POLI 150 Chapter 6 Flashcards

civil war

a way in which the main participants are within the same state, such as the government and a rebel group

terrorism

the use or threatened use of violence against noncombatant targets by individuals or nonstate groups for political ends

asymmetric warfare

armed conflict between actors with highly unequal military capabilities, such as when rebel groups or terrorists fight strong states

separatist

an actor that seeks to create an independent state on territory carved from an existing state

irredentist

an actor that seeks to detach a region from one country and attach it to another, usually because of shared ethnic or religious ties

proxy wars

conflicts in which two opposing states “fight” by supporting opposite sides in a war, such as the government and rebels in a third state

insurgency

a military strategy in which small, often lightly armed units engage in a hit and run attack against military, government, and civilian targets

extremists

actors whose interests are not widely shared by others; individuals or groups that are politically weak relative to the demands they make

coercion

a strategy of imposing or threatening to impose costs on other actors in order to induce a change in their behavior

provocation

a strategy of terrorist attacks intended to provoke the target government into making a disproportionate response that alienates moderates in the terrorists’ home society or in other sympathetic audiences

spoiling

a strategy of terrorist attacks intended to sabotage a prospective peace between the target and moderate leadership from the terrorists’ home society

outbidding

a strategy of terrorist attacks designed to demonstrate superior capability and commitment relative to other groups devoted to the same cause.