IB Global Politics SL Exam Review

Power

the ability to exert control and influence

Soft power

the ability to influence others through attraction, persuasion, and appeal of culture

Ex: K-Pop boosts South Korea's global appeal and influence through the widespread popularity of its culture

Hard power

a state’s ability to influence others through military force and economic coercion

Ex: the United States imposing trade sanctions on Iran to pressure them into changing their nuclear policies

Sharp power

the ability to influence other states from within using covert and deceptive means rather than military force

Ex: Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election, creating thousands of social media accounts to support Trump and oppose Clinton

Smart power

strategy that combines hard and soft power to achieve foreign policy goals with a balanced approach

Ex: The US supports Ukraine with sanctions and military aid (hard) while also providing diplomacy and cultural/educational partnerships (soft)

Multilateralism

multiple states working together on a given issue

Ex: Paris Agreement, where nearly all nations collectively committed to combating climate change

Unilateralism

one state working alone on a given issue

Ex: US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement (2017)

Treaty of Westphalia (1648)

A set of agreements ending the Thirty Years’ War and establishing state sovereignty and non-interference

Nation

People sharing a common identity, often through culture, language, history, and geography

Ex: Catalan (Spain)

State

A sovereign political entity with defined borders, a government, and international recognition

Ex: France

Nation-State

homogenous nation governed by its own state

Ex: Iceland, Japan

Multination state

A state containing multiple, well defined nations

Ex: China (Uyghurs, Tibetans)

Stateless nation

nation that does not fall into one state

Ex: Kurdistan

Sovereignty

the able to govern within a states territory without external influence

Peace

state of nonviolence, stability, and absence of armed conflict

Positive peace

absence of direct, cultural, and structural violence

Negative peace

absence of direct violence

Conflict

disputes or incompatible goals between actors

Latent conflict

when a disagreement exists but not enough to change the status quo

Overt conflict

when people openly disagree and choose to confront

Violence

use of physical force to achieve objectives

Direct violence

immediate actions of hurting someone

Structural/indirect violence

harm experienced due to systematic injustices

Ex: segregation

Cultural violence

Subtle discrimination embedded in cultural norms

Ex: Gender-coded language (assertive vs bossy)

Galtung

father of peace studies

Conflict triangle

Galtung argues that conflict has three components; Behavior (visible), Attitude (perceptions/emotions), and Contradiction (underlying conflict of interest)

Just War Theory

determines the morality of conflict by evaluating the justice of entering war (jus ad bellum), the conduct during war (jus in bello), and the terms of peace afterward (jus post bellum).

Proportionality

actions cannot exceed force necessary and must be proportional to the harm threatened or seeking to prevent

Geneva Convention

protects:

1) wounded and sick soldiers

2) wounded, sick, and shipwrecked soldiers

3) prisoners of war

4) civilians

Responsibility to Protect (R2P)

international community intervene if a state fails to protect its population from mass atrocities

Genocide

intentional, systematic destruction of a specific national, ethnic, racial, or religious group

Ex: the Holocaust during WWII

Human rights

indivisible rights that all humans are entitled to

Cultural relativism

principle that a person's beliefs and practices should be understood based on their own culture

Ex: In Japan, it is considered polite to slurp noodles as a sign of appreciation for the meal. In the United States, slurping is often viewed as impolite.

Liberty

principle of individual freedom

Positive liberty

freedom to act

Ex: education (the freedom to learn)

Negative liberty

freedom from interference

Ex: Freedom of speech (freedom from censorship)

Individual rights

inviolable entitlements that individuals possess

Ex: Freedom of speech, assembly, privacy

Collective rights

rights granted to a group

Ex: public education, social welfare, affirmative action

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

1948 UN document establishing fundamental rights and freedoms for all people worldwide

Convention on the Rights of the Child

UN legal framework defining children (under 18) as rights-holders

IGOs powers to address HR violations

• monitor state behavior

• sign and enforce international HR treaties

• use economic incentives to improve HR

• direct intervention

NGOs powers to address HR violations

• conduct research and create reports on HR violations

• lobby

• create public awareness campaigns

• provide direct humanitarian support (ex: Amnesty International, Doctors without Borders, Human Rights Watch)

International Criminal Court

permanent tribunal that prosecutes individuals for the most serious international crimes

Development

process of improving a region's living standards, economic growth, and social well-being

Sustainability

the goal of meeting the needs of the present without compromising those of the future 

17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

A collection of global goals aimed at addressing social, economic, and environmental challenges by 2030

Poverty

state or economic deprivation and lack of basic necessities 

Modernization Theory

all societies progress through similar stages of economic growth by adopting industrialization, technology, and Western-style institutions.