International Relations - Chapter 6

infantry

foot soldiers who use assault rifles and other light weapons (mines, machine guns, etc.)

counterinsurgency

an effort to combat guerrilla armies, often including programs to “win the hearts and minds'“ of rural populations so that they stop sheltering guerrillas

landmines

concealed explosive devices, often left behind by irregular armies, that kill or maim civilians after wars end. such mines number more than 100 million, primarily in Angola, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Cambodia

power projection

the ability to use military force in areas far from a country’s region or sphere of influence

drones

another term for unmanned aerial vehicles; these small flying vehicles, which can be armed or unarmed, are increasingly used in combat and reconnaissance operations

electronic warfare

use of the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves, radar, infrared, etc.) in war, such as employing electromagnetic signals for one’s own benefit while denying their use to an enemy

stealth technology

the use of special radar-abosorbent materials and unusual shapes in the design of aircraft, missiles, and ships to scatter enemy radar

state-sponsored terrorism

the use of terrorist groups by states, usually under control of a state’s intelligence agency, to achieve political aims

weapons of mass destruction (wmds)

nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons,, all distinguished from conventional weapons by their enormous potential lethality and their relative lack of discrimination in whom they kill

fissionable material

the elements uranium-235 and plutonium, whose atoms split apart and release energy via a chain reaction when an atomic bomb explodes

ballistic missiles

the major strategic delivery vehicle for nuclear weapons; it carries a warhead along a trajectory (typically rising at least 50 miles high) and lets it drop on the target

cruise missile

a small winged missile that can navigate across thousands of miles of previously mapped terrain to reach a particular target; it can carry either a nuclear or a conventional warhead

missile technology control regime

a set of agreements through which industrialized states try to limit the flow of missile-relevant technology to third world states

chemical weapons convention (1992)

an agreement that bans the production and possession of chemical weapons and includes strict verification provisions and the threat of sanctions against violators and nonparticipants in the treaty

biological weapons convention (1972)

an agreement that prohibits the development, production, and possession of biological weapons but makes no provision for inspections

proliferation

the spread of weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons) into the hands of more actors

non-proliferation treaty NPT (1968)

a treaty that created a framework for controlling the spread of nuclear materials and expertise, including the international atomic energy agency (iaea), a UN agency based in Vienna that is charged with inspecting the nuclear power industry in NPT member states to prevent secret military diversions of nuclear materials

mutually assured destruction (MAD)

the possession of second-strike nuclear capabilities, which ensures that neither of two adversaries could prevent the other from destroying it in an all-out war

strategic defense initiative (SDI)

a US effort, also known as Star Wars, to develop defenses that could shoot down incoming ballistic missiles, spurred by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. critics call it an expensive failure that will likely be ineffective

Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty (1972)

a treaty that prohibited either the United States or the Soviet Union from using a ballistic missile defense as a shield, which would have undermined mutually assured destruction and the basis of deterrence.

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) (1996)

a treaty that bans all nuclear weapons testing, thereby broadening the ban on atmospheric testing negotiated in 1963.

chain of command

a hierarchy of officials (often civilian as well as military) through which states control military forces

civil-military relations

The relations between a state’s civilian leaders and the military leadership. In most countries, the military takes orders from civilian leaders. In extreme cases, poor civil-military relations can lead to military coups

coup d’état

French for “blow against the state”; a term that refers to the seizure of political power by domestic military forces—that is, a change of political power outside the state’s constitutional order.

military governments

States in which military forces control the government; they are most common in third world countries, where the military may be the only large modern institution.