International Relations Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes.

Anarchy

In international relations, the absence of a world government or overarching authority to enforce agreements and shared moral principles.

Power

The capabilities of a state to get others to do something they wouldn’t otherwise do; can be hard, soft, structural, or relational.

Balance of Power

A dynamic equilibrium among powerful states in a region or the international system, created by states to achieve equilibrium.

Distribution of Power

How power is spread among states in the international system; can be unipolar, bipolar, or multipolar.

Soft Power

The ability to influence others through persuasion (diplomacy) and emulation (perceived success and appeal).

Structural Power

Relative influence in creating and upholding the 'rules of the game' in the international system.

Compellence

The threat of punishment to influence a state to take a specific action.

Deterrence

The threat of punishment in retaliation to prevent a state from taking a specific action.

Bandwagoning

Allying with the stronger side in a conflict or alliance structure.

Core and Periphery

Concepts from Marxist IPE theory describing the relationship between wealthy (core) and less developed (periphery) states in the global economy.

Energy Independence

Independence regarding energy resources, energy supply, and/or energy generation by the energy industry.

Extended Deterrence

When a third state is doing the deterring (e.g., NATO).

Free Riding

Avoiding cooperation in an agreement and taking advantage of the cooperation of others with no cost.

Globalization

Increasing interconnectedness and integration of different countries and regions through the flow of goods, services, capital, people, and ideas.

Humanitarian Intervention

Outside intervention into a sovereign state on the basis of international human rights law/norms.

Interdependence

Degree of overlap in states’ interests (e.g., trade/economic, military, climate, public health, etc.).

Liberal International Order (LIO)

Post-Cold War rules of the game emphasizing economic globalization, democracy, and the rule of law.

Mercantilism

Economic theory where a nation's wealth is seen as a fixed entity, and a nation's power and strength are best achieved by maximizing exports and minimizing imports, often through government intervention and protectionist policies.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

A military 'strategy' where the ability of opposing sides to completely destroy each other deters them from initiating a nuclear attack.

Norms

Presence/strength of standard practices based on shared beliefs about appropriate actions.

Norm Entrepreneur

An individual, group, or organization that actively promotes or advocates for new social norms or interpretations of existing ones, aiming to influence the behavior of other actors.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

A military alliance (international institution) of 32 countries from Europe and North America, founded in 1949 to promote collective defense and security.

Nuclear Proliferation

The spread of nuclear weapons, technologies, and fissile materials to countries that do not already possess them.

Paris Climate Agreement

An international treaty on climate change that was signed in 2016; covers climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance.

Rational Actor

A model of decision-making where states are assumed to act based on a clear understanding of their goals, available options, and the potential consequences of each choice, aiming to maximize their utility or satisfaction.

Refugee

A person who has fled their home country due to a well-founded fear of persecution or violence, and is unable or unwilling to return.

Responsibility to Protect

An international norm: states have a duty to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. If a state is unwilling or unable to do so, the international community has a responsibility to step in and help.

Self-Help

States’ need for security in an anarchic international system à seek power à increased probability of conflict.

Sovereignty

Internal sovereignty: state has a monopoly on legitimate coercion. External sovereignty: other states recognize a state’s right to noninterference.

Thucydides Trap

The tendency for war to erupt when a rising power threatens to displace an existing great power.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

An international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings

Unitary Actor

The idea that a state, or a group of states, acts as a single, unified entity when making decisions.

Washington Consensus

A set of ten economic policy recommendations generally advocated by Washington-based international financial institutions for developing countries in the 1980s and 1990s. These recommendations were largely market-oriented and emphasized deregulation, privatization, and fiscal discipline

Levels of Analysis (LOA)

General indication of where to look to explain war, peace, cooperation, etc. (Systemic, Actor, and Decision-making levels).

Cooperation

States coordinating actions to achieve a shared goal.

War

Sustained violence with a state military on at least one side.

International Institutions

Structures created by states to help them cooperate toward shared goals.