Key Terminology and Concepts in International Relations and Justice

These flashcards cover key terminologies and concepts related to international relations, migration, and justice systems, based on the lecture notes.

Anarchy

A system without a central authority in international relations, leading to self-interested behavior among states.

Borders

Geographic boundaries between nations that impact the control and movement of people, goods, and transnational crime.

Citizenship

Legal membership in a nation-state conferring rights and protections, including access to justice systems.

First-Generation Migrant

A person who has migrated from one country to another, facing various legal and social challenges.

Global Telecommunications

Worldwide communication systems that can facilitate legal cooperation and international crimes like cybercrime.

Globalization

The increasing interconnectedness of the world, enabling crime, migration, and justice systems to transcend borders.

Golden Crescent

A major opium-producing region affecting international drug trafficking and enforcement efforts.

Golden Triangle

Another significant opium-producing area linked to global drug markets and transnational crime.

Great Replacement Theory (Conspiracy)

A xenophobic belief justifying nativist and often violent anti-immigrant actions.

Human Rights

Universal protections and freedoms that can be violated in migration, detention, or criminal justice settings.

Illegal Migration

Movement across borders without legal authorization, often criminalized and linked to policy debates.

Interdependence

The mutual reliance among countries complicating responses to transnational crimes and justice issues.

Intergovernmental Organization (IGO)

Entities formed by states to address issues like crime, justice, and migration (e.g., INTERPOL, UNODC).

International Crime

Crimes that cross borders, including human trafficking, terrorism, and drug smuggling.

International Criminal Law

Legal frameworks governing crimes of global concern such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

International Justice

The pursuit of accountability for global crimes through mechanisms like the International Criminal Court (ICC).

International System

The global political structure shaping how justice is pursued across borders.

Legal Migration

Movement across borders that complies with immigration laws and often provides access to legal protections.

Liberal Institutionalism

A theory emphasizing international cooperation through institutions to manage crime and conflict.

Liberal Values

Principles like equality, rights, and due process underpinning justice systems in liberal democracies.

Liberalism

A political philosophy promoting individual freedoms and rule of law in national and international justice systems.

Migrant Offending

Involvement of migrants in crime, often overemphasized in public discourse despite low offending rates.

Migrant Stereotypes

Oversimplified and often negative beliefs about migrants influencing public policy and criminal justice outcomes.

Migrant Victimization

Vulnerability of migrants to crime, abuse, and exploitation, typically with limited access to justice.

Migration

Movement of people across borders, intersecting with criminal justice through laws and enforcement.

Migration-Crime Nexus

The complex relationship between migration and crime, often distorted by political agendas.

Multinational Corporation (MNC)

Large companies operating across borders implicated in labor exploitation and corporate crime.

Nation-State

A political entity with defined borders and laws, including criminal justice systems and immigration policies.

National Security

Protection of a state’s people and institutions, often justifying criminal laws around terrorism and migration.

Nativism

A belief favoring native-born citizens over immigrants, shaping punitive immigration and justice policies.

Non-governmental Organization (NGO)

Independent groups advocating for justice, human rights, and legal protections, especially for migrants.

Non-State Actor

Individuals or groups not affiliated with a government influencing justice issues, like cartels or terrorist groups.

Political Instability

Weak or failing governments creating environments where crime and human rights violations thrive.

Political Transition

Shifts in power leading to changes in criminal justice policy, legal structures, and human rights protections.

Power (State)

A nation’s ability to enforce laws, control borders, and influence international justice outcomes.

Rationality (of Nation-States)

The assumption that states act logically in their self-interest, shaping justice and security strategies.

Realism

A theory viewing states as power-seeking actors in an anarchic world, downplaying cooperation in criminal justice.

Regional Conflict

Disputes between nations or within regions leading to crime, migration, and humanitarian crises.

Relative Deprivation

A perception of inequality that can fuel crime, unrest, and extremist behavior.

Second/Third-Generation Migrant

Children or grandchildren of migrants, often facing discrimination or justice system bias.

Self-Help (international politics)

In an anarchic system, states rely on their own resources for justice and security rather than international support.

Sovereignty

A state’s authority to govern itself, including making and enforcing criminal laws.

State Actor

A government or representatives involved in law enforcement, security, or justice administration.

Technology and Globalization

Tools and trends facilitating global crime and improving international justice cooperation.

Afghanistan

A key site of conflict and human rights concerns, affecting international law, drug trafficking, and justice reform.

Soviet Union (USSR)

A former superpower central to Cold War-era international law and global justice tensions.

United States of America

A major global actor shaping international criminal justice norms, institutions, and enforcement.

Concert of Europe

A 19th-century diplomatic system laying the groundwork for modern international cooperation and conflict resolution.

Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948)

A treaty defining genocide and obligating states to prevent and punish it.

Fourteen Points (1918)

Woodrow Wilson’s post-WWI plan emphasizing peace, sovereignty, and international law.

Geneva Conventions/Geneva Law

A set of treaties defining humanitarian protections in war, applicable to civilians and prisoners.

Hague Conventions/Hague Law

Early international laws regulating warfare, forming the basis for modern war crime prosecutions.

Peace of Westphalia

The 1648 treaties establishing the modern system of nation-states and sovereignty, crucial to international law.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

A milestone UN document asserting fundamental human rights for all, shaping global justice norms.

Criminology of the Other

Describes how marginalized groups, especially migrants, are criminalized by dominant societies.

Thomas Hobbes

Political philosopher advocating strong state authority to prevent anarchy, influencing realist views.

Thucydides

Ancient historian whose analysis of war and power influences modern international relations and justice theory.

Woodrow Wilson

U.S. President advocating for self-determination and international peace through frameworks like the League of Nations.

Conflict Diamonds

Illegally traded diamonds financing armed conflict, raising international criminal and ethical concerns.

Crime against Humanity

Widespread or systematic attacks against civilians, prosecutable under international criminal law.

Drug Trafficking

A major transnational crime undermining security, development, and justice systems.

Firearms Trafficking

Illegal trade of weapons across borders, often linked to organized crime and violence.

Genocide

The intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, a core international crime.

Human Trafficking

The exploitation of people through coercion or deception, violating international human rights and law.

Money Laundering

Concealment of illegally obtained money, critical to transnational crime networks and international enforcement.

War Crime

Serious violations of the laws of war, such as targeting civilians or torture, prosecutable by international courts.

European Union

A regional body promoting legal harmonization, human rights, and cross-border justice cooperation.

International Court of Justice

The UN’s main judicial organ resolving disputes between states under international law.

International Criminal Court

A permanent court prosecuting individuals for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia

A UN court created to prosecute atrocities committed during the Balkan wars.

International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

A tribunal established to prosecute those responsible for the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.

League of Nations

The predecessor to the UN, failed to prevent WWII but pioneered early international cooperation efforts.

Nuremberg Tribunal/Trials

The first major international war crimes tribunal, establishing precedents for prosecuting crimes against humanity.

Tokyo Tribunal/Trials

The counterpart to the Nuremberg Trials for prosecuting Japanese war crimes after WWII.

UN General Assembly

A UN body where all member states have equal representation, shaping international justice norms.

UN Office of Drugs and Crime

A UN agency leading global efforts to combat drug trafficking, corruption, and organized crime.

UN Security Council

The UN body with the authority to mandate international criminal tribunals and peacekeeping operations.

United Nations

The primary international organization fostering global cooperation on peace, human rights, and justice.

Responsibility to Protect (R2P)

A global norm stating that states must protect populations from mass atrocities, with the international community acting if they fail.

Rwandan Genocide

A 1994 mass killing of Tutsis and moderate Hutus, leading to global reflection on international justice failures.

September 11, 2001 (attack)

A major terrorist attack transforming global security policy, surveillance laws, and anti-terror enforcement.

Srebrenica Massacre

The killing of over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys in 1995, ruled a genocide by international courts.

The Holocaust

The Nazi-led genocide of six million Jews, prompting the development of genocide law and human rights frameworks.

Colonel Oliver

A fictionalized version of a real UN peacekeeper in Hotel Rwanda, symbolizing limitations of international military response.

Dehumanization

A tactic justifying mass violence by stripping victims of human qualities (e.g., calling Tutsis ‘cockroaches’).

General Augustin Bizimungu

Head of the Rwandan army during the genocide, later convicted by the ICTR for war crimes.

Georges Rutaganda

A businessman convicted for his leadership role in the genocide as vice president of Interahamwe.

Hôtel des Mille Collines

A hotel in Kigali that became a refuge for over 1,200 people during the Rwandan genocide.

Hutu

The ethnic majority group in Rwanda, some of whom perpetrated the genocide against the Tutsi minority.

Interahamwe

A Hutu militia group responsible for mass killings during the genocide, incited by propaganda.

Jack Daglish

A fictional character in Hotel Rwanda representing foreign media that documented the genocide.

Paul Rusesabagina

Real-life hotel manager recognized for sheltering Tutsis and moderate Hutus during the genocide.

Radio

A propaganda tool used to incite violence during the genocide, notably by RTLM.

Red Cross (ICRC)

Provided humanitarian aid during the genocide, often in perilous conditions to protect civilians.

Rwanda

The East African country where the 1994 genocide occurred, resulting in numerous fatalities among Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

Tutsi

The ethnic minority in Rwanda who were the main targets of the 1994 genocide.

United Nations (Criticism)

The international body criticized for its ineffective intervention during the Rwandan Genocide despite prior warnings.