Key Concepts in International Relations and Human Rights

Anarchic System of States

The fact that there is no power above the state in the international set of nation states. Every state is equal to every other state.

Peace of Westphalia

Peace in Europe that was achieved at the end of the 30 years war. Defined the terms of the Nation state and highlighted Sovereignty.

Sovereignty

A country has authority within its recognized territory to do what it wants to. Control over one's territory and the people within it.

State

A political entity defined by recognized boundaries that is ruled by a government.

Nation

A cultural entity, a group of people who feel that they have a shared sense of identity.

Nation-state

Increase economic trade, economic growth, and resolve conflict.

Nationalism

A set of connections to one's nation that can be extended to one's nation or state.

Liberalism

Suggest the ability of countries to work cooperatively to address issues of common concern. Used to reference liberty and values, ex. Freedom of religion, speech, etc.

Idealism

Cooperate to resolve conflict and common problems.

Realism

Countries pursue their own interests, may align with others if their values are the same.

Woodrow Wilson

Proposed the league of Nations.

Principle of national self-determination

Groups of people who see themselves as their own group to create their own country.

League of Nations

International body of Nations of countries of the world.

Balance of Power

The idea that countries have formed temporary alliances to balance the growing power of a country in their vicinity.

Bipolarity

The nature of the world after WWII, two major powers U.S. and its allies and the Soviet union and its allies.

Cold War

Proxy wars, wars in which one side would support one side and the other would support the other.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty organization, agreement between countries of western Europe, organization of mutual defense/ protection.

Warsaw Pact

Soviet union organized, countries influenced and dominated by the soviet union in eastern and central europe.

Cuban Missile Crisis

When the soviet union attempted to place missiles in cuba and the U.S. created a naval blockade that created a conflict and created a period of tension.

Bay of Pigs

An effort by the U.S. government to invade Cuba to retake the island, it failed.

Containment

Limit the expansion of soviet influence in the world.

Detente

The attempt to re-establish the relations between the soviet union and the U.S., led to a variety of arms agreements to limit weapons.

Proxy Wars

Proxy wars, wars in which one side would support one side and the other would support the other.

Multipolarity

Post-cold war world.

Demise of the nation-state

The erosion of sovereignty that occurs during the age of globalization. When a number of organizations undermine the authority of the nation-state. Argued that the nation-state has been weakened.

Intergovernmental Organization (IGO)

Organizations which are made up of nation-states countries that operate collectively to address issues of common concern.

Supranational entities

Organizations or unions where multiple countries work together and agree to follow common rules or policies. Examples include the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN).

International law

Rulings that courts have made in relation to controversies.

Complex interdependence

The international connectedness different organizations and states share.

European Union

The coal and steel community that later developed into the European Union.

United Nations

An international organization where countries work together to promote peace, security, and cooperation worldwide.

General Assembly

The main meeting group of the United Nations where all member countries discuss and vote on global issues.

Security Council

The Security Council is a part of the United Nations responsible for maintaining international peace and security. It has 15 members, including 5 permanent ones with veto power.

5 permanent members of Security Council

The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China.

Secretariat

The main administrative body of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres.

ECOSOC

Economic and Social Council: Collects data provides a warehouse of knowledge about economic and social issues. Oversees other organizations.

UNESCO

UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization: Deals with cultural exchanges and identifies important cultural identities.

UNICEF

UN International Children's Emergency Fund: Deals with children in crisis.

WHO

World Health Organization: Deals with epidemics and pandemics and works with health organizations.

International Court of Justice (ICJ)

A special court in which a country brings a case against another country. Both countries agree that they will abide by the ruling that this court brings.

International Criminal Court (ICC)

Deals with crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide, human rights violations. Individuals are tried in the international court.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Weapons that can kill large numbers of people all at once and/or destroy a lot of property all at once.

Biological, Chemical, and Nuclear Weapons

Biological weapons are made up of viruses or bacteria, chemical weapons are made up of chemicals like mustard gas or chlorine gas, nuclear weapons like bombs, radiological.

Deterrence

To prevent your potential enemy from launching a strike against you, you come back with something even bigger to stop them from initiating something against you.

Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)

A military strategy where two opposing sides have nuclear weapons, preventing war because both would face total destruction.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) 1968

An agreement to attempt to limit the nuclear club to the 5 countries that it was in 1968: China, US, France, Soviet Union.

Manhattan Project

The United States military project to develop bombs.

Hiroshima, Nagasaki

Japanese cities where the U.S. dropped atomic bombs in August 1945 during World War II, leading to Japan's surrender.

Fission bomb

A bomb that uses the splitting of large atoms (like uranium or plutonium) to release a huge amount of energy.

Fusion bomb

A bomb that uses the merging of small atoms (like hydrogen) to release an even larger amount of energy, often referred to as a hydrogen bomb.

Nuclear Club

U.S., Soviet Union (Russia), Great Britain, France, China: Created to monitor nuclear weapons and nuclear power, to make sure nuclear weapons were not being generated.

IAEA

International Atomic Energy Agency, established in 1957, promotes peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

A treaty signed in 1996 by most countries in the world that prohibits nuclear weapons testing.

Dirty Bomb

A bomb that has radioactive material that does not create a nuclear explosion but just creates radiation.

Non-signatories to NPT

Countries like Israel, Pakistan, and India that possess nuclear weapons but did not sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Proliferation concerns

Countries like Iran, North Korea, and Syria that raise concerns about the spread of nuclear weapons.

Reasons for acquiring nuclear weapons

To establish a good defense and demonstrate power and knowledge in the field.

Abandoning nuclear weapons programs

Involves using diplomacy, security assurances, economic incentives, and international pressure.

Terrorism

The use of violence against non-combatants to achieve a political goal.

Goals of terrorists

To achieve human rights violations.

Financing terrorism

Through illicit activities like drug trafficking, smuggling, extortion, kidnapping for ransom, donations, and state sponsorship.

Costs of terrorism

Loss of life, physical and emotional harm to victims, destruction of infrastructure, economic disruptions, increased security expenses, and long-term psychological and societal impacts.

Factors leading to terrorism

Political oppression, social injustice, economic inequality, religious or ideological extremism, foreign intervention, and marginalization.

Jacobin Reign of Terror

A period during the French Revolution from 1792 to 1794 marked by extreme violence and political repression.

Asymmetrical power

A situation where one entity is much smaller than the other but uses violence and disguise to achieve political goals.

Osama bin Laden

The founder of the militant Islamist group al-Qaeda, responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

Domestic terrorism

Terrorism committed by individuals or groups within their own country, typically motivated by political, social, or ideological goals.

Example of domestic terrorism

The Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

Nationalist terrorism

Terrorism motivated by the desire for independence or autonomy for a particular group, often based on ethnicity, culture, or religion.

Example of nationalist terrorism

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Northern Ireland.

Religious terrorism

Terrorism motivated by religious beliefs, aiming to enforce or spread religious ideology.

Example of religious terrorism

Al-Qaeda and ISIS.

Narco-terrorism

Terrorism conducted by drug cartels or organizations involved in the drug trade, using violence to protect or expand illegal operations.

Example of narco-terrorism

Colombian drug cartels and their influence in the 1980s and 1990s.

State terrorism

Terrorism carried out or supported by a government to control or intimidate its population or achieve political objectives.

Example of state terrorism

The actions of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq or the Stalinist purges in the Soviet Union.

USA Patriot Act

passed in 2001 after the September 11 attacks, aimed to enhance national security by expanding the government's surveillance and law enforcement powers.

Counterterrorism

the practices, strategies, and actions taken by governments, organizations, and individuals to prevent, combat, and respond to terrorism.

White Supremacists

Individuals or groups that believe in the superiority of the white race and advocate for policies that promote racial segregation, discrimination, and violence against non-white people.

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)

group that fought against the Colombian government for decades, using violence and criminal activities like drug trafficking to fund their cause. They signed a peace deal in 2016, ending the armed conflict.

State Sponsors of terrorism

countries identified by the US State Department as supporting terrorism, including Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Syria.

Department of Homeland Security

a department created to coordinate national efforts to protect the United States from threats and manage responses to disasters.

ISIS

Islamic state that sought to create a unified Islamic state in North Africa and the Middle East.

Cylinder of Cyrus

An ancient Persian artifact that is considered one of the first declarations of human rights, issued by King Cyrus the Great in 539 BCE, emphasizing religious freedom and the dignity of all people.

Code of Hammurabi

A set of ancient Babylonian laws, established by King Hammurabi around 1754 BCE, which is one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes.

Magna Carta

A 1215 document that limited the power of the English king and established certain legal rights for citizens, such as protection from unlawful imprisonment.

Natural law

A theory in philosophy that suggests that there are inherent laws and moral principles that exist in nature, and humans can use reason to discover them.

Natural Rights

Fundamental rights inherent to all humans, such as life, liberty, and property, that are not granted by the government but are based on natural law.

US Declaration of Independence

A 1776 document declaring the American colonies' independence from Britain, emphasizing the natural rights of individuals, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Declaration of the Rights of Man

A 1789 French document that proclaimed the rights of individuals, asserting freedom, equality, and fraternity as basic principles for all citizens.

US Constitution

The foundational document of the United States, ratified in 1787, establishing the framework of government and defining the rights and freedoms of citizens.

Civil Rights

Rights that protect individuals' freedoms and equality under the law, such as freedom of speech, voting rights, and protection from discrimination.

Political Rights

Rights that allow individuals to participate in political processes, such as the right to vote, run for office, and freely express political views.

Social Rights

Rights related to basic living conditions and social services, such as the right to education, healthcare, and housing.

Economic Rights

Rights related to the ability to work, earn a living, own property, and engage in economic activities without unfair restrictions.

Inalienable

You possess this right, it is not given to you by a state, you obtain it just by being human.

Legal rights

Rights granted and protected by law, such as the right to a fair trial or the right to own property.

UN Declaration of Human Rights

A 1948 international document adopted by the United Nations that outlines the fundamental human rights that should be protected for all people, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or religion.