Key Concepts to Review

Realism

• Focuses on power and national interest as the main drivers of state behavior.

• Views the international system as anarchic (no central authority).

• States act in self-help, prioritizing survival.

 Liberalism

• Emphasizes cooperation, institutions, and interdependence among states.

• Believes in absolute gains (everyone can benefit).

• Promotes democracy, free trade, and international law.

Constructivism

• Focuses on ideas, norms, identity, and culture shaping state behavior.

• Believes that the international system is socially constructed, not fixed.

Self-help

• In an anarchic world, states rely on themselves for security.

Power

• The ability of a state to influence others or control outcomes.

Classical Realism

• Human nature is the root cause of conflict and power struggles (e.g., Morgenthau).

 Neo-Realism (Structural Realism)

• Structure of the international system (anarchy) causes conflict, not human nature (e.g., Waltz).

Offensive Realism

• States seek maximum power and dominance (Mearsheimer).

Defensive Realism

States seek enough power to maintain security, not domination (Waltz).

 Balance of Power

• Stability achieved when power is evenly distributed among major states.

Alliance

• Agreement between states for mutual security or defense (e.g., NATO).

 Polarity

Distribution of power:
Unipolar: One dominant state

Bipolar: Two major powers (Cold War)

Multipolar: Several great powers (pre-WWI)

Power Transition

• Conflict likely when a rising power challenges a dominant one.

 Security Dilemma

One state's efforts to increase security make others feel less secure, causing arms races.

Defense

• Use of force to protect or repel attacks.

Deterrence

Threat of punishment to prevent an enemy from acting (e.g., nuclear deterrence).

Compellence

Threat or use of force to make another state act (e.g., sanctions, military pressure).

Preemptive Attack

Strike first when an attack is imminent.

Preventive Attack

Strike before a potential threat grows too strong (not imminent yet).

Zero-sum

One state's gain is another's loss (common realist view).

Non-zero-sum

States can both benefit from cooperation (liberal view).

Absolute Gains

States care about total benefits, not comparison (liberalism).

Relative Gains

• States care about who gains more (realism).

Interdependence

Mutual reliance between states (economic, political, etc.).

Democratic Peace Theory

• Democracies are less likely to go to war with each other.

 Identity

• How states see themselves and others, influencing behavior.

 Culture

• Shared values and practices shaping state interests.

Norms

• Accepted rules or standards of behavior in the international community.

Triple Entente

• Alliance of France, Russia, and Britain before WWI.

Triple Alliance

Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy before WWI.

Cult of the Offensive

Pre-WWI belief that offensive strategies guaranteed victory → led to WWI escalation.

Schlieffen Plan

German WWI strategy to quickly defeat France before turning to Russia.

 Norman Angell

• Argued in The Great Illusion (1910) that war was economically irrational in an interdependent world.

Nationalism

• Strong loyalty to one’s nation; belief in national superiority or self-determination.

 Social Darwinism

• Belief that nations struggle for survival, and only the “fittest” prevail.

Collective Security

• System where all members agree to act against aggressors (basis for League of Nations, UN).

 League of Nations

Post-WWI organizations aimed at maintaining peace failed to prevent WWII.

Versailles Treaty (1919)

• Ended WWI; imposed harsh reparations on Germany, fueling resentment.

Munich Conference (1938)

• Britain and France’s appeasement of Hitler by allowing German annexation of Sudetenland.

Buckpassing

Letting other states handle a threat instead of taking action.

Bandwagoning

• Joining the stronger side to gain protection or benefits.

Containment

• U.S. policy to stop the spread of communism (Kennan’s idea).

George Kennan

• U.S. diplomat who proposed Containment Policy against Soviet expansion.

Engagement

• Policy of actively interacting and cooperating with rivals (e.g., U.S.-China relations).

Rollback

• Strategy to push back and eliminate enemy influence (e.g., Korea, Vietnam).

 Détente

• Period of easing tensions between U.S. and USSR (1970s).

Helsinki Accord (1975)

• Agreement improving East–West relations, recognizing borders and promoting human rights.