Terms and Definitions Poli Sci

Interests

the goals actors want to achieve

Actors

individuals or groups involved in international politics

State

a political organization that governs a population and territory

Sovereignty

a state's authority to govern itself without outside interference

Anarchy

the absence of a central government above states

National interests

goals a country pursues to benefit itself

Interactions

ways actors influence one another's decisions

Cooperation

when actors work together for mutual benefit

Bargaining

negotiating to reach an agreement

Coordination

when actors agree on compatible actions to achieve a shared benefit

Collaboration

when actors work together despite incentives to cheat

Public goods

benefits that are non-excludable and non-rivalrous

Collective action problem

when everyone benefits from cooperation but individuals have incentives not to contribute

Free riding

benefiting from something without contributing

Iteration

repeated interactions between actors that encourage cooperation

Linkage

connecting different issues during negotiations

Power

the ability to influence another actor's behavior

Coercion

using threats or punishment to change another actor's behavior

Outside option

what an actor can do if negotiations fail

Agenda setting

controlling which issues are discussed or considered

Institutions

rules and organizations that structure interactions between actors

Interstate war

armed conflict between two or more states

Civil war

armed conflict within a country between the government and organized challengers or among organized groups

Security dilemma

when one country's attempts to increase its security make another country feel threatened

Crisis bargaining

negotiations between countries under the threat of war

Coercive diplomacy

using threats or limited force to influence another country's behavior

Bargaining range

the set of agreements both sides prefer over fighting

Compellence

threatening force to make another actor change its current behavior

Deterrence

threatening punishment to prevent an action

Incomplete information

when actors lack important information about another actor's strength or intentions

Resolve

how willing an actor is to endure costs to achieve its goals

Credibility

whether a threat or promise is believable

Brinkmanship

deliberately increasing the risk of war to pressure an opponent

Audience costs

political consequences leaders may face for backing down from public threats

Preventive war

attacking now to stop another country from becoming more powerful in the future

First-strike advantage

when attacking first provides a significant military benefit

Preemptive war

attacking because an enemy attack is believed to be imminent

Indivisible good

something actors believe cannot be divided or shared

Nationalism

strong loyalty and identification with one's nation

Bureaucracy

government agencies and officials that implement policies

Interest groups

organized groups that try to influence government policy

Rally effect

a temporary increase in public support for a leader during a national crisis

Diversionary incentive

when leaders have reasons to create or escalate foreign conflicts to distract from domestic problems

Military-industrial complex

relationships between the military

Democratic peace

the observation that established democracies rarely fight wars against each other

Democracy

a political system where citizens can select and replace leaders through meaningful elections

Autocracy

a political system where power is concentrated in one leader or a small group with limited public accountability

Accountability

the ability to hold leaders responsible for their decisions

Alliances

agreements between states to cooperate on security and defense

Balance of power

when states counter the power of stronger countries to prevent domination

Bandwagoning

when a weaker state aligns with a stronger or threatening state rather than opposing it

Entrapment

when a country risks being drawn into a conflict because of its alliance commitments

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

a collective defense alliance founded in 1949 whose members agree to assist one another against armed attacks

Warsaw Pact

a Soviet-led military alliance formed in 1955 to counter NATO

League of Nations

an international organization created after WWI to maintain peace that ultimately failed to prevent WWII

United Nations (UN)

an international organization founded in 1945 to promote peace and cooperation

Collective security organizations

institutions where members agree to respond collectively to threats to peace

Genocide

acts committed with the intent to destroy all or part of a national

Humanitarian interventions

military actions in another country intended to protect people from severe suffering or atrocities

UN Security Council (UNSC)

the UN body primarily responsible for maintaining international peace and security

Permanent Five (P5)

the five permanent Security Council members consisting of the United States

Veto power

the ability of a permanent Security Council member to block a substantive resolution

Peace-enforcement operation

using military force to restore or impose peace even without the parties' consent

Peacekeeping operation

deploying international personnel to help maintain peace

Civil war

organized armed conflict within a state involving the government and rebel groups or competing organized groups

Terrorism

the use or threat of violence

Asymmetrical warfare

conflict between actors with unequal military capabilities who often use different strategies

Separatist

a group seeking independence from an existing state

Irredentist

a movement seeking to unite territory with another state based on shared national or ethnic identity

Proxy wars

conflicts where outside countries support local actors to advance their interests

Insurgency

an organized rebellion against an established government

Extremists

actors with political goals far from those of other participants in a conflict who may reject compromise

Coercion

using threats or violence to force an actor to change its behavior

Provocation

using violence to trigger an extreme government response that increases support for the attackers

Spoiling

using violence to undermine peace negotiations or agreements

Outbidding

using violence to demonstrate greater commitment or strength than rival groups

International law

rules governing relationships between states and other international actors

Customary international law

rules developed through widespread state practice accepted as legally required

Primary rules

laws defining what actors are required or prohibited from doing

Secondary rules

laws explaining how other rules are created

Obligation

how legally binding an international rule is

Precision

how clearly a rule defines required or prohibited behavior

Delegation

giving authority to a third party to interpret or enforce rules

Norms

shared expectations about appropriate behavior

Norm entrepreneurs

individuals or groups who promote new standards of behavior

Transnational advocacy network (TAN)

organizations and activists across countries working together to influence policy

Norms life cycle

the process through which norms emerge

Private authority

when nongovernmental actors establish rules or standards that influence behavior

Boomerang model

when domestic activists seek international allies to pressure their own government

Human rights

basic rights and freedoms that belong to all people

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

a UN declaration adopted in 1948 establishing common human rights standards

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

a binding treaty protecting civil and political rights

International Covenant on Economic

Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)

International Bill of Rights

the collective name for the UDHR

Nonderogable rights

rights that cannot be suspended even during national emergencies

Prisoners of conscience

people imprisoned solely because of their peacefully held beliefs

Individual petition

a process allowing individuals to submit human rights complaints to an international body when the legal requirements are met

International Criminal Court (ICC)

an international court that prosecutes individuals for genocide