104 In class Concept Test

State

A political entity with territorial borders and political authorities that enjoy sovereignty

Sovereignty

The capacity to govern residents within a given territory and to establish relationships with governments that control other states

Nation

Collections of people who share a common culture, history or language

Imperialism

A state strategy in which one country conquers foreign lands to turn them into colonies

Anarchy

The idea that in international relations there is no centralised world government to settle disputes amongst states and protect weak ones from strong ones

Security dilemma

When a state takes steps to increase their security which leads to reduced security due to the reaction it prompts in other states

Commercial liberalism

The idea that economic interdependence promotes peaceful relations amongst states by increasing their interest in stability

Power transition

The change in relative power between two or more states often due to technological innovations and uneven economic growth

Interstate war

Direct military conflict between two or more national governments

Democratic peace

The theory that democracies are unusually peaceful towards each other

Globalisation

The ongoing process of international economic and technological integration made possible by advances in transportation and communication

Levels of analysis

Different ways of explaining why things happen in international politics, grouped into three levels - individual, state and international

Strategic culture

The shared beliefs and assumptions of government elites about the world, such as which states are allies and enemies

Norm

A standard of appropriate behaviour for actors with a given identity

International institution

Sets of rules, principles and expectations that govern interstate interaction

Deterrence

The use of power resources to discourage a state from acting aggressively

Diplomacy

The process by which representatives of two or more governments meet and discuss matters of common concern

Peacekeeping

UN action after an international or internal war ends that is aimed at keeping the warring parties apart and enforcing peace settlements

Mediation

The practice of third-party conflict resolution where one or more external actors attempts to use diplomatic means to promote the negotiated settlement of a dispute or conflict