Global Politics Glossary

Anarchy

the absence of a hierarchically superior, coercive authority that can create laws,
resolve disputes, or enforce law and order in a system

arms control

regulation of arms proliferation, including restrictions on research, manufacture, or deployment of weapons systems

asymmetric conflict

conflict between a more powerful party and a signi"cantly weaker
party

balance of payments

a country’s current and capital account balances; may be positive
(surplus) or negative (deficit)

balance of power

any system in which actors (e.g., states) enjoy relatively equal power,
such that no single state or coalition of states is able to dominate other actors in the
system

balancing

taking actions to onset the power of more powerful states

bandwagoning

a process in which states that might have opposed a threatening state choose to ally with it instead

behavioralism

an approach to the study of social science and international relations that
posits that individuals and units like states act in regularized ways; leads to a belief that
behaviors can be described, explained, and predicted

Beijing Consensus

an alternative to economic liberalism; a development model that
advocates experimenting with policies in state capitalism, with the government playing
an active role in picking economic winners and losers

belief system

he organized and integrated perceptions of individuals that form a relatively integrated set of images

bipolar

describes a system in which the distribution of the power to conquer is concentrated in two states or coalitions of states

BRICS

an informal group of emerging economic powers, including Brazil, Russia, India,
China, and South Africa

bureaucratic politics

a model of foreign policy making that posits that national decisions are
the outcomes of bargaining among bureaucratic groups having competing interests

caliphate

a religious territory headed by a caliph, a spiritual leader of Islam

capital accounts

measure of the flows of capital between countries, including foreign direct investment and portfolio investment in and out

capitalism

the economic system in which the ownership of the means of production is in
private hands; the system operates according to market forces whereby capital and labor
move freely

cognitive consistancy

the tendency to accept information that is compatible with what
has previously been accepted, often ignoring inconsistent information

Cold War

the era in international relations between the end of World War II and 1990,
distinguished by ideological, economic, political, and military rivalry between the Soviet
Union and the United States

collective good

a public good that is available to all regardless of individual contribution—
for example, the air, the oceans, or Antarctica—and that no one owns or is individually
responsible for

collective security

the idea that aggression by a state should be defeated collectively
because aggression against one state is aggression against al

colonialism

the practice of settling people from a home country among indigenous peoples
of a distant territory

comparative advantage

the ability of a country to make and export a good more e%-
ciently than other countries can; the basis for the liberal economic principle that coun-
tries benefit from free trade among nations

compellence

a strategy in which a state threatens to use force to try to get another state to
do something or to undo an act it has undertaken

complex interdependence

the idea that states are connected through multiple channels
(both formal and informal), there is no hierarchy of issues, and the result is a decline in
the use of military force

complex peacekeeping

multidimensional operations using military and civilian person-
nel, often including traditional peacekeeping and nation-building activities; more dan-
gerous because not all parties have consented and because force is usually used

containment

a foreign policy designed to prevent the expansion of an adversary by block-
ing its opportunities to expand through foreign aid programs or through use of coercive
force; the major$U.S.$policy toward the Soviet Union during the Cold War era

credibility

the quality of having both the ability and incentive to act using a certain policy
such that other states believe it will be carried out

crimes against humanity

international crimes, including murder, enslavement, ethnic
cleansing, and torture, committed against civilians, as codi"ed in the Rome Statute

cultural relativism

the belief that human rights, ethics, and morality are determined by
cultures and history and therefore are not universally the same

current accounts

measure of net border flows between countries of goods, services,
governmental transfers, and income on capital investments (

cyberspace

the environment in which communication over computer networks flows

cyberwarfare

state actions taken to penetrate another state’s computers or networks for
the purpose of causing damage or disruption

demographic transition

the situation in which increasing levels of economic development
lead to falling death rates, followed by falling birthrates

dependency theory

a strand of the radical school of thought that seeks to explain the
underdevelopment of dominated states

derivatives

financial instruments often derived from an asset (mortgages, loans, foreign
exchange, interest rates) that parties agree to exchange over time; a way of buying and
selling risk in international financial markets

détente

the easing of tense relations; in the context of this volume, détente refers to the
relaxation and reappraisal of threat assessments by political rivals, for example, the
United States and Soviet Union during the later years of the Cold War

deterrence

a strategy in which a state commits to punishing a target state if that state takes
an undesired action; threats of actual war are used as an instrument of policy to dissuade
a state from pursuing certain courses of action

diplomacy

the process in which states try to in!uence the behavior of other actors by
bargaining, negotiating, taking a specific action or refraining from such an action, or
appealing to the foreign public for support of a position

disarmament

reduction of the number of arms and limitations on the types of weapons
employed by a state

discourse

the way we choose to talk about ourselves and others

domino effect

a metaphor that posits that the loss of influence over one state to an adversary will necessarily lead to a subsequent loss of control over neighboring states, just as
dominos fall one after another

economic interdependence

a relationship in which states rely on one other for goods
and/or economic gain

economic radicalism

beliefs, drawn from Marxist and neo-Marxist writing, that poor
labor conditions, colonial expansion, and divisions between the rich and poor can be
blamed on international capitalism

engagement

a type of statecraft in which a state entices a target state to act in a desired
way by rewarding moves it makes in a desired direction (also called positive sanctions)

epistemic community

community of experts and technical specialists who share a set of beliefs and a way to approach problems

ethnonational movements

self-conscious communities that share an ethnic affiliation
and participate in organized political activity

European Union (EU)

a union of 28 European states, formerly the European Economic
Community; designed originally during the 1950s for economic integration, but since
expanded into a closer political and economic union

evoked set

details from a present situation that are similar to information gleaned from past situations

exchange rates

the price of one currency in relation to another; rates may !oat with the market or be fixed by governments

external balancing

allying with other states to onset the power of more powerful states

extradition

the process of delivering an individual from the territory of one state to another
state for prosecution or to serve a sentence

fiscal policies

policies affecting a government’s budget, including the level of government spending and the tax rates

foreign direct investment (FDI)

investment in a state, usually by multinational corpora-
tions, through establishing a manufacturing facility or "nancing investments in extractive industries or transportation

fragile states

states with an inability to exercise a monopoly on the legitimate use of force within their territory, make collective decisions because of the erosion of legitimate
authority, interact with other states in the international system, and/or provide public services

general agreement on tariffs and trades (GATT)

founded by treaty in 1947 as the Bretton
Woods institution responsible for negotiating a liberal international trade regime that
included the principles of nondiscrimination in trade and most-favored-nation status;
re-formed as the World Trade Organization in 1995

General Assembly

one of the major organs of the United Nations; generally addresses issues other than peace and security; each member state has one vote; operates with six functional committees composed of all member states

genocide

the systematic killing or harming of a group of people based on national, religious, ethnic, or racial characteristics, with the intention of destroying the group

global governance

structures and processes that enable actors to coordinate interdependent needs and interests in the absence of a unifying political authority

globalization

the growing integration of the world in terms of politics, economics, and culture

group of 7 (G7)

a group of the traditional economic powers (United States, Japan,
Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Canada) that meets annually to address monetary
cooperation; when Russia joins, the G8 discussions turn to political issues

what countries are the G7?

US, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Canada

Group of 77

a coalition of about 125 developing countries that presses for reforms in economic relations between developing and developed countries; also referred to as the
South

group of 20

a group of finance ministers and heads of central banks (and, recently, heads of
state) of major economic powers, including China, Russia, Australia, Argentina, Brazil,
Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, and Turkey, as well as representatives
from the G7; meets periodically to discuss economic issues

groupthink

the tendency of individuals to strive for cohesion and sometimes unanimity to achieve cohesion, at the risk of not examining alternative policies

Heckscher-Ohlin theory

theory that a country will export goods that make intensive use
of the factors of production in which it is well-endowed

hegemon

a dominant state that has a preponderance of power; often establishes and enforces the rules and norms in the international system

horizontal enforcement

a process whereby states work to elicit compliance with international law by other states

humanitarian intervention

actions by states, international organizations, or the international community in general to intervene, usually with coercive force, to alleviate human
suffering without necessarily obtaining consent of the state

human security

a broadened concept of security that includes the protection of individuals from systematic violence, environmental degradation, and health disasters

hypotheses

specific falsifiable statements that question the proposed relationship among
two or more concepts

imperialism

the policy and practice of extending the domination of one state over another through territorial conquest or economic domination

intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)

international agencies or bodies established by
states and controlled by member states that deal with areas of common interest

internal balancing

a state’s building up its own military resources and capabilities in order to be able to stand against more powerful states

internally displaced people (IDP’s)

individuals who have been uprooted from their
homes, often due to civil strife, but remain in their home country

international bill of rights

the collective name for the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International
Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights

international cooperation

adoption of behavior by states that is consistent with the preferences of other states in order to achieve common objective

international humanitarian law

a body of law composed of the four Geneva Conventions
and protocols protecting individuals during war, including wounded military, prisoners
of war, and civilians

international institutions

organizations and sets of rules such as international treaties
meant to govern international behavior

international law

a body of rules and norms regulating interactions among states, between states and IGOs, and among IGOs, states, and individuals

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

the Bretton Woods institution originally charged
with helping states deal with temporary balance-of-payments problems; now plays a broader role in assisting debtor developing states by offering loans to those who institute
specific policies or structural adjustment programs

international relations

the study of the interactions among various actors (states, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and subnational entities like bureaucracies, local governments, and individuals) that participate in international politics

interstate wars

wars between states

intrastate wars

wars that take place within a state (also known as civil wars)

jus ad bellum

laws that deal with when it is just/legal to go to war

jus in bello

laws that define what acts are considered legal and illegal when fighting a war

league of nations

the international organization formed at the conclusion of World
War I for the purpose of preventing another war; based on collective security

legitimacy

the moral and legal right to rule, which is based on law, custom, heredity, or the consent of the governed

legitimate

describes laws that are supported logically and justifably

macroeconomic policies

government policies designed to address macroeconomic conditions, including fiscal and monetary policies

Malthusian dilemma

the scenario in which population growth rates will increase faster
than agricultural productivity, leading to food shortages; named after thomas Malthus

mercantilism

economic theory that international commerce should increase a state’s wealth, especially gold; state power is enhanced by a favorable balance of trade

microeconomic policies

government policies adopted to affect regulations, subsidies,
competition, and antitrust actions

mirror image

a psychological mechanism in which one sees in one’s opponent the opposite of characteristics seen in oneself; one views the opponent as hostile and uncompromising, whereas one views oneself as friendly and compromising

monetary policies

policies affecting national interest rates or exchange rates, designed to affect employment and inflation rates

moral hazard

problem that occurs when states or individuals are not made to pay for the consequences of their reckless behavior; they have little incentive to change that behavior

most-favored-nation (MFN) principle

principle in international trade agreements
whereby one state promises to give another state the same treatment in trade as the first
state gives to its most-favored trading partner

multilateralism

the conduct of international activity by three or more states in accord with
shared general principles, often, but not always, through international institutions

multipolar

describes a system in which the distribution of the power to conquer is concentrated in more than two states

nation

a group of people sharing a common language, history, or culture

nationalism

a sense of national consciousness in which people identify with a common history, language, or customs, often placing primary emphasis on one’s own nation’s
culture and interests over those of other nations