GSS EXAM 1 REVIEW

International Actors

Actors in international relations include states, IGOs, NGOs, MNCs, and transnational networks.

National Actors

States are still the primary actors in international relations.

IGOs (InterGovernmental Organization)

An organization made up of governments, such as the UN, NATO, and G-7.

Transnational Actors

Actors not made up of governments, including NGOs and MNCs.

NGO (Non Governmental Organization)

Organizations like the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, and Amnesty International that are not government-affiliated.

MNC (Multinational Corporations)

Corporations that operate in multiple countries, such as Apple, McDonald's, and KFC.

Transnational Networks

Examples include movements like Black Lives Matter.

Substate Actors

Actors such as states and cities, e.g., the Mayor of Miami.

Anarchy

A lack of overarching authority to regulate behavior between groups.

Thucydides

An ancient historian known for his work 'History of the Peloponnesian War' and emphasis on power dynamics.

Nation

Equivalent to a 'people', characterized by common values, culture, and shared memory.

State

A political institution defined by territory, law-making, administrative institutions, citizens, and sovereignty.

Sovereignty

The absolute power over subjects and territory, and the right to be free from interference.

Peace of Westphalia

The 1648 treaty that ended the Thirty Years' War and established the concept of sovereign states.

GDP

Gross Domestic Product, used to measure development.

GDP per capita

GDP divided by the population, indicating economic size relative to population.

Human Development Index

A composite index measuring health, education, and standard of living.

Hard Power

Power based on military and economic capabilities, allowing coercion.

Soft Power

Power based on political values, policies, and culture, allowing attraction and co-option.

Inducements and Threats

Strategies in hard power involving incentives (carrots) and coercion (sticks).

Inducements

Carrots

Polarity

Distribution of power in the international system.

Unipolarity

A system where one state holds most of the power.

Bipolarity

A system where two states hold most of the power.

Multipolarity

A system where multiple states hold power.

Hegemony

Military and economic dominance.

Realism

The view that states are the only important actors in international relations.

Key Value of Realism

Maintenance of the status quo; stability.

Balance of Power

A principle stating that national security is enhanced when military capabilities are distributed so that no one nation is strong enough to dominate all others.

Realpolitik

A political system that is based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations.

Liberalism

The view that multiple actors, including states, IGOs, NGOs, and MNCs, play important roles in international relations.

Key Value of Liberalism

Progressive reform of the status quo; growth and development.

Mechanisms for Avoiding Conflict

Spread of democracy, develop international organizations and law, develop security communities.

Hegemony in International Relations

The predominance of one nation-state over others.

Globalization

The depth and breadth of a country's integration with the rest of the world.

Macedonian Hegemony

359 BCE - 146 BCE, characterized by the Empire of Alexander the Great.

Pax Romana

A period of relative peace and stability in the Roman Empire from 27 BCE to 180 BCE.

The Age of Exploration

A period marked by transoceanic empires and global labor expansion.

The 30 Year Crisis

A period from 1914-1945 that included WW1, the Great Depression, and WW2.

WW1

A global conflict from 1914-1918 that resulted in the defeat of autocratic monarchies.

WW2

A global conflict from 1939-1945 that resulted in the defeat of fascism.

WW3 (AKA THE COLD WAR)

The Cold War period from 1945-1990 that resulted in the defeat of communism.

Military power

The capacity of a state to use armed forces to influence or control events.

Economic power

The ability of a state to influence global or domestic economic conditions.

Alliance system

A formal agreement between two or more states for mutual benefit, such as NATO and the G7.

BRICS

An association of five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Interstate War

A conflict between two or more sovereign states.

Great power

A state with military capabilities to effectively reach beyond its neighbors.

Great powers before WWII

UK, France, Russia, US, Soviet Union, Germany.

Korean War duration

72 Years.

Long Peace

An unprecedented period of peace among major powers.

American hegemony

The dominance of the United States in international politics and economics, often referred to as Pax Americana.

Nuclear Weapons

Explosive devices that derive their destructive force from nuclear reactions.

Economic Independence

A condition where a state can sustain itself without reliance on external economic support.

Democracy

A system of government by the whole population, typically through elected representatives.

Dimensions of Democracy

Five dimensions: electoral pluralism, civil liberties, political participation, democratic culture, and functioning government.

Democratic Peace

The theory that democracies are less likely to engage in war with one another.

Cooperation

An interaction where one or both actors are better off after the interaction, often resulting in mutual gain.

Bargaining

An interaction where one actor is better off while the other is worse off, often resulting in redistribution.

Coordination

A type of cooperation where actors agree to coordinate their actions without incentives to defect.

Collaboration

A type of cooperation where actors have incentives to defect even after an agreement is reached.

Institutions

Sets of rules that structure political interactions in particular ways.

Compellence

The use of force to make another actor take or stop taking a particular action.

Deterrence

The threat of force to dissuade an adversary from taking a certain action.

Preemption

A first strike permitted when an attack is imminent, recognized by international law.

Preventive War

An attack based on the supposition that the other country intends harm in the future, not recognized by international law.

Strategic Nuclear Weapons

Weapons designed for use in a nuclear war, categorized into land, air, and sea systems.

Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)

A doctrine where both sides possess the capability to destroy each other, preventing conflict.

Example of an NGO

The Red Cross

Characteristic of realism

Absolute gains are more important than relative gains

Largest nation without a state

The Kurds

Sovereignty gives a state the power to do all of the following except for

Absolute power of attraction

Characteristic of a nation

Common values, culture

Key characteristic of a state

Sovereignty

Division used during the Cold War

East West

Characteristic of hard power

The power to coerce or command

Type of power South Korea holds more of

Soft Power

Definition of polarity

The distribution of power

Importance of absolute gains/losses

More important than relative

Country attacked by the US

Venezuela

Reason for the long peace not provided in lecture

Pax Britannica

Definition of transnational networks

Not as established as NGOs

Central concept of international relations

Sovereignty→ Anarchy→ Power

What the Pax Romana describes

A period of Relative Peace from 27BCE-180BCE under imperial rule

Treaty associated with the emergence of sovereignty

The peace of Westphalia, 1648

Illustration of the prisoners dilemma

How difficult cooperation is

Components of the strategic triad

Land, air, and sea

Most vulnerable component of the strategic triad

LAND

Least vulnerable component of the strategic triad

Sea

Current event in Gaza

Starvation in GAZA, Massive displacement, Israel is moving into Gaza

Current event in Nepal

Banning social media was the reason young people started protesting

Current event involving Israel

Israel bombing Qatar

What is deterrence?

A condition created when an aggressor's attack is prevented by threatening retaliation.

What is the necessary condition for deterrence?

Second-strike capability.

What is the sufficient condition for deterrence?

Willingness to use the second-strike capability.

What does MAD stand for?

Mutual Assured Destruction.