IR FINAL CH6

CH 6

Infantry

Foot soldiers use assault riffles, mines guns etc.

U.S. Marines conducting ground patrols in Iraq using rifles and small arms.

Armor

 Tanks/armored vehicles

Russia used to control territory In Ukraine

Counterinsurgency

 Deterrence/ Defense in effort to combat Guerilla Wars programs to “win hearts and minds” of rural populations to stop sheltering Guierillas 

• It is costly & labor intensive securing legitimacy and trust from local communities makes these tactics costly, time consuming and labor intensive 

U.S. strategy in Afghanistan combining military force with efforts to gain civilian support.

Landmines

cheap used by guerillas have lasting impact & expensive to disassemble 

• Somalia (  c) taken over by Islamists, Ethiopian army (ally of somalia) came strong/organized and ultimately lost to Islamists who switched to Guerilla tactics (landmines, etc) and Islamists regained control of Somalia territory. 

Naval Forces

power projection allow states to project power over sea using ships, submarines and aircrafts to influence distant regions and protect trade routes (power projection)

U.S. aircraft carriers operating in the South China Sea.

Power projection

ability to have influence in far countries/regions due to military force (ex: submarines & aircraft carriers - mobile platforms for attack aircrafts, surface ships)

WMDs

• 3 types have dual concerns which raises many concerns (ex: chem - chemical gassing vs. fertilizers, bio - Bacteria Viruses vs. Vaccines) 

• Nuclear 

• Chemical

• Biological 

• Proliferation: rapid increase / hard to control (ex: “chemical proliferation” & “biological proliferation”)

Nuclear weapons held by the U.S., Russia, China

ABM

1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty between:

• United States

• Soviet Union

What the treaty did:

• Limited both countries to two ABM sites each (later reduced to one)

• Restricted development and deployment of nationwide missile defense shields

• because of MAD mutually assured destruction - mutual vulnerability

NPT Non proliferation treaty

created a framework for controlling the spread of nuclear materials and expertise 

•  Stronger form of proliferation is the development by states of nuclear complexes to produce their own nuclear weapons on an ongoing basis. 

 (The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is charged with inspecting the nuclear power industry in member states to prevent secret military diversions of nuclear material) 

History 1990s, A.Q Khan in Pakistan sold a bomb kits with low grade uranium, enrichment centrifuges and bomb designs to Libya, Iran and North Korea. Eventually Libya gave up its program but NKs ongoing program and Iran's putative program continue to roil IR.

Proliferation

rapid increase / hard to control (ex: “chemical proliferation” & “biological proliferation”)

in the context of WMDs

Realism

• States seek security → proliferation is rational self-help.

• Proliferation may create security dilemmas and arms races.

Liberalism

• Institutions (NPT, IAEA) can slow or regulate proliferation.

• Emphasizes monitoring, verification, agreements.

Constructivism

• Norms and identities shape whether states view nuclear weapons as necessary or taboo.

• Nuclear “taboo” is a key idea (Tannenwald).

SDI Strategic Defense Initiative

- shifted MAD to active defense which alarmed Soviet Union and created tension

• 1972 Anti- ballistic missile treaty between US and Soviet Union 

• President Reagons strategic defense initiative in 1983

Strategic Triad

prolonged nuclear delivery systems

• ICBMs : Land Based Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (hardened silos range 9000+ mi)

• SLBM: Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (sea based and mobile) 

• Bombers: Air based and mobile when not on ground 

Cruise Missiles

significant role in deterrence and power projection cruise missiles fly horizontally in the atmosphere for most of their flight & highly maneuverable

Biological Weapons Convention

Prohibits the use of, development and production of biological and toxin weapons (shaped global norm against these weapons providing framework for cooperation)

Chemical Weapons Convention

treaty that promotes peace and security by prohibiting the development, production and use of chemical weapons - near universal membership  that allows one state to request a surprise inspection of another member  state. 

Coup d’état

Chain of Command

 line of authority leads by military power

State-sponsored terrorism

occurs when a state government supports non-state terrorist groups through funding, weapons, or safe haven, often for geopolitical goals like destabilizing rivals or suppressing dissent.

MAD

 Mutually Assured Destruction/ Deterrence Theory 

• won’t attack because enemy in turn will destroy you.

CTBT (TREATY)

 comprehensive nuclear test-ban treaty aims to halt nuclear explosions through global ban to prevent nuclear weapon development - builds international norms against testing, hinders proliferation and is a key variable in nuclear arms control.

Drones

altering modern warfare by making it cheaper, faster and more tempting at a low cost - drones have proven effectiveness at destabilizing global politics and reshaping battlefield performance. 

MTCR

Missile technology control regime, industrialized states try to limit the flow of missile- relevant technology to states in the global South - they've had limited success 

(2009 Iran tested a missile that could reach