Geopolitics Terms

Mandates:

A post-WWI system that facilitated the transition from multicultural empires toward (partial) national self-determination

Orientalism (Edward Said):

A concept identified as one of the primary justifications for imperialism and colonialism

Imperial Geopolitics:

A field of study involving Social Darwinism (the idea of "evolved" vs. "less evolved" nations) and German concepts like Lebensraum, which served as the basis for Nazi expansionism

Realism:

A theoretical perspective based on several core assumptions:

Homo homini lupus:

The belief that "man is a wolf to man"

Anarchy:

The absence of a higher authority in the international system

Rationality and Pragmatism:

The idea that states act out of selfishness and rational pursuit of national interest

The Prisoner’s Dilemma:

A standard example of a game analyzed in game theory that shows why two completely rational individuals might not cooperate, even if it appears that it is in their best interests to do so

The Security Dilemma:

A situation in which actions taken by a state to increase its own security cause other states to respond with similar measures, leading to an increase in tensions

Thucydides Trap:

The severe structural stress caused when a rising power threatens to displace a ruling one

Balance of Power / Balance of Threat:

The primary mechanisms through which alliances are formed

Offensive vs. Defensive Realism:

Different priorities regarding national interest, specifically state survival versus power acquisition

Security:

Defined fundamentally as "freedom from concern"

National Security:

A relative term primarily focused on external threats and the external dimension of preserving the state

Securitization Theory:

The discursive process through which a particular phenomenon is named as an existential threat, thereby justifying the use of emergency measures to address it

Regional Security Complexes:

A framework for understanding the territorial dimension of security threats

Conventional Security:

Security concerns involving state-to-state relations, the United Nations, NATO, and the formal use of force under Chapter VII of the UN Charter

Responsibility to Protect (R2P):

A norm introduced to address mass atrocities; the review highlights Libya in 2011 as a case study

Unconventional Security:

Security threats posed by non-state violent actors, specifically encompassing terrorism and insurgency