance.

United Nations (UN)

An international organization focused on peacekeeping and peace enforcement, emphasizing legitimacy and cooperation but limited by the veto power of the P5.

Humanitarian intervention

The debate over respecting state sovereignty versus the responsibility to protect human rights.

Bargaining model of war

The theory suggesting that wars occur when states fail to reach peaceful agreements due to various issues.

Preventive war

A strategy aimed at stopping a potential future threat.

Civil war

A conflict within a country, typically between government forces and organized groups.

Insurgency

A strategy employing guerrilla tactics to gradually weaken governmental authority.

Terrorism

The use of violence against civilians to achieve political objectives.

Abrahms' argument

The assertion that terrorist groups function more like social networks focused on belonging than purely rational political entities.

Framework for strategic thinking in IR

Actors, interests, interaction, and institutions.

Actors in international relations

States, leaders, and organizations.

interests in IR

Security, wealth, and ideology.

Interactions in the IR

How actors engage with each other; through cooperation, conflict, or bargaining.

Institutions in IR

They shape rules, guide behavior, and facilitate coordination.

Cooperation

Working together to achieve mutual benefits.

Bargaining

Negotiating how to divide benefits among actors.

Key difference between cooperation and bargaining?

Cooperation focuses on joint gains; bargaining focuses on distribution of those gains.

How can cooperation emerge in a Prisoner’s Dilemma?

Through repeated interactions and communication

How do institutions help solve collective action problems?

By enforcing rules and coordinating behavior.

Types of Aliances

Bilateral, Multilateral, Offensive, Defensive

Bilateral

2 States

Multilateral

Multiple States

Offensive

Attack Together

Defensive

defend each other

Alliances Form

Balancing (against threats), Bandwagoning (join the strong side), Signaling commitment

Collective Security Organizations (CSO)

Broader systems where all agree to act against aggressors

Weakness of UN

veto power of P5 limits action

Strengths of UN

legitimacy, cooperation

peace keeping

UN forces monitor and help maintain peace, usually with consent of the conflicting parties and limited use of force (mostly self-defense).

peace enforcment

UN (or authorized forces) use military force to stop fighting or impose peace, even without full consent from all parties.

Three causes of War

Incomplete information (uncertainty), Commitment problems (lack of trust), Indivisible goods (can’t split issue)

Preemptive War

stop immediate attack

How to reduce war

Raise costs (deterrence, trade ties), Increase transparency, Use institutions, Divide issues

Separatist

want independence

Irredentist

want to join another state

Causes of civil war

Group-level (identity, organization), Country-level (weak state, poverty), International (foreign support)

Proxy wars

External actors support sides in a conflict to advance their interests

Ending civil wars

Counterinsurgency, Peacekeeping/enforcement, Economic development + democratization

Bargaining failures (Terrorism)

Incomplete information, Commitment problems, Indivisible goals

 Four strategies (Terrorism)

Coercion (force change), Provocation (trigger overreaction), Spoiling (ruin peace), Outbidding (compete with rivals)

Counterterrorism

Deterrence, Preemption, Defense, Criminalization, Negotiation, Alternative approaches (focus on group dynamics)

Why terrorism “rational”

It’s a strategic choice to influence governments and gain attention

P5 UN

united states, united kingdom, france, russia, china