POSC 2501 Key Terms Class 9

End of History

A concept developed by Fukuyama. The belief that Western Liberal democracy represents the final stage of political development, though modern global politics continues to test that claim

Hegelian history

The idea that human history is a dialectical, progressive process toward greater freedom and self-consciousness, culminating in the realization od universal liberty in modern democratic societies

Neoconservatism

combines liberal democratic ideal with assertive foreign policy and moderate economic conservatism, arguing that US power should be used to defend and spread democracy around the world

Neoliberalism

A strand of liberal thought that originated primarily in political economy and migrated into a wide range of policy. Promotes free markets, globalization, and minimal state intervention as the engines of prosperity but has faced backlash for its social and economic consequence 

Neo-institutionalism

Liberalism places causal emphasis on institutions and often relies on game theory and highly rationalized depictions of state behavior, an application of microeconomic thinking to international relations 

Game theory

Rationalized models of strategic behavior

Washington Consensus

Represents the globalization and neoliberal turn in international economic policy, promoting free markets, fiscal austerity, and openness to trade and capital as the path to development.

Collective action problem

A problem in which all parties will benefit from a certain action, but the associated costs are such that no one will take that action alone, thus they must coordinate 

Prisoner’s dilemma

The Prisoner’s Dilemma is a game theory scenario that illustrates how rational actors may fail to cooperate, even when cooperation benefits both parties. Two prisoners must choose to either betray (defect) or stay silent (cooperate), but mutual distrust leads both to defect, resulting in worse outcomes for each. It illustrates how the pursuit of individual self-interest can undermine the collective good. In international relations, it helps explain why states struggle to cooperate on global issues like climate change or arms control.For each prisoner, their preference order is  DC > CC > DD > CD

Stag Hunt

Two hunters have a choice: hunt for a stag or hunt for a hare. While a hare can be caught alone, the stag can only be caught together, A stag has a bigger ‘payoff’ than a har. The hunters must either choose to ‘cooperate’ and hunt the stag or ‘defect’ and hunt the hare. If a hunter chooses to cooperate and hunt the stag but the other hunter defects and hunts a hare, he gets nothing. For each hunter, the preference order is CC > DC > DD > CD

chicken

Two cars drive at each other, the car which turns out of the way of the other car first loses. For each driver, the preference order is 1. the other driver chicjens out first. 2. they both chicken out. 3. they chicken out but the other driver doesnt. 4. neither chickens out and they crash

liberal international order

A global system built around economic openness, multilateral institutions, security cooperation, and democratic solidarity. According to Ikenberry, it os an open and rules-based order led by the US, which acts as the “first citizen” providing hegemonic leadership. The LIO promotes free trade, collective security, and international cooperation through institutions like the UN, IMF, and WTO. it is characterized as rules-based, open, multilateral, institutional, internationalist, cosmopolitan, progressive, democratic, pacific, and hegemonic

Atlantic Charter

A joint declaration between the US (Roosevelt) and the U.K. (Churchill) outlining Allied goals for the post-World War II world. It emphasized no territorial expansion, self-determination, and restoration of self-government to those deprived of it. The charter also called for free trade, economic and social cooperation, freedom of the seas, and disarmament of aggressor nations. It became the foundation for the later creation of the UN and the liberal international order

Hegemony

The condition of having a single preponderant power (hegemon) that can dominate all others. A situation in which the cultural, moral, and political values of elites gains acceptance by those of the lower classes, thereby perpetuating a system that is otherwise unjust (Gramscian hegemony)

Hegemonic Stability Theory

The theory that international orders are created, managed, and maintained by the leadership of hegemonic states. The hegemon provides public goods such as open trade, security, and stable financial systems because it benefits from global stability. This leadership helps enforce rules and reduce conflict among other states. The theory is often used to explain the US-led liberal international order after WWII

Regimes

Sets of implicit or explicit principles, norms, rules, and decision-aking procedures around which acotrs’ expectations converge in a specific issue area of international relations. They serve as institutions that organize and stabalize interactions among states, helping to create predicitability and order. WTO is a part of the global international trade regime