International Relations Theories Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering the core concepts, scholars, and theoretical perspectives of international relations discussed in the lecture transcript.

Realism

A historic international relations theory originating in ancient Greece that focuses on state-on-state interactions, viewing states as rational entities motivated solely by power and self-interest in an anarchic world.

Thucydides

An ancient Greek scholar who authored eight books examining the conflict between Athens and Sparta, laying the foundational ideas of realist theory.

Liberalism

An international relations theory focused on creating an international order and perpetual peace through the spread of democracy, free trade, and intergovernmental organizations.

Constructivism

An international relations theory centered on people and social constructs, arguing that states and the rules of world politics are artificial creations that society can reshape.

Marxism

A critique of major international relations theories arguing that all historical state actions are driven by conflict over wealth and production, aiming ultimately for a classless and stateless society.

Democratic Peace Theory

A central concept within liberalism asserting that modern democratic states do not go to war with one another.

Liberal World Order

A structured international system sustained by intergovernmental organizations and democratic nations to facilitate trade, resolve systematic conflicts, and maintain global stability.

Dependency Theory

A theory derived from Marxist thought asserting that world politics is defined by wealthy states in the global North exploiting the labor and resources of poorer states in the global South.

Liberal Triangle

A framework explaining how international peace is built using three interconnected components: democracy, economic interdependence through free trade, and intergovernmental organizations.

Francis Fukuyama

The scholar who authored the article 'The End of History,' which argued that liberalism had definitively defeated competing ideologies like fascism and communism.

Zero-sum

A realist perspective holding that power is strictly binary, where any gain by one state directly results in a loss of power for another.

Anarchy

The realist concept that there is no overarching supreme authority above sovereign states in the international system.

Neo-colonialism

A term used within dependency theory to describe contemporary forms of indirect exploitation, forced labor, and control exerted over the global South by northern powers.