Causes of War and Foreign Policy

A collection of vocabulary flashcards based on the lecture notes regarding the causes of war, foreign policy decision-making, and the development of military technologies.

Balance of Power

A situation in international relations where power is distributed among several states to prevent any one state from becoming too powerful.

Kaiser Wilhelm II

The German Emperor whose leadership marked significant changes in diplomacy and a failure to manage alliances.

Schlieffen Plan

A German military strategy designed to quickly defeat France before turning to fight Russia, emphasizing rapid mobilization through Belgium.

Cult of the Offensive

Military doctrine prioritizing offensive strategies over defensive strategies in warfare.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

A doctrine of military strategy that ensures both sides in a conflict possess the capability to destroy each other in retaliation, discouraging nuclear war.

Nuclear Deterrence

The use of the threat of nuclear weapons to prevent an enemy from taking hostile action.

Chemical Weapons Convention

An international treaty prohibiting the development, production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their precursors.

B-29 Bomber

A massive U.S. bomber used during World War II, notably in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Individual Decision-Making

In foreign policy, the concept that individual leaders' perceptions, beliefs, and experiences shape their decisions.

Nuclear Proliferation

The spread of nuclear weapons and technology to states not recognized as Nuclear Weapon States by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

Hegemonic War

A conflict that aims to change the global or systemic control through the defeat of the enemy.

Terrorism

Violent acts committed by non-state actors intended to provoke fear, commonly targeting civilians to achieve political goals.

Cold War

A prolonged period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States characterized by a nuclear arms race and ideological conflict.

The Mood of 1914

A concept highlighting the prevailing attitudes and sentiments that contributed to the outbreak of World War I.

Biological Weapons Convention

An international treaty prohibiting biological and toxin weapons, focusing on the prevention of their use.

Decision-Making Models

Frameworks explaining how decisions are made in foreign policy, including Rational Model, Bureaucratic Politics, and Organizational Process Models.

Cognitive Bias

Psychological factors affecting decision-making processes, such as wishful thinking and historical analogies.

Nuclear Deterrence

The use of the threat of nuclear weapons to prevent an enemy from taking hostile action.

I ndividual Decision-Making

In foreign policy, the concept that individual leaders' perceptions, beliefs, and experiences shape their decisions.

Nuclear Proliferation

The spread of nuclear weapons and technology to states not recognized as Nuclear Weapon States by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

Hegemonic War

A conflict that aims to change the global or systemic control through the defeat of the enemy.

Terrorism

Violent acts committed by non-state actors intended to provoke fear, commonly targeting civilians to achieve political goals.

Cold War

A prolonged period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States characterized by a nuclear arms race and ideological conflict.

The Mood of 1914

A concept highlighting the prevailing attitudes and sentiments that contributed to the outbreak of World War I.

Biological Weapons Convention

An international treaty prohibiting biological and toxin weapons, focusing on the prevention of their use.

Decision-Making Models

Frameworks explaining how decisions are made in foreign policy, including Rational Model, Bureaucratic Politics, and Organizational Process Models.

Cognitive Bias

Psychological factors affecting decision-making processes, such as wishful thinking and historical analogies.

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The event in Sarajevo in 1914 that served as the immediate trigger for the outbreak of World War I.

Triple Alliance

A pre-World War I military alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, formed in 1882.

Triple Entente

A pre-World War I informal understanding among Great Britain, France, and Russia, concluded by 1907.

Trench Warfare

A form of land warfare characteristic of World War I, where opposing armies fight from systems of fortified ditches.

Containment

A United States foreign policy strategy during the Cold War to prevent the spread of communism abroad.

Proxy Wars

Conflicts during the Cold War where superpowers supported opposing sides without directly engaging each other.

Rational Actor Model

A decision-making model assuming foreign policy choices are made by a unitary actor who rationally calculates costs and benefits to maximize utility.

Bureaucratic Politics Model

A decision-making model where foreign policy outcomes result from bargaining and competition among different government agencies and officials.

Organizational Process Model

A decision-making model suggesting that policy choices are outputs of large organizations functioning according to standard operating procedures.

Balance of Power

A situation in international relations where power is distributed among several states to prevent any one state from becoming too powerful.

Kaiser Wilhelm II

The German Emperor whose leadership marked significant changes in diplomacy and a failure to manage alliances.

Schlieffen Plan

A German military strategy designed to quickly defeat France before turning to fight Russia, emphasizing rapid mobilization through Belgium.

Cult of the Offensive

Military doctrine prioritizing offensive strategies over defensive strategies in warfare.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

A doctrine of military strategy that ensures both sides in a conflict possess the capability to destroy each other in retaliation, discouraging nuclear war.

Nuclear Deterrence

The use of the threat of nuclear weapons to prevent an enemy from taking hostile action.

Chemical Weapons Convention

An international treaty prohibiting the development, production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their precursors.

B-29 Bomber

A massive U.S. bomber used during World War II, notably in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Individual Decision-Making

In foreign policy, the concept that individual leaders' perceptions, beliefs, and experiences shape their decisions.

Nuclear Proliferation

The spread of nuclear weapons and technology to states not recognized as Nuclear Weapon States by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

Hegemonic War

A conflict that aims to change the global or systemic control through the defeat of the enemy.

Terrorism

Violent acts committed by non-state actors intended to provoke fear, commonly targeting civilians to achieve political goals.

Cold War

A prolonged period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States characterized by a nuclear arms race and ideological conflict.

The Mood of 1914

A concept highlighting the prevailing attitudes and sentiments that contributed to the outbreak of World War I.

Biological Weapons Convention

An international treaty prohibiting biological and toxin weapons, focusing on the prevention of their use.

Decision-Making Models

Frameworks explaining how decisions are made in foreign policy, including Rational Model, Bureaucratic Politics, and Organizational Process Models.

Cognitive Bias

Psychological factors affecting decision-making processes, such as wishful thinking and historical analogies.

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

The event in Sarajevo in 1914 that served as the immediate trigger for the outbreak of World War I.

Triple Alliance

A pre-World War I military alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, formed in 1882.

Triple Entente

A pre-World War I informal understanding among Great Britain, France, and Russia, concluded by 1907.

Trench Warfare

A form of land warfare characteristic of World War I, where opposing armies fight from systems of fortified ditches.

Containment

A United States foreign policy strategy during the Cold War to prevent the spread of communism abroad.

Proxy Wars

Conflicts during the Cold War where superpowers supported opposing sides without directly engaging each other.

Rational Actor Model

A decision-making model assuming foreign policy choices are made by a unitary actor who rationally calculates costs and benefits to maximize utility.

Bureaucratic Politics Model

A decision-making model where foreign policy outcomes result from bargaining and competition among different government agencies and officials.