International Studies Exam Review: Global Issues and Perspectives

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards detailing core concepts, key authors, institutional theories, and definitions across global migration, human rights, economic development, and international climate cooperation.

Traditional Refugee Protections (International Law)

Legal protections that traditionally apply only to individuals fleeing persecution based on specific grounds such as race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

Gap in International Refugee Law (Doyle)

The legal vulnerability identified by Michael W. Doyle where people displaced by environmental changes and climate emergencies (such as rising sea levels or droughts) do not qualify for automatic protection under traditional refugee frameworks.

CEDAW

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women; an international treaty that citizens and activists use as a domestic tool to pressure governments to reform discriminatory laws and advance women's rights.

United Nations Genocide Convention

An international agreement established to prevent and punish genocide, whose enforcement is frequently hindered by national sovereignty concerns and competing political or economic alliances.

National Sovereignty (in Genocide Prevention)

The principle that countries hold exclusive authority over their own territory, causing foreign states to hesitate to intervene or enforce international law against atrocities occurring inside another nation's borders.

Development as Freedom

Amartya Sen's perspective that development should be measured by the expansion of real substantive freedoms and opportunities available to individuals in everyday life, rather than solely by national income or GDP growth.

Political Freedoms (Sen)

One of Amartya Sen's five essential freedoms, defined as the capacity to vote, express opinions openly, and participate in governance.

Economic Opportunities (Sen)

One of Amartya Sen's five essential freedoms, defined as having access to employment, income, and necessary economic resources.

Social Opportunities (Sen)

One of Amartya Sen's five essential freedoms, defined as societal arrangements that provide access to essential social services such as education and healthcare.

Transparency Guarantees (Sen)

One of Amartya Sen's five essential freedoms, characterized by the existence of honest institutions, openness, and free access to information.

Protective Security (Sen)

One of Amartya Sen's five essential freedoms, defined as a social safety net providing institutional support to people experiencing emergencies, poverty, or severe economic hardship.

Structural Causes of Poverty (Straus & Driscoll)

Historical inequalities and global economic structures—such as debt burdens, limited infrastructure, political instability, and unequal international relationships—that cause developing nations to struggle independently of domestic choices.

Liberal International Order

The overarching system of international rules, treaties, and institutional bodies designed to encourage multilateral cooperation among sovereign nations.

Institutional Resilience (Thompson)

The capacity of international institutions to survive disagreements, shifting political leadership, and withdrawals of support by adapting to new circumstances rather than collapsing entirely.

Subnational Climate Cooperation (Good Authority)

International engagement conducted by states and local governments—such as California partnering directly with China on clean energy and emissions—independent of political friction at the national leadership level.

International Cooperation (Core Theme)

The concept that addressing transboundary challenges requires collective action among countries, though differing economic interests and political priorities complicate consensus.

Limits of International Law (Core Theme)

The principle that while international human rights conventions empower domestic activism, their actual enforcement and protection mechanisms remain limited by state sovereignty and geopolitical interests.