3) international politics

an ambassador

a diplomat sent to a foreign country to represent his own country either for a special occasion or for a longer period

an embassy

the official building where an ambassador and his staff work

a mission

a group of people sent abroad to carry out an official taks e.g. trade mission to China

an envoy

a special messenger from one government to another

tensions

the relations between countries are difficult and unfriendly because there is suspicion and distrust

a conference / talks

formal occasions of serious talking between politicians

a summit

an important formal meeting between leaders of governments from two or more countries

a treaty / a pact

a formal agreement between two or more countries to do sth to help each other

sanction (against)

to punish sb for not obeying international law

an embargo

an order to temporarily stop sth esp. trading or giving information

the armed forces

a country’s military that consists of its army, navy and airforce

troops

soldiers when they are in a large controlled group or on a particular mission

a paratrooper

a soldier trained to be dropped from an aircraft with a parachute

the barracks

the buildings where the soldiers live

to enlist

to join the armed forces

to call sb up

to order sb to join the military or to ask sb to join an official team

a conscript

sb who has been forced to serve in an army

to draft sb

(AmE) a person who has been ordered by law to join the armed forces

a volunteer

sb who joins sth of their own free will

a recruit

a person who has just joined the armed forces and is not yet trained

a mercenary

A soldier who is hired to fight in a foreign army

a veteran

a soldier with much or long experience or simply an ex-serviceman

a casualty / a loss

a person who is injured or killed in war

a civilian

a person who is not a member of the armed forces

a militia

a force of civilians who are trained as soldiers and reinforce the regular army

an intervention

the action of becoming internationally involved in a difficult situation, in order to improve or prevent it from getting worse

a blockade

the surrounding or closing off of a place, esp. a port to prevent people or goods from getting in or out

to wage sth

to start a war against a country

espionage

to send spies to enemy countries to obtain secret information about the military affairs of these countries

a combat / action

a fight during a war

hostilities break out

fighting in a war

an assault

a violent attack

an ambush

a surprise attack from a hidden position

a raid

a sudden surprise attack followed by quick withdrawal

to besiege sth

to surround a place with armed forces (a siege)

advance

When the troops ……. , they are going forward

to shell sth

to attack with continuous heavy gunfire or bombs

an annihilation

a complete destruction, so that nothing or no one is left

to take / to capture / to seize

using force to gain possession of a place

to invade

to enter a country by force with large numbers of soldiers

to conquer

to take control or possession of a country by force

to occupy

to move into and take control of a place

a collaborator

a person who works with an enemy who has taken control of their country

to commit treason

to betray your country by helping its enemies

to resist

to fight back

to reinforcce

to make soldiers stronger by providing them with more weapons and more soldiers

to drive sth off

to chase off the enemy

a victory

the act of winning a war

to defeat

to win against someone in a war

a triumph

a victory that was an outstanding achievement

a withdrawal

an act of moving sth back, a retreat

to give in/up

to stop fighting back

to yield

to surrender

to liberate

to make sth free from being under the political or military control

an ally

a country that has a treaty to help and support it during a war

a ceasefire

an agreement between enemies to stop fighting for a certain time

to disarm

to take weapons away from sb

to (re)arm

to supply sb with new weapons

the terrorist threat

threats by people who uses violent action for political purposes

an extremist

sb who has beliefs that most people think are unreasonable

to hijack sth

to take control of an aircraft or other vehicle during a journey

to take sb hostage

to take sb as a prisoner by an enemy in order to force the other people involved to do what the enemy wants

demands

something asked for forcefully

a ransom

a large amount of money that is demanded in exchange for sb who has been taken hostage

to kidnap

to take a person away illegaly by force

captivity

the situation in which sb is kept somewhere and is not allowed to leave

to release

to set sb free

a bomb scare

a situation in which people are warned that a bomb has been left somewhere and people are told to leave the area or building

an outrage

a shoking, and usually violent action

to oppress sb

to govern people in an unfair and cruel way and prevent them from having opportunities and freedom

civil war

a war fought by different groups of people living in the same country

uprising / insurrection

an act of opposition by many people, sometimes using violence, against those who are in power

a freedomfighter

sb who is fighting against the government in their own country

a guerrilla

a member of an unofficial military group that is trying to change the government by making sudden, unexpected attacks on the official army forces