power in the international system

hard power

a state’s exploitation of various sources of power to coerce other states into adopting actions in its interest

soft power

a state’s attempt to persuade other actors to do things it wants based on the legitimacy of its own actions, views, or policies

smart power

using a combination of the hard power of coercion and the soft power of persuasion and attraction

natural power potential

power potential derived from existing environmental aspects a region such as natural resources and population

tangible power potential

power potential derived from physical aspects of a region such as industrial development and the level of infrastructure

intangible power potential

power potential derived from human aspects of a region such as public support and quality of leadership

engagement

a tool of economic statecraft which seeks to positively influence State B through rewarding it for doing something in State A’s interest (carrot approach)

sanctions

a tool of economic statecraft which punish State B for not acting in State A’s interest (stick approach)

ethnonational movement

a movement for increased independence and sovereignty of a certain nation/ethnic group from a certain state

fragile state

a state which suffers from an inability to exercise a monopoly on the legitimate use of force within their territory, to make collective decisions because of the erosion of legitimate authority, to interact with other states in the international system, and/or to provide public services

fragile states index

a publicly available tool used to measure the fragility of given states around the world

democratic peace theory

peace theory which posits that democracies rarely (if ever) go to war with other democracies

commercial peace theory

peace theory which posits that states that are more interdependent, particularly through trade and investment, are less likely to go to war

international law

a body of rules and norms regulating interactions among states, between states and IGOs, and, in more limited cases, among IGOs, states, and individuals

customs

major source of international law; traditional and widely accepted ways of behaving or doing something that are specific to particular cultures

treaties

major source of international law; formally concluded and ratified agreements between two or more countries

international organizations/IGOs

international groups which serve to encourage cooperation between states to more efficiently and effectively solve internationally shared issues

traditional peacekeeping

the UN’s original approach to peacekeeping, consisting largely of containing international warfare through the use of an outside military force

complex peacekeeping/multidimensional peacekeeping

responses to a wider range of international conflicts, primarily addressing civil wars and ethnonationalist conflicts

peacebuilding

working to maintain law and order in failing or disintegrating societies by aiding in civil administration, policing, and rehabilitating infrastructure

international humanitarian law

"common sense" human rights law formed to protect such rights globally, most notably in the aftermath of World War II and other genocides/human rights abuses which took place in the late 20th century