International Affairs Vocab

IAFF 1005 GWU for Prof Kaplan

Theory

A logically consistent set of statements that explains a

phenomenon of interest.

bargaining

An interaction In which two or more actors must decide

how to distribute something of value. The more one actor gains, the less the other one gets.

cooperation

An interaction in which two or more actors adopt

policies that make at least one actor better off relative

to the status quo without making others worse off.

interests

What actors want to achieve through political action;

their preferences among the possible outcomes that

might result from their political choices.

interactions

The ways In which the choices of two or more

actors combine to produce political outcomes.

institutions

Sets of rules [known and shared by the relevant community]

that structure interactions In specific ways.

anarchy

The absence of a central authority with the ability to

make and enforce laws that bind all actors.

mercantilism

An economic doctrine based on a belief that military

power and economic influence complement each

other; applied especially to colonial empires in the

sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. Monopolies at the

center of mercantilist trade policies favored the mother

country over its colonies and over its competitors.

Peace of Westphalia

The settlement that ended the Thirty Years’ War in

1648: often said to have created the modern state

system because It included a general recognition of the

principles of sovereignty and nonintervention.

sovereignty

The expectation that states have legal and political

supremacy—or ultimate authority—within their

territorial boundaries.

hegemony

The predominance of one

nation-state over others.

Pax Britannica

“British Peace,” a century-long period, beginning

with Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo in 1815 and

ending with the outbreak of World War 1 in 1914, during

which Britain's economic and diplomatic influence

contributed to economic openness and relative

peace.

gold standard

The monetary system

that prevailed between

about 1870 and 1914, in

which countries tied their

currencies to gold at a

legally fixed price.

Treaty of Versailles

The peace treaty between the Allies and Germany that formally ended World War Onr on June 28, 1919

League of Nations

A collective security organization founded in 1919 after WW1. The league ended in 1946 and was replaced by the UN

North Atlantic Treaty

Organization (NATO)

An alliance formed in 1949

among the United States,

Canada, and most of the

states of Western Europe

in response to the threat

posed by the Soviet Union.

The alliance requires its

members to consider an

attack on any one of them as

an attack on all.

Bretton Woods System

The economic order

negotiated among allied

nations at Bretton Woods,

New Hampshire, in 1944,

which led to a series of

cooperative arrangements

involving a commitment

to relatively low barriers

to international trade and

investment.

Warsaw Pact

A Military allience formed in 1955 to bring together the Soviet Union and its Cold War Allies in Eas

3 Main Categories of Interests:

Security, Economic or material welfare, Ideological Goals

Paradox of Trade Power (Deficit Country)

The country (buyer) holds economic leverage because it can threaten tariffs or switch suppliers. Because the country’s economy does not rely on the other for economic growth, it can coerce the other to comply with political and economic demands

State

A central authority that

has the ability to make

and enforce laws, rules,

and decisions within a

specified territory.

national interests

Interests attributed to the

state itself, usually security

and power.

stategic interactions

An interaction where actors maneuver to get their way while trying to avoid costly collisions, the actors’ strategy or plan depends on the anticipated strategy of another actor.

Two most common groups of Interactions:

Cooperation and bargaining

coordination

A type of cooperative interaction in which actors benefit from atl making the same choices and subsequently have no incentive not to comply.

collaboration

A type of cooperative interaction in which actors gain from working together but nonetheless have incentives not to comply

with any agreement.

public goods

Products that are nonexcludable and

nonrival in consumption, such as national defense.

Private Goods

Goods that only one person can possess and consume

collective action problems

Obstacles to cooperation that occur when actors have

incentives to collaborate but each acts with the

expectation that others will pay the costs of cooperation.

free ride

To fail to contribute to a public good while benefiting

from the contributions of others.

iteration

Repeated interactions with

the same partners. This can reduce the incentive to defect or free ride.

linkage

The linking of cooperation

on one issue to interactions

on a second issue.

Power

The ability of Actor A to get Actor B to do something that

B would otherwise not do; the ability to get the other

side to make concessions and to avoid having to make

concessions oneself.

Coercion

A strategy of imposing or threatening to impose costs

on other actors in order to Induce a change in

their behavior.

Outside Options

The alternatives to bargining with a specifc actor

Agenda Setting

Actions taken before or during bargaining that make

the reversion outcome more favorable for one party.

Realism:

A theory in international relations that emphasizes the competitive and conflictual side of international politics, focusing on state interests and power.

Realism Key Actor(s)

States are the primary actors in the international system, competing for power and security.

Liberalism

A theory in international relations that prioritizes cooperation, international institutions, and the promotion of democracy and human rights, emphasizing the potential for a more peaceful world.

Liberalism key Actor(s)

States, International Institutions and Commerical InstitutionsoC

Constructiveism / Idealism

A theory in international relations that emphasizes the role of social constructions, ideas, and norms in shaping state behavior and the international system.

Levels of analysis for causes of war

The framework used in international relations to assess the different factors contributing to the outbreak of war, typically categorized into individual, state, and systemic levels.

Importance of using levels of analysis in causes of war

Understanding causes and determining moral responsibility

Individual Level: Levels of Analysis

Refers to the perspective that focuses on the actions and attributes of individual leaders or decision-makers as primary influences on state behavior and the onset of conflict.

nation-state level: levels of analysis

Focuses on the characteristics and behaviors of individual countries, including their political systems, economies, and national interests, as drivers of international conflict.

Dyatic/ Interactional Level: Levels of Analysis

Considers the interactions between states, including alliances, rivalries, and diplomatic relations, as essential factors in explaining international conflicts and cooperation.

What are the two subcatigoties of Realism?

Structural Realism (Neorealism) and Motivational Realism

What are the subcategories of Structural Realism (Neorealism)

Waltz’s Structural Realism, Offensive Realism, Defensive Realism

Waltz’s Structural Realism

A theory that emphasizes the anarchic structure of the international system as the primary factor influencing state behavior. Makes self-help system, often leads to a general tendency toward competition and balancing.

Offensive Realism

A theory positing that states seek to maximize their power and be the dominant global actor, often leading to aggressive strategies to achieve security and influence.

Defensive Realism

A theory asserting that states prioritize maintaining their power and security rather than seeking to maximize power, often resulting in more cautious and defensive strategies in international relations. Under many conditions, cooperation and restraint are a state's best strategies for achieving security

What are the subcatigories of Motivational Realism

Security Seekers, Greedy States

Security Seakers in Realism:

States that only want to be secure in the status quo

Greedy States in Realism

States motivated by a desire to expand their territory or prestige even when their own security is not at ris

The Security Dilemma

The situation in which actions taken by a state to increase its own security can inadvertently threaten other states, leading to an arms race and heightened tensions.

Balancing

States join together or build up their own forces to offset the power of a stronger, threatening state

Bandwagoning

The strategy whereby weaker states align with a stronger state to gain benefits and security, often at the expense of their own autonomy.

Buckpassing

The strategy in which a state tries to avoid taking direct action to counter a threat by relying on others to manage the threat instead, often shifting the burden of responsibility.

external balancing

The process by which states form alliances or partnerships with other states to counterbalance a threatening power, thereby enhancing their security without significantly increasing their own military capabilities.

Internal Balencing

The strategy where a state increases its own military capabilities to deter threats or enhance security, rather than relying on alliances or support from others.

How do International Institutions facilitate cooperation by making

self-enforcement easier.

setting standards of behavior, verifying compliance, reducing the costs of joint decision making, and resolving disputes.

democratic peace

The theory suggesting that mature democracies are less likely to engage in conflict with one another due to shared norms and values, leading to more peaceful international relations.

democracy

A political system in which candidates compete for political office through

frequent, fair elections in which a sizable portion of the adult population can vote.

autocracy

A political system in which an individual or small group exercises power with few constraints and no meaningful competition or participation by the general public.

liberal

A philosophy that emphasizes the value of individual liberty: freedom of Speech, Expression, and the Press. They also impose restrictions on what those elected governments can do by giving citizens rights that the government cannot infringe.

accountability

The ability to punish or reward leaders for the decisions that they make, when frequent, fair elections enable voters to hold elected officials responsible by granting or whitholding public political office.

selectorate

The set of individuals and groups whose support is necessary for a leader to retain office.

Economic Interdependence

The mutual reliance between states through trade and financial exchange.Liberals say it promotes peace, realists suggest it can create friction or be used as a tool for coercion

Economic Opportunity Cost

the potential loss of trade benefits deters political leaders from initiating militarized conflict

Absolute Gains

the total material benefits a state achieves, regardless of how much other states gain

Relative Gains

A focus on who gains more relative to their adversary,

Asymmetric Interdependence

A situation where one state is significantly more dependent on a relationship (like trade or natural gas) than the other, creating a vulnerability

Conflict Spiral

A situation where interdependence or mutual suspicion leads to a cycle of retaliatory actions and escalating tensions

Economic Signaling

The use of trade or financial instruments (like economic sanctions) to demonstrate a state's resolve in a dispute without resorting to immediate military force

Private Information

Hidden facts, such as a country's real military power or its true willingness to fight, that rival nations do not know.

Commitment Problem

A situation where states cannot reach a peaceful agreement because they cannot credibly promise not to renege on that agreement in the future once their power increases

Issue Indivisibility

The problem where an issue, such as a specific piece of territory, cannot be easily divided or shared, making a peaceful settlement difficult

The Primary Driver for State Behavior in Liberalism

the distribution of social and state preferences: haWwhat states want the ultimate outcome of international politics to be

Three Branches of Liberal Theory:

Commercial Liberalism, Ideational Liberalism, Republican Liberalism

Commercial Liberalism:

High levels of economic interdependence and free trade reduce the likelihood of war between nations

Ideational Liberalism

focuses on the influence of ideas, beliefs, and norms on international relations, emphasizing how shared values and identities can shape state behavior and promote peace.

Republican Liberalism

focusing on how domestic political institutions determine which societal interests are represented by the state

Systemic Theory

the global arena is an interconnected whole where state behavior is shaped by structure, feedback loops, and systemic relationships rather than isolated actions

Humanitarian Intervention

Deploying military force acorda boarders for the purpose of protecting foreign nationals from man-made violence.

What the the two costs of war

Psychic and Physical

Psychic costs of war

Psychological: war is uncivilized and unjust

Physical costs of war

War is bloody, destructive and expensive

Norms

Standards of behavior for actors with a given identity, define what are right or appropriate under conditions

constitutive norms

what makes an actor legitimate or appropriate under given circumstances.

procedural norms

how decisions involving multiple actors should be made.

regulative norms

governs the behavior of actors in their interactions with other actors.

How Are International Norms Created?

the standard of behavior it specifies must be accepted as right and appropriate by a sufficiently large proportion of any given population

norms entrepreneurs

individuals or groups who seek to advance a principled standard of behavior for states and other actors.

Transnational advocacy

network (TAN)

A set of individuals

and nongovernmental

organizations acting in

pursuit of a normative

objective.

Norms life cycle

A three stage model of how norms diffuse within a population and achieve taken-for-granted status

Taken-for-granted status

where a social structure, norm, or institutional arrangement becomes so deeply embedded in the international psyche that states follow it automatically, without conscious calculation, debate, or coercion.

stages of Norm lifecycle

Norm Emergence, Norm Cascade, Norm Internalization

stages of Norm lifecycle

Norm Emergence, Norm Cascade, Norm Internalization

Norm Cascade

A tipping point is reached, and the norm rapidly spreads across the international community.

Norm Cascade

A tipping point is reached, and the norm rapidly spreads across the international community.