PSCI 1401 - WK 9/10

What are non-state actors?

Entities that are not states but influence international politics

What are violent non-state actors?

Non-state actors that use violence for political goals

How do Kydd and Walter define terrorism?

Violence against civilians by non-state actors for political goals

Why is terrorism hard to define?

Disagreements over scope, motives, and whether states qualify

What is the logic of terrorism?

Costly signaling to influence beliefs about power, resolve, trust

What is attrition?

Convincing the enemy that continued conflict is costly

What is intimidation?

Convincing civilians the government cannot protect them

What is provocation?

Triggering overreaction to radicalize population

What is spoiling?

Undermining peace agreements

What is outbidding?

Groups compete to show commitment through violence

How has technology affected terrorism?

Enabled recruitment and propaganda via social media

Does terrorism work?

Debated; can impose costs but often fails to achieve goals

What is nonviolent resistance?

Conflict through protests, strikes, and non-cooperation

Why is nonviolent resistance effective?

Backfires against repression and mobilizes mass participation

What are norms (Finnemore)?

Shared expectations of appropriate behavior

What is constructivism?

International politics shaped by norms and identities

What is the logic of appropriateness?

Actors follow norms because they are seen as right

What is the nuclear taboo?

A norm against using nuclear weapons

What is the relationship between gender inequality and conflict?

Correlated but causation unclear

What are critiques of gender-conflict research?

Omitted variables, reverse causation, measurement issues

What is the suffragist peace?

More female participation reduces likelihood of war

What is hegemonic masculinity?

Linking masculinity with militarism

What is humanitarian intervention?

Military action to protect civilians abroad

What is Responsibility to Protect?

States must protect populations or face international intervention

What crimes trigger R2P?

Genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity

What is the offense-defense balance?

Cost ratio of attacking vs defending

Why is offense-defense theory criticized?

Hard to measure and weak empirical support

What is military innovation?

Changes to improve military effectiveness

What drives military innovation?

Threats, defeat, technology, new goals

What is a cyber attack?

Disrupting systems via cyberspace

What is cyber exploitation?

Stealing or accessing information

What is secrecy (Carson)?

Concealment of information in international relations

What is cyberspace characterized by?

Anonymity, global reach, private ownership

What are stages of cyber operations?

Recon, weaponization, delivery, exploitation, payload

Why is cyber coercion difficult?

Attribution and secrecy issues

What is the intelligence contest?

Competition over information gathering and disruption

What is secret statecraft?

Use of deception for strategic gain

What is espionage?

Extracting secret information from adversaries

What did Stuxnet demonstrate?

Cyber attacks are complex and favor strong actors

What are influence operations?

Using information to shape perceptions and behavior