PS 100 exam three study guide

Bretton woods institutions

The collective name given to the international financial institutions set up as world war 2 ended. These institutions, the world bank, and the international monetary fund, were set up by agreement of 43 countries at a conference in Bretton wod, New Hampshire in 1944

Cold War

A conflict between the two largest military powers in the world after world war 2, the united states with its allies and united scout socialist republics and its allies, The conflict wasmilitarized in that both sides invested heavily in military power aimed at at the other, but the conflict was cold because despite few incidents in which threat of use of force seemed imminent, neither side pulled the trigger.

Empirical

having to do either observation, dats, or experience rather than theory or logic

Epistemology

a branch of philosophy concerned with asking questions about why and how we know what we know, and how we distinguish “fact” from “ opinion” and objectivity from subjectivity.

global north

those countries of Europe, North America, Australia, new Zealand, and Japan that were the first part of the world to industrialize in the 19th century, and where economic and political power relied on teh raw materials of countries from the global south. May also refer to to those parts of a political economy within a country that experience economic growth by relying on the labor and raw materials of others,

global south

those countries that were either legally or economically colonized by countries in th global north, resulting in economic and political positions in the global political economy whereby they have marginalized voices in influencing the terms of international institutions, including trade, finance, climate, and security. May also refer to those parts of a political economy within a country that experience economic stagnation or decline, even when other parts of the same economy grow, often because they provide labor and raw materials.

international relations

an interdisciplinary field of study blending political science, law, history, anthropology, economics, linguistics, geography, philosophy, women’s studies, environmental science, snd more that takes up questions of international, transnational, regional, and global politics and how these are influenced by and affect national and local politics.

positivism

in international relations, an epistemology that holds test knowledge is the result of empirical data interpreted through readout and logic, as it might be in natural science and math

Racialize

a process of constructing a political and social hierarchy by ascribing racial identities and political meaning to difference, often reified in social and political policies and institutions

Sovereignty

a states control over their own affairs both domestically( internal) and externally ( over foreign policy)

structural violence

ways in which social structures or institutions systematically harm of disadvantaged certain groups of people

Anarchy

absence of world government

Balance of power

how power is distributed

Bipolarity

a competing super powers

collective security

states working together to guarantee mutual defense

Constructivism: key points

• Social construction in social scientific theories

• institutions exist because people believe they exist

• try to understand how peoples conceptualization of IR influence what the system is and how it works

• Applied to past present and future

Domination

The ability of one state to control aspects of the international politics of another state.

Globalization

process by which countries have come to be more interdependent, both economically and politically, over time.

Hard power

Measure by military capabilities, size of economy/population, and access to natural resources

Hegamony

A system where power is concentrated in a super power

Liberalism: key concepts

• Maximize economic growth :Believes a free market provides incentives for states to cooperat

• minimize conflict

• leverage international organizations

• spread democracy

• Domestic actors influence how states define their foreign policy interests

• Economic and social issues are as important to understanding state power as military power.

• Important actors in international politics are states, international organizations, and multinational corporations.

Multilateralism

negotiations and agreements between many states, not just two.

Multipolarity

A system where power is split between many states.

National interest ( or state interest)

survival, and territorial sovereignty

realism

• ww11 shattered liberalists hold on the study of IR

• it was hard to believe institutions could contain powerful states

• explains politics as resulting from an unchanging and destitute human nature

• Assumption that global politics was about powerful states never ending search for power.

• States are the only important actors in international politics, and they are unitary actors.

• state aims are security and the power needed to achieve these.

• state interests are survival and territorial sovereignty

• hard power

soft power

diplomacy, cultural influence, shared economic interest, power of persuasion.

sphere of influence

a group of states that are dominated or influence by a more powerful state.

commodification

turning something or someone into nothing more than a commodity, an object for sale.

commodification fetishism

an understanding of the economy as based on market relationships between commodities rather than social relationships between people

exchange rates

the rate at which currency in one denomination is exchanged for currency in another denomination

foreign currency

money in a denomination from your own

gross domestic product

the total measurable output of the national economy. valued in money terms

hierarchies of difference

the stratification of status and wealth along the lines of race, gender, class, nation and other social constructed categories and the normalization of these inequalities

inflation

the increase in price levels without change of the underlying value, often over a short time period

International political economy

the study of power and wealth across countries

market

the physical or virtual site where goods and services are exchanged, but also s way of organize economic relations.

microfinance

loans and savings instruments targeted at individuals and groups with no or little access to banking services

remittance economies

funds that migrant workers send back to households located in their home country

social construction

collective understanding that are the basis for share assumptions about the world and how it works

social reproduction

the socially necessary work that is central to the production of life itself, including biological reproduction, caring for and maintaining households and intimate relationships, and the reproduction of labor and collective community

developed countries

sovereign states with advanced economies,

emerging economies

nations transitioning from developing to developed status, characterized by rapid industrialization, high growth potential, and increasing global influence.

International monetary fund

tied to United Nations. Bretton woods institution aimed

at financial stability.

millennium development goals

set by the un for 2000-2015, plan for where they would like to see the world by 2015, no teen over by sustainable development goals

political economy

study of power and wealth

poverty

structural, multifaceted condition of pronounced deprivation in well-being, encompassing limited access to basic needs (food, shelter, healthcare) and a lack of power, opportunity, and agency to participate fully in society

world bank

Bretton woods institution for loans other than middle/ low income countries

environmental security

lack of safety from natural disasters, climate events, contaminants, or other environmental factors that cause humans danger

food security

(lack of) availability of basic food needs, including but not limited to an appropriate number of calories or balanced diet, or (lack of ) certainty about where meals will come from and when they will be available

health security

( lack of) health stability or (lack of) access to adequate preventative treatments, mental or physical healthcare, or the (in)ability to protect ones body from damage due to work or living conditions.

human security

an understanding thst to be “ secure” a person or group of people must have their basic needs met, including economic means, nutrition, health resources, environmental safety, personal physical integrity, and a secure community

intersectional security

a brand based approach to understanding security that takes account of a wide variety of axes on which people are rendered vulnerable or insecure

nation

a group that understands itself to be inside of a political organization and understands those that are not included in the group to be outside of their political organization

nuclear deterrence

the idea that a state or non state actor can deter another state or non state actor from engaging in the use of nuclear weapons by a credible threat of what’s called second strike capacity.

security/ insecurity

the (lack of) ability to be or feel secure along a number of dimensions including but not limited to military, state, enviromental, cultural, gender, health and food

security narratives

stories that are told or repeated about the ways that people or groups are (in)secure, often told in terms of the good guys and the bad guys in a way that engenders and escalates conflict while neglecting human security

womenandchildren

refers to a situation where women and children are grouped into a category understood as the purview of men. for example people often talk about womendandchildren as civilians in war- those to be protected.

civil war

state vs international non state

correlation

relationship between two variables

non state actor

int orgs and MNCs also matter on the international sage

peace

The absence of violent conflict and/or the presence of security and stability 

proxy war

a war between powers where at least one o them is not fighting directly

spurious correlation

correlation that occurs by chance, has no real relationship

state

the primary type of actor in an int system, has sovereignty over a defined territory, requires recognition from other states.

war

Organized violent conflict between groups

war according to the correlates of war project

sustained combat involving organized armed forces resulting in a minimum od 1,000 battle related fatalities with a 12 month period

crimes against humanity

acts that are purposely committed as part of a wide spread or cystic attack directed against a civilian pop

customary international law

rules that result from the long term practice of states based on what they consider to be their legal obligations

general principles

international legal principles recognized by nations

genocide

the intentional action to destroy a group of people usually defined a an ethnic national racial or religious group in whole or in part

human rights

a set o frights that all human beings are entitles to without discrimination in order to live in dignity and free from fear and war

indigenous people

Ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area, in contrast to groups who occupied or colonized these areas later. Indigenous rights claims condemn exploitation through colonialism and aim at collective self-determination

int conventions and treaties

written agreements btwn two or more states

ICJ

main judicial body of the UN that settles disputes btwn states

ICC

An intergovernmental organization and international tribunal with the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression

int. law

legal rules that regulate the relationship among states

int. orgs

orgs established by a formal intergovernmental treaty, Charter, or stature btwn three or more states with activities in several states

public vs private spheres

• Areas of public interests, most commonly business and politics, versus areas of home and family

self determination

the right of nation and states to determine they own internal and external affairs and orgs

slavery

any system in which principles of property law are applied to people, allowing ind to own buy and or sell others

socioeconomic rights

• Rights that allow a dignified life free from material want, including access to housing, decent working conditions, social security, and education and absence of child labor

statism

the idea that states are central to functioning and working of the international system

torture

The act of deliberately inflicting severe physical or psychological suffering on a person for the purposes of obtaining information, punishment, intimidation, or coercion carried out or tolerated by state officials

universalism

• The assumption that some ideas have general applicability or moral standing. It is a position that is often criticized or rejected as disguised particularism

war crimes

actions carried out during the conduct of war that violate accepted in- ternational rules of war, including intentionally killing civilians or prisoners, commit- ting rape, and recruiting child soldiers

women’s rights

entitlements of women and girls to live as autonomous and self- determined as men and boys; requires overcoming androcentrism, meaning atti- tudes and practices that universalize male perspectives and thereby marginalize or subordinate female perspectives

androcentrism

focused on the perspectives of men rather than women and that different kinds of rights abuses that disproportionally fall on women are not recognized under int law ion the same way as the problems faced by men

humanitarian interventions

• When states or organizations intervene in another country to prevent major human rights abuses

R2P

• The idea that the international community should intervene when states fail to protect populations from genocide or crimes against humanity 

sanctions

Economic or political penalties used to pressure states into changing behavior

war crimes

• Violations of accepted laws of war, such as targeting civilians or torturing prisoners

austerity measures

policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits, includ- ing spending cuts and tax increases; often used by governments that find it difficult to pay their debt

balance of payments

the difference in total value between payments into and out of a country over a period

distributional problems

problems resulting from the existence of one or more possible cooperative agreements in which some actors benefit more than others

global governance

cooperative problem-solving arrangements usually struc- tured as a set of rules or institutions, often taking the form of formal international organizations

IGO

formal organizations with members from multiple states that place a variety of obligations on states in pursuit of a common goal

NGO

private, voluntary organizations whose members are individuals, groups, or associations from more than one country who

come together in pursuit of a common goal or purpose

loan conditoonality

conditions placed on loans by the International Monetary Fund, often requiring loan recipients to make adjustments to national economic policies

mandate

obligations specified by IGOs, often in an official agreement or treaty, and

required of states

multinational corp

an enterprise that operates in a number of countries

with production or service facilities outside its country of origi