International Relations: Perspectives, Levels of Analysis, and Causal Reasoning

These vocabulary flashcards cover the major theories, concepts, and analytical tools presented in Chapter 1 on international relations perspectives, levels of analysis, and causal reasoning.

Realist Perspective

IR viewpoint focusing on conflict, power struggles, and war; treats sovereign states as the main actors operating in an anarchic system.

Security Dilemma

A situation in which one state’s efforts to increase its security make other states feel less secure, often leading to arms races.

Balance of Power

Realist concept that stability is maintained when military capabilities are distributed so that no single state is dominant.

Anarchy (in IR)

Absence of a central authority above states, compelling them to rely on self-help for security.

Alliances

Formal or informal agreements between states to cooperate militarily for mutual defense.

Polarity

The number of dominant power centers (poles) in the international system—unipolar, bipolar, or multipolar.

Prisoner’s Dilemma

Game-theory model illustrating how rational actors might not cooperate even when it is in their collective interest; interpreted differently by realist, liberal, and identity perspectives.

Liberal Perspective

IR viewpoint emphasizing cooperation, interdependence, diplomacy, and the role of international institutions.

Reciprocity

Liberal principle that states cooperate because beneficial actions are returned in kind over time.

Interdependence

Mutual dependence among states and societies through trade, finance, and information flows.

Nongovernmental Organization (NGO)

Private, voluntary association that works across borders to pursue political, economic, or social goals.

Civil Society

Web of nongovernmental associations through which people organize and express shared interests.

Transnational Relations

Interactions that cross state boundaries and involve at least one non-state actor.

Human Security

Concept focusing on individual well-being (e.g., health, freedom from violence) rather than solely state security.

Intergovernmental Organization (IGO)

Body composed of sovereign states that seeks to coordinate policies (e.g., UN, NATO).

International Regime

Set of implicit or explicit principles, norms, rules, and decision-making procedures around which actor expectations converge in a given issue area.

Path Dependence

The idea that once states choose a cooperative path, repeated interactions lock in that trajectory and make change harder.

International Law

Body of rules and norms regulating interactions among states and other international actors.

Multilateralism

Liberal practice of coordinating policy with multiple states simultaneously, often through institutions.

Identity Perspective

IR viewpoint stressing the role of ideas, norms, and identities in shaping state interests and behavior.

Constructivism

Theory arguing that international realities are socially constructed through shared ideas and interactions.

Logic of Appropriateness

Decision rule in which actors behave according to norms and identities—doing what is "right."

Logic of Consequences

Decision rule in which actors calculate costs and benefits to choose actions that maximize interests.

Relative Identities

How states define themselves in relation to others (friend, rival, neutral), influencing behavior.

Democratic Peace

Identity-based claim that democracies rarely, if ever, fight wars against other democracies.

Soft Power

Ability to shape the preferences of others through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion.

Feminism (in IR)

Approach critiquing male-dominance in international relations and highlighting gendered power structures.

Critical Theory

Broad school challenging existing power relations in IR and advocating transformative, often radical, change.

Marxism (in IR)

Critical theory focusing on class struggle, economic inequality, and the effects of global capitalism.

Postmodernism (in IR)

Critical approach that deconstructs dominant narratives and exposes marginalized voices in world politics.

Levels of Analysis

Framework locating causes at systemic, domestic, individual, or foreign-policy levels.

Systemic Level of Analysis

Examines how the structure of the international system (e.g., polarity, distribution of power) influences events.

Domestic Level of Analysis

Explores how internal characteristics of states—political, economic, or cultural—shape foreign policy.

Individual Level of Analysis

Attributes events to the beliefs, personalities, and actions of specific leaders or individuals.

Foreign Policy Level of Analysis

Focuses on how governmental processes and bureaucratic politics produce external actions.

Causal Arrows

Analytic tool indicating the direction of cause-and-effect relationships used to form hypotheses in IR.