Cold War to Realism and Liberalism Review

Flashcards covering key concepts from lecture notes on the Cold War, different schools of Realism (Classical, Structural, Neoclassical), and an introduction to Liberalism in International Relations.

Cold War

An era marked by an arms race, particularly a nuclear arms race, between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Nuclear Arms Race

A competition between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War to build as many nuclear weapons as possible.

Deterrent (in international relations)

A signal sent to an adversary that a state possesses significant military capacity, capable of causing destruction, which discourages military engagement.

Self-Help (Realism)

A core realist principle stating that countries cannot trust one another and must rely solely on their own capabilities for security and survival, as all countries act in their self-interest.

National Interest

The primary driver of all countries' actions, prioritizing their nation's well-being, security, and strategic benefits.

Realpolitik

A foreign policy approach emphasized by realism that prioritizes national interests and strategic calculation over values, morality, or ideological considerations.

Interests Over Values

A concept within realpolitik where a state's strategic and material benefits are given precedence over considerations such as human rights, democracy, or moral solidarity.

Three S's of Realism

The core tenets of realist thought: Survival, Statism (the state as the primary actor), and Self-help.

Stability (in realist thought)

Not a core feature of realist thought; the international system is inherently volatile and unstable, with stability only potentially created by a dominant power.

Classical Realism

A school of thought in realism that attributes state behavior to objective laws rooted in unchanging human nature, particularly the impulse for power.

Structural Realism (Neorealism)

A school of thought that attributes state behavior primarily to the anarchic structure of the international system, arguing that the system compels states to compete for power to ensure survival.

Neoclassical Realism

A school of thought that combines structural factors (like international anarchy) with domestic-level variables (such as regime type, leadership, or domestic politics) to explain state behavior.

Anarchy (International Relations)

The absence of a central, overarching authority or government above states in the international system, leading states to prioritize their own survival.

Offensive Realism

A variant of structural realism that argues states constantly seek to maximize their power, aiming for global hegemony, because they can never know how much power is truly enough to ensure survival.

Defensive Realism

A variant of structural realism that argues states pursue an 'appropriate amount' of power to maintain their security, as excessive power can lead to systemic reactions from other states forming alliances to balance against it.

Balance of Power

A concept in international relations describing a distribution of power where no single state or bloc is dominant, often leading states to form alliances to counteract an aspiring hegemon.

Status Quo State

A state that generally upholds and benefits from the current international order, often seeking to maintain its existing position and rules.

Revisionist State

A state that attempts to change the existing international order, often because it feels constrained by it or believes a new order would better serve its interests.

Liberalism (International Relations)

A theoretical tradition that, while acknowledging international anarchy, believes in the possibility of progress, cooperation, and perpetual peace through institutions, democracy, and economic interdependence, viewing human nature as fundamentally peaceful.

Thirty Years' War

A devastating 17th-century European conflict whose aftermath spurred intellectual inquiry into how to avoid constant warfare, significantly influencing the development of liberal thought.

Just War Theory

A theory, notably developed by Hugo Grotius, that outlines ethical criteria for when it is permissible to go to war (jus ad bellum) and how to conduct war ethically (jus in bello), generally limiting warfare to self-defense under specific circumstances.

Perpetual Peace

Immanuel Kant's idea that lasting peace among nations can be achieved through the widespread establishment of democratic republics and adherence to international law and cooperation.