World Politics Main Ideas

rally effect

short term boost in approval of the government from a foreign policy crisis (ex. bush after 9/11)

military industrial complex

an alliance of military leaders and arms manufacturers who presumably have vested interest in an aggressive foreign policy

mercantilism

a system by which imperial governments used military power to enrich themselves and their supporters by forcing colonies into exclusionary economic relations with the home country

norms

generally accepted standards of behavior

laws/rules

a set of agreements on how conflict is arbitrated and how to punish those who breach the norms

organizations

agents to implement rules/laws

institutions

norms, laws/rules, and organizations

alliances

established to strengthen commitments to allies for compatible interests and signal to potential rivals a credible commitment to fight together in the event of war

collective security

organizations formed around a common interest that ALL states are presumed to share

terrorism

premeditated threat or use of violence against
noncombatant targets by individuals or subnational groups to obtain a political objective through intimidation of a larger audience

What Can the International Community Do
to Reduce and/or Prevent Civil War?

A long-term commitment to peacekeeping operations, economic development, and democratization

goal of terrorism

not to defeat the opponent’s armed
forces but to create fear (i.e., psychological impact) by attacking civilians, which will lead the authorities to make political concessions

civil war

armed conflict that occurs between organized actors within the same state (such as the government and rebel groups)

characteristics of civil wars

• spill across borders

• fought by people who arent professional soldiers

• often connected to illegal activites

• affect civilians most

causes of civil wars

grievances and greed (resource curse)

resource curse

The paradox that countries with an abundance of natural resources tend to experience things like poor governance, low levels of economic development, civil wars, and dictatorships

absolute advantage

The ability of a country to produce more of a
particular good or service than other
countries using the same amount of effort
and resources

comparative advantage

The ability of a country or firm to produce a
particular good or service more efficiently
than other goods or services, such that its
resources are most efficiently employed in
this activity → Opportunity costs

mutual benefits of trade

voluntary exchange benefits all, division of labor and specialization

wealth of nations (1776)

adam smith argued that self sufficiency is foolish because a greater division of labor makes societies wealthier

General agreement on tariffs and trade (GATT)

partial solution to the free trade issue, not an international organization, series of negotiating sessions, no enforcement authority, goal was NOT complete liberalization

International monetary fund (IMF)

aims to stabilize global financial market

World Trade Organization (WTO)

replaced GATT in 1994, larger membership, more power to enforce provisions, formalized dispute resolution process

Problems with the WTO

it’s two basic functions serve interests of large trading companies, negotiations
are dominated by the largest trading countries, especially the US, while rich countries have pressured poor countries to open their
markets to the developed world, they themselves have maintained
extensive protectionism

subsidy

a sum of money granted by the government or a public body to assist an industry or business so that the price of a commodity or service may remain low or competitive

fair trade

guarantees the producers a fair price for their goods, regardless of the market value, liberalization of trade and better access to markets would not necessarily lead to better living conditions for producers