Politics 3

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.

Gerrymandering

Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.

Federal State

allocates strong power to units of local government within the country

Unitary State

An internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials

Devolution

The process whereby regions within a state demand and gain political strength and growing autonomy at the expense of the central government.

Supranationalism

a venture involving 3 or more national states political economic or cultural cooperation to promote shared objectives

NATO

an international organization created in 1949 by the North Atlantic Treaty for purposes of collective security

The European Union

an association of European nations formed in 1993 for the purpose of achieving political and economic integration.

The African Union

organization formed in 2002 to promote unity among African states and to foster development and end poverty

The Arctic Council

provide a means for promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States

Voting District

a territorial subdivision for electing members to a legislative body

Irredentism

The policy of a state wishing to incorporate within itself territory inhabited by people who have ethnic or linguistic links with the country but that lies within a neighboring state.

ASEAN

an association of nations dedicated to economic and political cooperation in southeastern Asia

Ethnonationalism

the tendency for an ethnic group to see itself as a distinct nation with a right to autonomy or independence. A fundamental centrifugal force.

Balkanization

Process by which a state breaks down through conflicts among its ethnicities

The United Nations

An international organization formed after WWII to promote international peace, security, and cooperation.