Geopolitics - mid term | Quizlet

International relations (narrow sense)

Relations between the governments of sovereign nation-states including diplomacy, war and peace, contracts, and international law

International relations (broad sense)

Relations including actors beyond states that influence politics across borders such as corporations, NGOs, IGOs, and violent non-state actors

Diplomacy

The art and practice of conducting negotiations between nations through representatives

Multinational corporations (MNCs)

Companies operating across multiple countries that influence economies and politics internationally

Intergovernmental organisations (IGOs)

Organisations based on agreements between governments such as Interpol or the United Nations

International financial organisations (IFOs)

Financial institutions operating internationally such as the World Bank and IMF

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)

Non-state organisations that advocate, provide services, or influence policy internationally

Transnational movements

Organisations and networks operating across national borders influencing political developments

Violent non-state actors

Armed organisations that operate outside state control such as terrorist groups

Private military and security companies (PMSCs)

Private firms providing military or security services internationally

Realism

A theory of international relations arguing that states pursue survival, security, and power in an anarchic international system

Statism

The realist assumption that states are the primary actors in international politics

Survival

The realist assumption that the main goal of states is ensuring their continued existence

Self-help

The realist assumption that states must rely on themselves for security because no higher authority exists above them

Anarchy

The absence of a central authority above states in international politics

National interest

Policies and strategies designed to ensure the long-term survival and prosperity of a state

Reason of state

The idea that states may act beyond normal moral limits to ensure survival

Balance of power

A system where states form alliances or strengthen themselves to prevent dominance by another state

Neorealism

A version of realism arguing that the structure of the international system shapes state behaviour rather than human nature

Structural realism

Another term for neorealism focusing on the distribution of power in the international system

Zero-sum game

A situation where one actor's gain equals another actor's loss

Billiard ball model

The idea that states behave like billiard balls whose internal characteristics matter less than their interactions

Defensive realism

The view that states seek enough power to ensure security

Offensive realism

The view that states seek maximum power to ensure survival

Kenneth Waltz

Scholar associated with defensive realism and structural realism

John Maersheimer

Scholar associated with offensive realism

Liberalism

A theory arguing that cooperation between states is possible through institutions, democracy, and economic interdependence

Collective security

Security achieved through international organisations where aggression against one state is treated as aggression against all

Harmony of interests

The idea that economic interdependence benefits all states

Democratic peace theory

The claim that democracies rarely go to war with each other

Principle of self-determination

The belief that peoples should determine their own political future

Hard power

Coercive influence through military force or economic sanctions

Soft power

Influence through persuasion, culture, diplomacy, and values

Neoliberal institutionalism

The belief that international institutions help states cooperate even under anarchy

Absolute gains

Benefits achieved regardless of whether other states gain more

Relative gains

Benefits compared to how much other states gain

Marxism

A theory explaining international relations primarily through capitalism and class struggle

Historical materialism

The idea that material economic conditions shape society and politics

Means of production

The tools and technologies used to produce goods

Relations of production

The social relationships formed around production

Base

The economic foundation of society shaping politics and culture

Superstructure

Political and cultural institutions shaped by the economic base

Monopoly capitalism

A stage of capitalism dominated by large corporations

Imperialism (Lenin)

The highest stage of capitalism where core states exploit peripheral regions

World-systems theory

A theory dividing the world economy into core, semi-periphery, and periphery regions

Core

Developed regions producing high-value goods

Periphery

Regions supplying raw materials and cheap labour

Semi-pheriphery

Regions positioned between exploitation and development

Declining terms of trade

The tendency for raw materials to increase in value more slowly than manufactured goods

Gramscianism

A theory emphasising power through consent and cultural leadership rather than coercion alone

Hegemony (Gramsci)

Leadership achieved through consent rather than force

Robert W. Cox

Scholar distinguishing between problem-solving and critical theories

Problem-solving theory

Theory supporting existing institutions

Critical theory

Theory questioning existing structures of power

Social constructivism

A theory arguing that international politics is shaped by shared ideas, norms, and identities

Social construction of reality

The idea that reality is shaped through human understanding

Norms

Shared expectations guiding behaviour

Life cycle of norms

Process through which norms emerge, spread, and become internalised

Diffusion

Spread of norms across societies and institutions

Institutional isomorphism

Process where organisations become similar due to shared environments

Poststructuralism

An approach analysing how language and discourse shape political reality

Discourse

Systems of language shaping meaning and power relations

Genealogy

Tracing historical origins of ideas and concepts

Intertextuality

Understanding political meaning through relationships between texts and cultural references

Michel Foucault

Scholar emphasising the relationship between language and power

Post-colonialism

An approach analysing how colonial histories shape contemporary politics

Subaltern studies

Research focusing on marginalised populations

Agency

Capacity of individuals or groups to influence political outcomes

Neo-colonialism

Indirect control of weaker states by powerful countries after formal colonialism ended

Globalisation

The widening, deepening, and acceleration of worldwide interconnectedness across economic, political, technological, and cultural dimensions

Geopolitics

The study of how geography influences political power, strategy, and international relations

Territorial boundaries

Geographical borders separating states that shape political authority and sovereignty

National interests

Strategic goals states pursue to ensure security, survival, and prosperity

Integration of the world economy

Increasing interconnectedness of national economies through trade, finance, and production networks

Deterritorialisation

The weakening link between activities and specific geographic locations due to global connectivity

Time-space compression

The shrinking perceived distance between places due to faster communication and transportation

Transnational actors

Actors operating across national borders such as corporations and NGOs

Instant communication

Rapid global exchange of information enabled by digital technologies

Global village

Marshall McLuhan's concept describing how electronic communication connects the world socially and culturally

New medievalism

Hedley Bull's idea that global politics increasingly involves overlapping authorities beyond states

Cobweb model of politics

John Burton's idea that global politics resembles interconnected networks rather than state hierarchies

World polity theory

John W. Meyer's that nation-states operate within a shared global institutional framework

Rudolf Kjellen

Political scientist who coined the term geopolitics in 1899

State as geographical organism

The idea that states behave like living entities shaped by spatial conditions

Spatial determinism

The belief that geography determines political outcomes

Political geography

The study of spatial influences on political systems and decisions

Geopolitical mindset

An analytical approach emphasising long-term spatial relationships and resource competition

Navalism

The theory that control of sea routes determines global power

Alfred Thayer Mahan

Naval strategist who argued sea power determines global dominance

Thalassocracy

A state whose power is based primarily on naval supremacy

Tellurocracy

A state whose power is based primarily on land dominance

Geographic position (naval power)

Access to usable coastlines supporting maritime strength

Naval bases

Strategic overseas facilities supporting naval operation

Refuelling station

Locations supporting naval logistics and long-distance operations

Choke points

Narrow strategic maritime passages critical to global shipping

Stepping stones

Strategically located naval bases extending operational reach

Naval blockade

Strategy of preventing enemy maritime trade and supplies

Sphere of influence

A region where a state exercises dominant political or military influence

Monroe Doctrine (1823)

US policy opposing European colonial intervention in the Americas

Western Hemisphere Defence Zone (1940)

US monitoring zone for German naval activity during WWII