TAKE THAT MJP

mercantilism

an economic doctrine based on a belief that military power and economic influence complement each other; applied especially to colonial empires in the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. Monopolies at the center of mercantilist trade policies favored the mother country over its colonies and over its competitors

Peace of Westphalia

the settlement that ended the Thirty Years’ War in 1648; often said to have created the modern state system because it included a general recognition of the principles of sovereignty and nonintervention

sovereignty

the expectation that states have legal and political supremacy - or ultimate authority - within their territorial boundaries

hegemony

the predominance of one nation-state over others

Pax Britannica

“British peace,” a century-long period, beginning with Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo in 1815 and ending with the outbreak of World War I in 1914, during which Britain’s economic and diplomatic influence contributed to economic openness and relative peace

gold standard

the monetary system that prevailed between about 1870 and 1914, in which countries tied their currencies to gold at a legally fixed price

Treaty of Versailles

the peace treaty between the Allies and Germany that formally ended World War I on June 28th, 1919

League of Nations

a collective security organization founded in 1919 after World War I. The league ended in 1946 and was replaced by the United Nations

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

an alliance formed in 1949 among the United States, Canada, and most of the states of Western Europe in response to the threat posed by the Soviet Union. This alliance requires its members to consider an attack on any one of them as an attack on all

Bretton Woods system

the economic order negotiated among allied nations at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, in 1944, which led to a series of cooperative arrangements involving a commitment to relatively low barriers to international trade and investment

Warsaw Pact

a military alliance formed in 1955 to bring together the Soviet Union and its Cold War allies in Eastern Europe and elsewhere; dissolved on March 31st, 1991, and the Cold War ended

decolonization

the process of colonial possessions winning independence, especially during the rapid era of the European empires in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean between the 1940s and the 1960s

postwar order

a rich set of international institutions developed in the 70 years since World War II meant to aid in international cooperation to facilitate communication between multiple powers, especially in times of international crisis (i.e. the COVID-19 pandemic)

self-determination

implies that states are free to determine their own political status and form of government, supports the principle of noninterference, which holds that no state has the right to intervene in the internal politics of another

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

an organization founded to help stabilize exchange rates and international payments, expanded its mandate to monitor all financial issues that affect global stability

rogue states

a group of countries that were determined to confront the United States and the U.S.-led order (North Korea, Iran, and Iraq)

globalization

the dramatic expansion of global markets and economic flows

mutually assured destruction

the concept that a nuclear attack on one nation by another would lead to nuclear attack on the original nation and everything and everyone would be destroyed

Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

a treaty that prohibits all but five states (the United States, Russia, Great Britain, France, and China) from possessing nuclear weapons, thus providing the legal framework for preventing the further spread of nuclear weapons

coercive disarmament

the threat or use of military force

economic globalization

increasing integration of national economies through the movement of goods, services, money, and people across borders

Ricardo-Viner (specific factor) model

trade interests are determined by the sector one works in —> those in sectors that compete with imports want protection, while those in sectors that rely on exports want liberalization

Stolper-Samuelson model

trade interests are determined by the factor of production (capital, labor, or land) that provides one’s income, free trade benefits those factors that are relatively abundant in a country at the expense of those factors that are relatively scarce

populism

a broad array of political movements that claim to speak on behalf of “the people” in opposition to corrupt elites, both domestic and foreign

left wing populism

emphasizes radical redistribution of wealth; nationalization of property and anti-imperialism (often found in Latin America)

right wing populism

emphasizes nationalism, traditional cultural values, and a rejection of foreign influences (often found in Europe and United States)

Brexit

Britain’s decision to withdraw from the European Union, motivated by all of the things listed above

Berlin Wall

wall between (Soviet) East and (Western allied) West Berlin that had solidified the Cold War division of the city

interests

what actors want to achieve through political action; their preferences among the possible outcomes that might result from their political choices

actors

the basic unit for the analysis of international politics; can be either individuals or groups of people with common interests

state

a central authority that has the ability to make and enforce laws, rules, and decisions within a specified territory

anarchy

the absence of a central authority with the ability to make and enforce laws that bind all actors

national interests

interests attributed to the state itself, usually security and power

interactions

the ways in which the choices of two or more actors combine to produce political outcomes

cooperation

an interaction in which two or more actors adopt policies that make at least one actor better off relative to the status quo without making others worse off

bargaining

an interaction in which two or more actors must decide how to distribute something of value. In bargaining, increasing one actor’s share of the good decreases the share available to others

coordination

a type of cooperative interaction in which actors benefit from all making the same choices and subsequently have no incentive not to comply

collaboration

a type of cooperative interaction in which actors gain from working together but nonetheless have incentives not to comply with any agreement

public goods

products that are nonexcludable and nonrival in consumption, such as national defense

collective action problems

obstacles to cooperation that occur when actors have incentives to collaborate but each acts with the expectation that others will pay the costs of cooperation

free ride

to fail to contribute to a public good while benefiting from the contributions of others

iteration

repeated interactions with the same partners

linkage

the linking of cooperation on one issue to interactions on a second issue

power

the ability of Actor A to get Actor B to do something that B would otherwise not do; the ability to get the other side to make concessions and to avoid having to make concessions oneself

coercion

the threat or imposition of costs on other actors to reduce the value of the reversion outcome and change their behavior

outside options

the alternatives to bargaining with a specific actor

agenda setting

actions taken before or during bargaining that make the reversion outcome more favorable for one party

institutions

sets of rules (known and shared by the relevant community) that structure interactions in specific ways

war

an event involving the organized use of military force by at least two parties that reaches a minimum threshold of severity

interstate war

a war in which the main participants are states

civil war

a war in which the main participants are within the same state, such as the government and a rebel group

security dilemma

a dilemma that arises when efforts that states make to defend themselves cause other states to feel less secure; can lead to arms races and war because of the fear of being attacked

crisis bargaining

a bargaining interaction in which the consequences of not reaching an agreement can involve the use of force, including war

coercive diplomacy

the use of threats to advance specific demands in a bargaining interaction

bargaining range

the set of deals that both parties in a bargaining interaction prefer over the reversion outcome. When the reversion outcome is war, the bargaining range is the set of deals that both sides prefer over war

compellence

an effort to change the status quo through the use of force

deterrence

an effort to preserve the status quo through the threat of force

incomplete information

a situation in which actors in a strategic interaction lack information about other actors’ interests and/or capabilities

resolve

the willingness of an actor to endure costs in order to acquire a particular good

risk-return trade-off

in crisis bargaining, the trade-off between trying to get a better deal and trying to avoid a war

credibility

believability. A credible threat is a threat that the target believes will be carried out. A credible commitment is a commitment or promise that the recipient believes will be honored

brinksmanship

a strategy in which adversaries take action that increase the risk of accidental war, with the hope that the other will “blink” (lost its nerve) first and make concessions

audience costs

negative repercussions for failing to follow through on a threat or to honor a commitment

preventive war

a war fought with the intention of preventing an adversary from becoming stronger in the future. Preventative wars arise because a state whose power is increasing cannot commit not to exploit that power in future bargaining interactions.

first-strike advantage

the situation that arises when military technology, military strategies, and/or geography give a significant advantage to whichever state attacks first in a war

preemptive war

a war fought with the anticipation that an attack by the other side is imminent (i.e. the 1967 Six Day War between Israel and four Arab states (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq)

indivisible good

a good that cannot be divided without destroying its value

nationalism

a political ideology that prioritizes attachment to one’s nation, where nations are groups defined by common origin, ethnicity, language, or cultural ties

bureaucracy

the collection of organizations - including the military, diplomatic corps, and intelligence agencies - that carry out most tasks of governance within a state

interest groups

groups of individuals with common interests that organize to influence public policy in a manner that benefits their members

rally effect

people’s tendency to become more supportive of their country’s government in times of dramatic international events, such as crises or wars

diversionary incentive

the incentive that state leaders have to start international rises in order to rally public support at home

military-industrial complex

an alliance between military leaders and the industries that benefit from international conflict, such as arms manufacturers

democratic peace

the observation that there are few, if any, clear cases of war between democratic states

democracy

a political system in which candidates compete for political office through frequent, fair elections in which a sizable portion of the adult population can vote

autocracy

a political system in which an individual or small group exercised power with few constraints an no meaningful competition or participation by the general public

accountability

the ability to punish or reward leaders for the decisions they make, as when frequent, fair elections enable voters to hold elected officials responsible for their actions by granting or withholding access to political office

alliances

institutions that help their members cooperate militarily in the event of a war

balance of power

a situation in which the military capabilities of two states or groups of states are roughly equal

bandwagoning

a strategy in which states join forces with the stronger side in a conflict

entrapment

the condition of being dragged into an unwanted war because of the opportunistic actions of an ally

United Nations (UN)

a collective security organization founded in 1945 after World War II. With over 190 members, the UN includes all recognized states

collective security organizations

broad-based institutions that promote peace and security among their members. Examples include the League of Nations and the United Nations

genocide

intentional and systematic killing aimed at eliminating an identifiable group of people, such as an ethnic or religious group

humanitarian interventions

interventions designed to relieve humanitarian crises stemming from civil conflicts or large-scale human rights abuses, including genocide

UN Security Council (UNSC)

the main governing body of the UN, which has the authority to identify threats to international peace and security and to prescribe the organization’s response, including military and/or economic sanctions

permanent five (P5)

the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: the United States, Great Britain, France, Russia (formerly the Soviet Union), and China

veto power

the ability to prevent the passage of a measure through a unilateral act, such as a single negative vote

peace-enforcement operation

a military operation in which force is used to make and/or enforce peace among warring parties that have not agreed to end their fighting

peacekeeping operation

an operation in which troops and observers are deployed to monitor a cease-fire or peace agreement

terrorism

the use or theoretical use of violence against noncommercial targets by individuals or nonstate groups for political ends

asymmetrical warfare

armed conflict between actors with highly unequal military capabilities, such as when rebel groups or terrorists fight strong states

separatist

an actor that seeks to create an independent state on territory earned from an existing state

irredentist

an actor that seeks to detach a region from one country and attach it to another, usually because of shared ethnic or religious ties

proxy wars

conflicts in which two opposing states “fight” by supporting opposite sides in a war, such as the government and rebels in a third state

insurgency

a military strategy in which small, often lightly armed units engage in hit-and-run attacks against military, government, and civilian targets

extremists

actors whose interests are not widely shared by others; individuals or groups that are politically weak relative to the demands they make

provocation

a strategy of terrorist attacks intended to provoke the target government into making a disproportionate response that alienates moderates in the terrorists’ home society or in other sympathetic audiences

spoiling

a strategy of terrorist attacks intended to sabotage a prospective peace between the target and moderate leadership from the terrorists’ home society

outbidding

a strategy of terrorist attacks designed to demonstrate superior capability and commitment relative to other groups devoted to the same cause