Bova, International Relations Exam #2

Spring 2026

state

a political unit able to exercise effective governance and control over a well=defined piece of territory and its population

nation

group of people who see themselves, due to shared historical and cultural experiences, as members of a common group

nation-state

a state that exists to provide territory and governance for a group of people who see themselves as a single nation

Peace of Westphalia

collective term for two 1648 treaties that brought an end to the Thirty Years War and marked the birth of the modern international system (the Westphalian system) in which states are the primary actors

bandwagoning

joining sides with a dominant or rising power in order to be on the winning wide. it is the opposite of balancing

Concert of Europe

series of meetings and conferences and the rules they generated that took place among the great powers of Europe from 1815 to 1848 and that were intended to produce stability and order

balancer state

in a balance of power system, a balancer state is one with both an interest and capability to ensure that power is kept relatively in balance

collective security

approach to order in which a global coalition of states agrees to act collectively to repel aggression against any other state in the international system. Also used to apply to regional alliances (NATO) that adopt a collective security approach among their own membership

appeasement

making concessions in order to avoid war

spheres of influence

approach to int’l order in which key parts of the world would be designated as under the influence of one or the other of the great powers

proxy war

a conflict in which one state confront a main rival via third parties

bipolarity

An international system in which only two major powers are capable of seriously threatening the security and sovereignty of one another

multilateral vs. bilateral treaties

treaties between multiple, or only two, states designed to regulate some aspect of their relationship with one another, legally binding on contracting parties

RUDs

reservation understanding declarations; exemptions states can make for themselves when signing a treaty

customary int’l law

long-established norms of behavior among states that, though not formalized in treaties, are routinely respected and come over time to be viewed as obligatory under international law

Int’l Court of Justice (ICJ)

the “world court” in the Hague, court issues advisory rules and contention rulings

compulsory jurisdiction

the ICJ lacks this because it can’t force a party to show up for court

optional clause

article 36 of the ICJ, provides an opportunity for states to accept the jurisdiction of the ICJ in advance of any case to which they might be a party and in which the other involved parties have also accepted the court’s jurisdiction

“Three Rs” used to implement punsihment for a state

Reprisals: states put sanctions of criminal countries, Reputation: the reputation of a country suffers effecting things like trade & alliances, Reciprocity: countries may now commit similar crimes against the offender

Security Council

has 5 permanent members and 10 non-permanent that can make legally binding resolutions

great power unanimity principle

that to be effective, the Security Council needs all the great powers in board

Secretariat

the UN’s executive branch, leads day to day operations

chapter VII authority

the security council shall determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide what measures shall be taken to maintain or restore international peace and security

peace enforcement

reverse cross border aggression (Korea, Kuwait/Iraq), large combat troops

peacekeeping

(first-gen peacekeeping) maintain a ceasefire, light forces

peacemaking

(second-gen peacekeeping) impose a ceasefire, moderate force, new type of intervention

Uniting for Peace Resolution

if one of the 5 permanent members vetoes a resolution, it can be sent ti the GA

closet veto

implied threat to use the Security Council veto, it can shape the Security Council agendas, discussions, and resolutions in a way intended to avoid actual use of the veto, rendering the veto important even when not formally exercised

human rights revolution

move to make the internal human rights performance of a state subject to international regulation, monitoring, and enforcement

cultural relativism

different cultures have different human rights standards and attempts to impose universal notions of human rights risks imposing standards alien to the local culture

Human Rights Council

UN body established in 2005 to monitor human rights practices of states. intended to be more effective than the UN Commission on Human Rights

CNN Effect

impact and power of human rights abuses transmitted via the media in galvanizing world opinion to pressure governments to do something about human rights abuses

humanitarian intervention

use of military measures by the int’l community to end human rights abuses in an otherwise sovereign state

Rwanda genocide

100 day period of Tutsi (minority) ethnic cleansing committed by the Hutus (majority)

ethnic cleansing

ridding an area of members of an unwanted ethnic group through acts of violence that make life so dangerous that they choose to flee, thereby cleansing the region and making it ethnically pure

Responsibility to Protect

global norm endorsed by the UN that states have responsibility to protect their citizens from human rights abuses and that, when states fail to do so, the international community has both a right and responsibility to intervene

ad hoc tribunals

temporary courts established by the UN Security Council to prosecute human rights abuses

universal jurisdiction

idea that in the case of grave violations of human rights, the judicial bodies of a sovereign state may exercise jurisdiction without regard to the territory where the crime was committed or the nationality of the perpetrators or victims

Int’l Criminal Court (ICC)

Established in 1998 by the Rome Statute, it is the court of international human rights law intended to try individuals (not states) accused of geonicde, war crimes, or crimes against humanity

Nuremburg Tribunal

tribunal established by the victors in WW2 to prosecute Nazi officials against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity

perestroiker

Soviet PM Gorbachev’s policies to bring market economy to the USSR

glasnost

“openess” policy in Gorbachev’s USSR that relaxed censorship and allowed for more information/media

Kinstler

ICC holds no real authority as any country can pull out of the Rome Statute

Hathaway

Russia has been isolated from UN proceedings and the UN is attempting Russias power

effective law enforcement

isn’t any mechanism to enforce court rulings and the law, Three Rs: reprisals, reputation, and reciprocity used to implement punishment against a state

law adjudication

most cases go to ICJ, and the court issues advisory rulings and contention rulings between countries. however, the court lacks compulsory jurisdiction so the Optional Clause is needed so the countries automatically agree to the ruling

law making

comes from treaties, customs, general principles of law, and rulings of international courts

consent problem

concerns realists as various countries havent consented/agreed to specific laws so rules dont apply to everyone

Autesserre

UN often makes top down decisions with elites instead of addressing local concerns

Tharoor

universal human rights cant be enforced because of cultural relativism, however underdeveloped countries are the first to pass human rights resolution

Poser

no binding document to enforce human rights and laws are ambiguous