Global Affairs and World Politics Concepts

Vocabulary terms and definitions covering foundational international relations theories, types of conflict, and contemporary global issues such as climate change and nuclear proliferation.

Anarchy

The absence of a sovereign above actors, meaning there is nobody above states to help resolve problems, forcing them to focus on self-help and preservation.

Global Policy

Issues that affect but are beyond the purview of any one actor or state in world affairs.

Global Regimes

Global rule-making bodies that set principles for how actors should behave, though they typically lack enforcement mechanisms. Examples include NATO and the ICC.

Offense Dominance

A situation where it is easier to destroy another's army and take its territory than it is to defend one's own territory.

Cult of the Offensive

A belief held by leaders before World War One that offense was the dominant mode of warfare.

Relative Power

An actor’s capabilities compared to other states; actors with high relative power can prevent others from opposing them via force.

Power Maximization

The act of undercutting other states to dominate, grow one's own power, and pull other actors into one's orbit to ultimately secure hegemony.

Mental Closure

A psychological bias where a leader's past expectations translate into future expectations, such as George Bush's refusal to listen to evidence regarding Iraq’s lack of WMDs.

Fundamental Attribution Error

A bias described by Wendt where an actor incorrectly attributes the action of another as a threat when the intent was likely different.

The Nuclear Revolution

The massive and rapid destructive potential of nuclear weapons which, coupled with the inability to defend against them, makes conflict between nuclear states self-destructive.

Security Dilemma

A situation where steps an actor takes to gain security inadvertently imperil the security of others, leading to an action-reaction spiral.

Domestic Structures

The form of government, ideology, racial/ethnic/social composition, and economic systems that shape an actor's preferences and constraints.

World War One

The first war of the modern era, lasting from $1914$ to $1918$, caused by factors such as alliances, rivalries, and Germany’s domestic situation.

The July Crisis

The specific development where the assassination of Ferdinand triggered a multi-front war involving Europe’s major powers due to a web of alliances.

Nuclear Proliferation

The increase in the number of states that are armed with nuclear weapons.

Foreign Policy

Efforts by individual actors to pursue their specific interests abroad, which is dependent on living in a system of anarchy.

Internal Conflict

Conflict arising from groups primarily located within territorial state boundaries, such as civil war, insurgency, or terrorism.

Civil War

Violent conflict between armed groups within a state seeking greater control.

Insurgency

Conflict against a government by groups practicing guerrilla warfare to avoid traditional battles.

Terrorism

The use of violence by non-state actors against non-combatants for political effect.

Third Party Guarantees

Essential mechanisms, such as those used successfully in Nicaragua, that allow civil war adversaries to credibly commit to disarming.

Commitment Problem

A situation where actors cannot reach a mutually beneficial deal because they cannot credibly promise not to defect in the future.

Polarity

Refers to the number of great powers in an international system.

Multipolarity

A system containing $3$ or more great powers; if one seeks hegemony, others will typically arm or ally against them.

Bipolarity

A system with $2$ equal great powers, such as the US and USSR during the Cold War.

Unbalanced Multipolarity

A system where one state is meaningfully stronger than others, potentially leading smaller states to team up against the strongest.

Global Economic Exchange (GEE)

The promotion of economic efficiency and wealth generation intended to reduce the odds of war.

Peacemaking

When an actor intervenes with military force to impose peace, such as in Bosnia.

Development

A state’s economic, political, or social progress, often focused on improving income, infrastructure, and quality of life in developing nations.

Climate Change

Long-term temperature shifts and changing weather patterns largely caused by human greenhouse gas emissions.

Defection

The act of choosing individual or domestic interests over collective agreements, often illustrated by the 'Stag Hunt' analogy.

Free-riding

The exploitation of a lack of enforcement mechanisms in international law to benefit from collective efforts without contributing, a primary obstacle to climate treaties.

Primacy

A strategy where a state with significant advantages creates and maintains a world order that follows its specific interests.

Restraint

A policy approach where a highly secure state, like the United States, focuses on internal democratic health rather than expansive external security maintenance.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

A set of principles that tend to be accepted as the international standard even by states that are not formal parties to it.

Technological Change

The creation and diffusion of new tools or methods that create new capabilities for interaction and can upend the balance of power.