IB Global Politics HL Vocabulary

States

countries with defined political borders, governments, and militaries

International governmental organizations (IGOs)

refers to an entity created by a treaty, involving two or more nations, to work in good faith on issues of common interest.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

any non-profit, voluntary citizen's group which is independent from any state government or IGO. Can operate on a local, state, regional, or global level

Power

The ability to affect others to get the outcome one wants

Hard power

The use of external rewards or punishments to get an actor to do what you want. Usually means military power, but global actors have other resources they can use as rewards or punishments

Soft power

The ability to attract and persuade others to your side through the projection of your ideas, culture, and values

Concerted Relationships

The capacity of a mobilized group to act together in the pursuit of common goals or in support of common values

Sovereignty

the authority of a state to govern itself or another state

Negative sovereingty

only applies to states, comes from being recognized by the international community. It means that states are legally equal, they cannot interfere in the internal affairs of another state, and they cannot disturb or change the territory of another state.

Positive Sovereingty

States abilities to effectively govern their people and be their own masters.

Responsible Sovereingty

States maintain their sovereignty by being responsible global actors. If they are not exercising proper responsibility for their citizens, for global resources, and for global threats, then the global community may intervene.

Pooled Sovereingty

States share decision-making powers in IGOs for the purpose of more efficient cooperation.

Legitimacy

An action or an actor that is considered acceptable is considered legitimate.

Anarchy

The belief that there is no higher authority

Realism

-Anarchy, no higher authority

-States are all that matter -- institutions have no independent power if they do it's because states give it to them

-States are concerned with their own security and survival (military)-- do not have deep common interests (looking out for themselves)

-States stay secure through power, primarily hard power

-Cooperation can occur but only short term and if it advances a state's interests

Liberalism

-States matter but so do institutions and other global actors -- institutions have independent power

-States concerned with their own security and survival (economics)

-States have deep common interests

-States stay secure through cooperation, rule-based institutions, and commitment to common, liberal goals -- soft power and cooperation

-Cooperation can occur on a long-term basis

Constructivism

no reality, we make reality, we construct it for ourselves

Interdependence

The degree to which members of the group are mutually dependent on others

Development

Orthodox: focus upon economic terms such as the economic output of a country

Modern: focus upon more sustainable development as opposed to just technological development and riches

Economic development

The most important area of development. Focused on GDP.

Political Development

Having a stable political environment where the people receive the best benefits and rights

Social Development

involves learning the values, knowledge, and skills that enable children to relate to others effectively and to contribute in positive ways to family, school, and the community

Environmental Development

having the ability to sustain your environment while you improve other areas of the state like health and wealth

Barriers of development

Factors that may affect development: geography and environment, political and government, economy and poverty trap, social/education/demographic

Sustainable Development

Development focused on three pillars: environment, economic growth, social inclusion

Gross National Product (GNP)

Total economic output of a country

Human Development Index (HDI)

Combines life expectancy, education, and income per capita. Takes into account the GNP but also the well-being of people.

Happy Planet Index (HPI)

Tells us how well nations are doing at achieving long, sustainable, happy lives

Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)

Calculates how corrupt the government of a state or establishment is

Millenium Development Goals (MDGs)

The world's time-bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions -- income, poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion -- while promoting gender equality, education, and environmental sustainability

Priorities: get rid of poverty and hunger, achieve universal education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, and develop a global partnership for development

Sustainable Development Goals

A set of goals created by the United Nations. A more in-depth version of the MDGs and take into consideration things that the MDGs did not

Priorities: No poverty, no hunger, good health, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, renewable energy, good jobs and economic growth, innovation and infrastructure, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption, climate action, life below water, life on land, peace and justice, partnership for the goals

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

Investment by company of one country in a business in another host country. Can be building business in another country or controlling a business in another country.

Human rights

rights that all people have simply by the virtue of being human. Human rights are defined by several principles which essentially state that human rights belong to all people under all conditions.

Universality

A person has human rights no matter where he/she lives

Equality

Each person has the same human rights, no matter the person's sex, religion, age, physical abilities, etc

Inalienability

Human rights may not be taken away because a person has them by virtue of being human

Indivisibility

All human rights have equal value. They cannot be divided into categories of hierarchies of importance

Interdependence (Human rights)

Each human right depends upon all the others to be fully realized

Negative Rights

A claim by one person that imposes a negative duty on all others -- the duty not to interfere with a person's activities in a certain area (government doesn't have to provide you with any help to speak freely, or give you resources, they just can't impede you from doing it)

Positive Rights

Rights which impose a positive duty on us -- the duty to actively help a person to have or do something

First Generation Rights

Refers to civil and political rights that protect an individual's human liberty and political participation

Second Generation Rights

rights which refer to social and economic rights that allow an individual being to realize his or her development and fulfillment (ex. Right to health care)

Third Generation Rights

refer to group or collective rights that allow groups of people to develop

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

Document written by the UN (1948) which declared the rights which all people must have. Established universal human rights that should be followed by all. One of the first documents to be recognized outlining universal human rights.

Human Rights Declaration

a non legally binding or enforceable set of laws to follow to ensure human rights.

Human Rights Convention

only legally binding to the states that ratify them

Reservations, Understandings, Declarations (RUD)

a way for a state to evade a legally binding human rights convention or to evade any legally binding human rights action

United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)

a subsidiary of the UN that is responsible for making decisions on human rights violations

Cultural Relativism

the belief that a culture should be looked at as if the person evaluating was a part of that culture. An outsider should reserve all judgements until they truly understand the cultural principles

Democratic Peace Theory

the proposition that democratic states refrain from waging war on one another. This theory is the preposition that democracies are generally more peaceful in their foreign relations.

Human Right Norm

something that is accepted as standard and accepted behavior regarding human rights

Human Right Regime

customary international law (something so many people believe and follow its just international law), regime (a system or planned way of doing something). Standards by which human rights are regularly implemented in every state

Monitoring

Human rights bodies do this to overlook states' human rights practices (Human rights watch)

Capacity Building

Makes states more independent and improves their behaviors by helping rather than critiquing to help everyone get on the same level

Responsibility to Protect (R2P)

Sovereignty means that states are responsible for the protection of their citizens. If a state fails to uphold that responsibility, it becomes the responsibility of the international community.

The responsibility of states to intervene in the affairs of other states when there is a severe violation of human rights or extreme loss of human life

Universal Jurisdiction

allows states or IGOs to try an accused person regardless of where the alleged crime was committed, and where the accused is from or living. Important for human rights because it aims to eliminate safe havens for actors who commit genocide, war crimes, and other grave human rights abuses.

Amnesty

pardon for any crimes committed. Often used as an incentive to get rebels or leaders to give up fighting or give up power. Seen as a method of reconciliation between warring sides.

European Union (EU)

an IGO that is made up of multiple states in Europe (both an economic and political union)

North-Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Military alliance in Europe and the Americas, attempt to recruit Ukraine, which led to conflict with Russia

Paris Climate Agreement (PCA)

An agreement with the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change that seeks the anticipation of multiple global actors to lower greenhouse gas emissions starting in the year 2020.

Tragedy of the Commons

Shared, unregulated resource open to everyone -- best to treat the open resource sustainably so it lasts longer for everyone, but individuals have the incentive to use it selfishly, and thus deplete the open resource

Collective Action problem

multiple actors would benefit from taking a collective action, but there is a cost to taking that action, thus, individual actors may hope not to take the action and free-ride off the actions of others

Negative Peace

Absence of fighting or war

Postive Peace

Peace is not defined by the absence of violence, but by the existence of positive goals, mindsets, and relations.

Direct Violence

War, torture, degrading punishment, deliberate infliction of pain.

Structural Violence

The structures and systems that keep one group at center of power and majority at the periphery of power.

Cultural Violence

Parts of culture that help justify or legitimize direct or structural violence

Traditional concept of conflict

conflict is to be avoided to maintain peace (negative peace)

Untransformed conflict

a conflict which has not been fully resolved to the point where further conflict will not restart

Transformed conflict

transformed conflict leads to new understandings among groups and new realities that promote peace (ways both sides meet and find a way where they can satisfy both of their goals)

Greed Theory of civil war

when people go to civil war because they have something to gain from going to war, particularly economic power

Grievance Theory of civil war

Go into civil war to make change

Latent conflict

period where there is underlying conflict in the community that is not yet observable -- this could be cultural and structural conflict

Conflict Emergence

This is the trigger Action that starts the direct conflict

Conflict Escalation

This is when the conflict escalates and becomes more intense

Stalemate

During a .........., the conflict has reached a plateau because there are no other steps for both sides to take. This is a good time to negotiate.

Conflict Deescalation and negotiation

After the stalemate, negotiation take place and steps are being taken to end the direct violence and transform the conflict

Peace-building and reconciliation

After the direct conflict has ended, steps must be taken to ensure that the country can remain peaceful. Reconciliation is to ensure that the people can come to peace with what has happened and perpetrators and victims can live together with no further conflict emerging.

Just-War Theory

it states that taking a human life is seriously wrong and unethical and should not be killed in war

Non-violent resistance

using nonviolent means to oppose a person or an institution which is oppressive

Peacemaking

any action to bring hostile parties to agreement, essentially through such peaceful means -- creating negative peace

Peacekeeping

maintain negative peace and create an environment to begin building positive peace, involves the employment of peacekeeping forces (used to keep peace and help establish stability of peace) -- creating negative and begin building positive peace

Peacebuilding

Goal is to transform the conflict to create a new reality, structures, and relations that lead to sustainable peace, equality, and justice -- transforming conflict and creating positive peace -- Two different approaches:

Structural approach: create new institutions, systems, and structures that promote equality, liberty, justice, and human development

Relational approach: transform relationships and bonds among people to promote unity and reduce hatred

Transitional Justice

Response to systematic or widespread violations of human rights. It seeks recognition for victims and promotion of possibilities for peace, reconciliation and democracy. Transitional justice is not a special form of justice but justice adapted to societies transforming themselves after a period of pervasive human rights abuse. In some cases, these transformations happen suddenly; in others, they may take place over many decades.

Retributive Justice

justice that focuses on punishing offenders, justice as accountability -- you need to hold the worst offenders accountable to gain justice and maintain negative and positive peace

Restorative Justice

Justice that focuses on rehabilitating offenders through reconciliation with victims, justice as reconciliation and reintegration, supposed to restore communities and individuals

Terrorism (US State Department definition)

Politically motivated violence directed at civilians and perpetrated by non-state groups

Coercion

threaten target to make concessions by imposing costs

Provocation

Want the target to respond with a disproportionate amount of force so that the people at "home" won't feel sympathy for them

Spoiling

Attack to sabotage possible cooperation between terrorists home government and the target

Outbidding

Have to compete against other actors for the support of the home population

Non-state actors

corporations, media organizations, business magnates, people's liberation movements, lobby groups, religious groups, aid agencies, terrorist groups