Poli Sci 265: Exam 1

Mercantilism

a system by which imperial governments used military power to enrich themselves & their supporters, which then enriched military power

Peace of Westphalia

stabilized the borders of the belligerents & attempted to resolve some of the religious conflicts that had complicated their relations

Hegemony

the predominance of one-nation-state over others

Concert of Europe

a system under which the major powers consulted one another on important diplomatic affairs

Pax Britannica

if one country was too strong Britain would ally with the opponent

Corn Laws

taxes on imported grain

Gold Standard

organized monetary relations. Going “on gold” meant it promised to exchange its currency for gold at a pre-established rate. Investment, lending, payments, & immigration increase

Treaty of Versailles

very harsh, punished Germany as the aggressor and therefore reparations and debt crippled the German economy

Lead up to WWII

instability and military buildup, as well as Germany invading Poland to start the war

Interests

what actors want to achieve through political action

Interactions

combinations of choices by two or more actors that produce political outcomes

Institutions

set of rules that structure interactions

Triangular Trade

North American raw materials → European Manufactured goods → African Slaves → to South America and North Americaa

Principle of Sovereignty

expectation that states have legal and political supremacy or ulitimate authority within their territorial boundaries

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

brought together most of Western Europe in a collective military institution united against the Soviet Union & its allies

Bretton Woods System

included institutions intended to encourage the freer movement of goods & capital around the world

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

restored and reformed gold-dollar standard

Warsaw Pact

created a military alliance with its European allies

NAFTA

removed many economic barriers for USA, Canada, & Mexico

Bretton Woods Institutions

IMF, international Bank for Reconstruction and Development aka World Bank, GAFT, Marshall Plan

Marshall Plan

US helping Europe build back

Proxy Wars

Pro-Soviet vs Pro-US forces (ex. Korean war, Vietnam War, Africa and Central America

Nationalism

drives actors to prioritize the interest of one’s nation which is defined by common origin, ethnicity, language, or cultural ties

Actors

the basic unit for the analysis of international politics, they can be individuals or groups of people with common interests

State

a central authority that has the ability to make & enforce laws, rules, & decisions within a specified territory

National Intersts

interests attributed to the states themselves-usually security and power

Cooperation

an interaction in which two or more actors adopt policies that make at least one actor better off relative to the status quo without making others worse off

Bargaining

an interaction in which2 or more actors must decide to distribute something of value, characterized by distributional conflict

Coordination

A type of cooperative interaction in which actors gain from working together but nonetheless have incentives not to comply with any agreement

Public Goods

products that are non-excludable & non-rival in consumption

Collective Action Problems

obstacles to cooperation that occur when actors have incentives

Numbers

the more actors, the more difficult it is to compromise

Iteration

repeated interactions with the same partners

Linkage

the linking of cooperation on one issue to interactions on a second issue

Power

ability of actor A to get actor B to do something that Actor B would otherwise not do

Reversion Outcome

the outcome that occurs when no bargain is achieved

Coercion

a strategy of imposing or threatening to impose cost on other actors to induce a change

Outside Options

the alternatives to bargaining with a specific actor

War for territory

Most common cause of conflict. Used to gain natural resources, military or strategic importance, or ethnic, cultural or historical significance

War for composition of state governments

war as a mechanism to change regimes

Compellance

A tried to get B to do something to change the status quo-under the threat of force

Deterrence

A tries to prevent B from doing something—to maintain the status quo. This preserves the status quo under threat of unacceptable costs.

Capabilities

factors that determine the state’s physical ability to prevail in war

Resolve

a state’s willingness to bear the costs of fighting & how much the state values the object of dispute relative to those costs

Bargaining over the future

bargaining now for goods that are a source of future bargaining power (ex. negotiating on nuclear proliferation with North Korea & Iran)

Power shift

even if states agree to a deal in the bargaining range now, the rising power may be tempted to use its power to revise the deal later)

Preventative War

a war that is fought in response to first-strike advantages and imminent fear of attack

Preemptive War

war in response to first-strike advantages & imminent fear of attack

War from Indivisibility

can be difficult to resolve as both sides want something that cannot easily be divided or shared

Realism

war is the inevitable result of international anarchy

Absence of Central Authority

wars can happen because there is nothing to stop states from using force to get their way

Anarchy

creates insecurity and motivates states to compete for power

Problem of War

problem of abrgaining over objects or issues that are of value to more than one state

Rally Effect

a boost in public support that occurs when a state experiences domestic international events (ex. Bush after 9/11)

The military

most important bureaucratic actor in decisions about war. The military also has the best information about capabilities and resolve

Collective Action

smaller groups tend to be better organized and thus more influential. Larger groups suffer from free riding and groups may shape policy to support their narrow interests

Democracy

a political system in which candidates compete for political office through frequent, fair elections in which sizable portion of the adult population can vote