Global Politics Final Exam: Vocabulary

Power

The ability to control or influence the behavior of people, existing in all social relationships between human beings (Joe Biden vs citizens of US)

Hard Power

Uses bribes, money, or force in order to force political actors to do uncharacterisitic actions (The American Journalists death that went unpunished in Saudi Arabia)

Soft Power

Affects change in others by establishing expectations or norms; basically, the people listen by choice or want to adhere to the rules, not by force (South Korea and K-culture)

Smart Power

the strategic mix of hard and soft powers; combines the use of economic, militaristic cultural, and diplomatic skills (US has a big military but it also has a lot of soft/societal power)

Structural Power

The power to set the rules of global politics; it is the influence of political actors on global politics (UN influences the world and sets the rules)

Resource Power

The power that comes from amount of resources owned; just because you have resourceful power, does not mean that you are powerful; too much of a resource is bad (China has a lot of resources)

Relational Power

The power that comes from misusing or correctly using resources/power that comes from the consequences of use of resources (US and the economic powerhouse)

Cyberpower

The ability to use cyberspace to create advantages and influence events (NSA hacked China's Huawei to steal data)

Structural violence

A form of violence wherein some social structure or social institution may harm people by preventing them from meeting their basic needs or rights (racism)

Sovereighnty

The full right & power of a governing body over itself without interference from outside bodies (US no need to answer to anyone)

Popular sovereignty

A government based on consent of the people, governments are created and sustained by the consent of its people, who are the source of all political legitimacy (US democratic system)

Self determination

believes that empire and colonies should be a thing of the past,no state should have control over another state, people should decide their government officials(US believe in democracy and fair elections)

Internal sovereignty

Absolute authority of the state within its own borders including control over the people living within its borders, making decisions & enforcing laws, and the people's acceptance of the authority of the state & government (US is able to govern its own people and give them happy lives without any help)

External Sovereignty

Ability of the state to act independently when dealing with actors, states, and nonstate actors; power state has when interacting with other actors (China)

Supranationality

IGO institutions make decisions as a group; individual states may disagree with ruling, but majority will rule (UN)

Transnationalism

refers to flows and exchanges that take place across national borders like circulation of bodies, ideas, information, and things (An American living in Vietnam for work)

Legitimacy

An actor or action commonly considered acceptable to the people & provides a basic rationale for all forms of governance & exercising of power (king has legitimacy through birth)

Input/Process legitimacy

how a state acquires power; fairness of the electoral system will tell if people grant legitimacy to those in power (democratic election)

Output/Performance legitimacy

how well a state exercises its power like quality of everyday living, justice, security etc (US=great output legitimacy as has good quality of life)

Top-Down legitimacy

where authority and legitimacy originate from central authority or institution and flow towards the population

Bottom-Up legitimacy

where participation is of a broader population is key and gives political power for legitimacy to a broader spectrum

Non-state actors

people who have the power to influence political situations but are not allied with the government (Apple)

Interdependence

Mutual reliance between & among groups, organizations, areas, or states for access to resources, often related to economics, security, or sustainability, which has increased due to globalization (China and America's economies are intertwined and dependent on each other)

Global Governance

institutions that coordinate the behavior of state actors, facilitate cooperation, resolve disputes, and alleviate collective action problems (International Criminal Court)

Globalization

The growing interdependence of the world's economies, cultures, and populations, brought about by cross-border trade in goods and and flows of resources (Italian food in Japan)

United Nations

an international organization and IGO that all the world's nations can gather together, discuss common problems, and find shared solutions that benefit all of humanity (Russia and Ukraine)

Collective Security

system by which states have attempted to prevent or stop wars by calling an aggressor of one state, therefore an aggressor of their own state (NATO)

Strategic Alliances (Economic)

an arrangement between two (or more) companies (or governments) that have decided to share resources to undertake a specific, mutually beneficial project sometimes to keep up with the growing global market (EU free trade agreement)

Negative peace

Absence of active violence or war

Example: The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in 2021 temporarily created negative peace.

Direct violence

Physical harm done directly to people

Example: The Syrian government's airstrikes during the Syrian Civil War.

Structural violence

Harm caused by unfair social systems

Example: The Flint water crisis disproportionately harmed low-income and Black communities.

Cultural violence

Beliefs that justify or normalize violence

Example: Anti-Rohingya hate speech in Myanmar contributing to violence after 2012.

Positive peace

Peace built on justice, equality, and cooperation

Example: Post-conflict reconciliation programs in Rwanda in the 2010s.

Balance of power

Power spread so no state becomes too strong

Example: U.S. alliances in the Indo-Pacific to balance China's rise.

Feminist peace

Peace that includes gender equality

Example: UN Resolution 1325 implementation efforts in Afghanistan after 2010.

Destructive conflict

Conflict that worsens relationships and violence

Example: The escalation of civil war in Yemen since 2015.

Constructive conflict

Conflict that leads to positive change

Example: Nepal Protests

Strategic non-violence

Planned non-violent tactics to create change

Example: Hong Kong's 2014 Umbrella Movement.

Non-violent resistance

Refusal to cooperate without violence

Example: Greta Thunberg’s Fridays for Future movement

Pacifism

Belief that all violence and war are wrong

Example: Israeli youth refusing to serve in the military

Geneva Conventions

Rules protecting civilians and soldiers in war

Example: Investigations of war crimes in Syria citing Geneva Convention violations.

Primary disputants

Main parties directly involved in a conflict

Example: Russia and Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine War

Interstate conflict

Conflict between states

Example: India-Pakistan territorial disputes

Intrastate conflict

Civil War or internal conflict in the borders of one state

Example: The civil war in South Sudan (2013-2018).

Secondary parties to conflict

Groups supporting or influencing disputants

Example: NATO in the Ukraine war

Third parties to conflict

Outside actors who mediate or intervene

Example: Norway mediating peace talks in Colombia (2012-2016).

Violent state actors

Governments using violence

Example: Myanmar's military attacking Rohingya communities in 2017.

Collective defense

States agreeing to defend each other

Example: NATO activating collective defense planning after Russia's 2014 invasion of Crimea.

Violent non-state actors

Non-government groups using violence

Example: ISIS during its peak (2014-2017).

Non-violent state actors

Governments resolving disputes peacefully

Example: Costa Rican government's peaceful dispute resolution policies.

Non-violent non-state actors

Non-government groups using peaceful means

Example: Black Lives Matter movement (from 2013 onward).

Track I diplomacy

Official diplomacy between governments

Example: U.S.-North Korea nuclear negotiations in 2018.

Track II diplomacy

Unofficial dialogue by NGOs/experts

Example: NGO-supported dialogue sessions in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts after 2007.

Non-state conflict

Conflict between non-state groups

Example: Mexican drug war

Extrastate conflict

Conflict between a state and non-state actor

Example: U.S. operations against al-Qaeda

Identity conflict

Conflict based on ethnicity or religion

Example: Rohingya persecution in Myanmar (2012-present).

Interest-based conflict

Conflict over resources or power

Example: South China Sea disputes over maritime resources.

Human needs theory of conflict

Conflict arises when basic needs aren't met

Example: Arab Spring uprisings triggered by unmet economic and political needs.

Ideological conflict

Conflict over political or belief systems

Example: Taliban vs. Afghan government over political ideology (2007-2021).

'Just War' theory

Rules for when war is morally justified

Example: Debates around NATO's 2011 intervention in Libya.

Symmetric conflict

Conflict between similar military powers

Example: Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020 had relatively comparable forces.

Asymmetric conflict

Conflict between unequal powers

Example: U.S. counterinsurgency operations against the Taliban.

Guerrilla warfare

Small, mobile attacks by weaker groups

Example: Taliban guerrilla tactics in Afghanistan.

Counterinsurgency

Coin. Actions to defeat insurgents & win civilians

Example: U.S. counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan (2009-2014).

Terrorism

Violence targeting civilians for political goals

Example: Boston Marathon bombings

Cyber conflict

Digital attacks against another actor

Example: Alleged Russian cyberattacks on U.S. elections in 2016.

Non-violent conflict

Conflict without physical violence

Example: 2019 Hong Kong mass protests.

Peacemaking

Negotiations to stop conflict

Example: 2016 Colombian peace agreement between the government and FARC.

Mediation

Conflict resolution process with a neutral actor helping reach agreement

Example: UN mediation efforts in Syria

Peace treaties

Formal agreements ending conflict

Example: The 2018 peace treaty between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Sanctions

Penalties to pressure behavior change

Example: International sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

Embargoes

Bans on trade with a country

Example: EU arms embargo on Myanmar after 2018.

Election observers

Monitors who ensure election fairness

Example: EU observers monitoring Kenya's 2017 elections.

Peacekeeping

International forces maintaining peace

Example: UN peacekeepers in Mali (MINUSMA, since 2013).

Genocide

Intentional destruction of a group

Example: The 2014-2017 persecution of Yazidis by ISIS is widely recognized as genocide.

Peacebuilding

Long-term work to create stable peace

Example: Post-genocide reconstruction and reconciliation in Rwanda.

Restorative justice

Repairing harm through dialogue/accountability

Example: Community reconciliation meetings in post-conflict Colombia.

Truth & reconciliation commissions

Bodies exposing past abuses for healing

Example: Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission on residential schools (completed 2015).