Peace Midterm

Define/identify the ICC and explain its significance.

The ICC is the International Criminal Court, a permanent court in The Hague that prosecutes individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression. It is significant because it creates global legal accountability for leaders and individuals, though some states, including the U.S., have resisted it over fears of political prosecutions of their soldiers or officials.

Define/identify the Cuban Missile Crisis and explain its significance.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was the 1962 13-day standoff between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over Soviet nuclear missiles placed in Cuba. It is significant because it was the closest the world came to nuclear war and led to greater awareness of deterrence, arms control, and direct communication between superpowers.

Define/identify BRICS and explain its significance.

BRICS is a grouping of major emerging economies—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—that cooperates on economic and political issues. It is significant because it challenges Western-dominated institutions such as the G7 and IMF and represents a shift toward a more multipolar global order.

Define neoliberalism and explain its significance.

Neoliberalism is an economic and political ideology that emphasizes free markets, deregulation, privatization, and a reduced role for the state. It is significant because it has dominated global policy since the 1980s, and critics argue it increases inequality, weakens social safety nets, and can contribute to conflict by worsening poverty and resource competition.

Define just war theory and explain its significance.

Just war theory is a moral and legal tradition that sets conditions for when war can be justified (jus ad bellum) and how it must be fought (jus in bello). It is significant because it places limits on violence, protects noncombatants through principles such as distinction and proportionality, and provides a framework for debating the ethics of war.

Define/identify the Nuremberg Principles and explain their significance.

The Nuremberg Principles are guidelines developed after the Nuremberg Trials establishing that individuals are responsible for international crimes such as crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. They are significant because they established that “following orders” is not a defense and that even heads of state can be held accountable under international law.

Define/identify the Pentagon Papers and explain their significance.

The Pentagon Papers were a classified Department of Defense report on U.S. involvement in Vietnam, leaked by Daniel Ellsberg in 1971. They are significant because they revealed that the U.S. government had lied to the public about the war and became a landmark case for press freedom and government accountability.

Define groupthink and explain its significance.

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon in which a group makes faulty decisions because the desire for harmony and conformity suppresses critical evaluation and dissent. It is significant because it helps explain foreign-policy disasters such as the Bay of Pigs invasion and shows why smart groups can make terrible collective decisions.

Define the military-industrial complex and explain its significance.

The military-industrial complex is the powerful relationship among the military, the defense industry, and political leaders, a term made famous by President Eisenhower. It is significant because defense contractors profit from military spending and can influence policy, helping create a perpetual war economy and excessive militarism.

Define deterrence and explain its significance.

Deterrence is a strategy in which a state builds military power, especially nuclear weapons, to prevent attack by threatening unacceptable retaliation. It is significant because it was a cornerstone of Cold War strategy and Mutually Assured Destruction, but it creates only an unstable peace based on fear of annihilation.

What does Chomsky mean by existential threats, how are they related, and why are they unaddressed?

Chomsky means that nuclear war and climate change are existential threats—dangers that could destroy human civilization or the human species. They are related because both are human-made and rooted in the same political-economic system that prioritizes elite profit and short-term growth over long-term survival; the military-industrial complex and fossil-fuel interests block solutions, and climate disruption can increase resource scarcity and conflict while nuclear war could cause catastrophic nuclear winter. They remain largely unaddressed because powerful corporate and military interests profit from the status quo, media and political propaganda distract the public and manufacture consent, institutions are slow and resistant to change, and many people become fatalistic rather than politically active.