Unit 4 - Conflict, War, and Terrorism

hegemonic war

war for control of the world order

ex. World War II

total war

staged to take complete control of another state; mobilizes all aspects of society (economy, draft)

ex. Napoleonic Wars

limited war

gain an objective short of conquering

ex. US invading Iraq to convince them to leave Kuwait

raid

a single, short attack (invasion, air strike)

civil war

war between factions within a state

ex. US Civil War (secessionist); El Salvador Civil War (for state control)

guerrilla war

war without front-lines, often makes civilians a target (cannot differentiate between soldiers and civilians as there is no specified territory)

ex. Vietnam War

security sector reform

reform the military and police force after a war

truth commissions

hear testimony about war to help society heal

individual

war centers on rationality- war is a rational decision made by a leader or war is started by leaders that deviate from rationality

ex. education of people

domestic

characteristics that make a nation prone/not prone to war- political parties and interest groups can shape conflict (society can change)

interstate

power transition theory holds that the largest wars occur when a nation tries to overtake a hegemon; research is being done on the influence of democracy, trade, etc.

global

wars are cyclical; one theory links war with economy (50 years) and one says that wars occur every 100 years based on creation and decay of the world order

nationalism

devotion to a state's interest above collective

self determination

people who identify as a nation have the right to form a state (typically seen as secondary to sovereignty and territory)- typically achieved through violence

ethnic group

group that shares ancestry, language, culture, and or religion

genocide

systematic extermination of ethnic/religious groups

kinship group

group of related individuals with common ancestors

ethnocentrism

-in group bias

-tendency to see one's own group in favorable terms (and out-group in unfavorable terms)

-stronger when one group has a different appearance, language, religion, etc.

fundamentalist movement

organizes life around religious beliefs

secular politics

no religion associated with government

territorial disputes

over where a border is drawn or ownership of a space

secession

nation secedes from an existing state (creating a new border)

UN convention on the law of the sea

-waters within 3 miles of shore are territory

-12-mile shipping limit

-200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ)

infantry

foot soldiers

counterinsurgency

effort to win the "hearts and minds" of the people (about both political gains and military strength)

landmine

small container of explosives underground that is activated by a sensor

power projection

use of military force in far away regions (ex. aircraft carriers)

national security agency

encodes US communications and decodes foreign communications (has gathered US civilian info)

electronic warfare

use of the electromagnetic spectrum in war (ex. using stealth technology to scatter enemy radar and cyber war)

cyber war

disrupting enemy computer networks to degrade command and control (hacking)

weapons of mass destruction

-nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons

-have the potential to kill a lot of people

fission weapons

-atomic bomb

-one atom is split into two, lost mass is turned into energy

-Uranium-235 and plutonium (hard to obtain)

strategic weapons

hit an enemy

tactical weapons

used in battle

ballistic weapons

-carry a warhead out of the atmosphere and then down to a target

-intercontinental ballistic missiles range 5,000+ miles

-short and middle-range missiles are cheap enough to be bought by lower income nations

cruise missile

winged missile that can navigate across thousands of miles of terrain

missile technology control regime

industrialized states try to limit missile technology in the global South (not extremely effective: Israel, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, North Korea, Argentina, and Brazil have short-range missiles)

chemical weapons

releases chemicals that kill/harm people (can range from irritating to lethal)

biological weapons

use deadly microorganisms or biologically derived toxins

biological weapons convention

-100+ nations

-banned the development, production, and possession of biological weapons (does not ban research --> no investigation of these facilities)

proliferation

spread of weapons of mass destruction

non-proliferation treaty

created rules for controlling the spread of weapons

international atomic energy agency

inspects nuclear power plants

strategic defense initiative

attempt by the US to develop defenses that can shoot down missiles

comprehensive test ban treaty

-calls to stop all nuclear test explosions, and to stop the production of new types of nuclear weapons

-does not go into effect until all 44 states with the power to make weapons sign it (US has not yet ratified it)

military government

military controls the government

coup d'etat

seizure of power by force by the military

civilian supremacy

civilian leaders are above military leaders (get to decide where a military fights) -- relations are not always smooth between the two