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Mercantilism
An economic doctrine based on a belief that military power and economic influence complemented each other; applied especially to colonial empires in the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. Mercantilist 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 \n with Napoleon’s defeat \n 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.
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.
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. The 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
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.
Decolonization
The process of shedding colonial possessions, especially during the \n rapid end of the European empires in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean between the 1940s and the 1960s.
Interests
What actors want to achieve through political action; their preferences over the 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 with the ability to make and enforce laws, rules, and decisions within a specified territory.
Sovereignty
The expectation that states have legal and political supremacy—or ultimate authority—within their territorial boundaries.
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 choose outcomes that make one better off at the expense of another. Bargaining is redistributive: it involves allocating a fixed sum of value between different actors.
Coordination
A type of cooperative interaction in which actors benefit from all making the same choices and subsequently have no incentive not to comply.
Collaberation
A type of cooperative interaction in which actors gain from working together but nonetheless have incentives not to comply with any agreement.
War
organized use of military force by at least two parties that reaches a minimum threshold of severity.
Security Dilemma
organized use of military force by at least two parties that reaches a minimum threshold of severity.
Crisis Bargaining
A bargaining interaction in which at least one actor threatens to use force in the event that its demands are not met.
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.
4 Steps of the Bargaining Model
Possible Deal
The expected outcome of war
Costs of war
The bargaining range
Deterrence
An effort to preserve the status quo through the threat of force.
Risk-return trade-off
In crisis bargaining, the trade-off between trying to get a better deal and trying to avoid a war.
Brinksmanship
A strategy in which adversaries take actions that increase the risk of accidental war, with the hope that the other will “blink” (lose its nerve) first and make concessions.
Audience Costs
Negative repercussions for failing to follow through on a threat or to honor a commitment.
Preventative War
A war fought with the intention of preventing an adversary from becoming stronger in the future. Preventive 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.
Bureaucracy
The collection of organizations—including the military, diplomatic corps, and intelligence agencies— that carry out most tasks of governance within the state.
Rally Effect
The tendency for people to become more supportive of their country’s government in response to dramatic international events, such as crises or wars.
Democratic Peace Theory
The observation that there are few, if any, clear cases of war between mature 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 exercises power with few constraints and 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.
Zero-Sum Logic
The view that two parties cannot benefit from an interaction
When did the modern state system emerge?
After the peace of Westphalia
Which of the following is an example of an interest for a politician?
a. A politician is elected president.
b. A politician collects campaign donations to be elected president.
c. A politician is put on the ballot in all the districts in which he or she is running.
d. A politician wants to be elected.
d. A politician wants to be elected
Which of the following is an example of bargaining?
a. A state is deciding whether to invade another state.
b. Two states are deciding how to divide up territory.
c. Two states are deciding how to cooperate on research.
d. A state unilaterally reduces its production of carbon dioxide.
b. Two states are deciding how to divide up territory.
What is the primary goal of actors in realism?
a. Wealth
b. Security
c. Conflict
d. Ideology
b. Security
According to constructivists, which of the following factors explains interactions between actors?
a. Norms
b. Scarcity
c. Cooperation
d. Anarchy
a. Norms
What does an anarchic international order mean?
a. The world is in constant chaos.
b. Internationally, there is no higher authority than nation-states.
c. Authoritarian regimes and dictators tend to violate international laws
d. The United Nations is not helpful in governing the world.
b. Internationally, there is no higher authority than nation-states.
According to _______, countries interact with one another according to a zero-sum logic.
a. Realism
b. Liberalism
c. Constructivism
d. None of these
a. Realism
Which school of thought is best suited to explain why two states would work together to lower trade barriers?
a. Realism
b. Liberalism
Constructivism
Bargaining
b. Liberalism
Realism is usually best at explaining what international events?
a. International trade
b. Wars and conflicts
c. Cooperation around climate change
d. International community providing humanitarian relief during crisis
b. Wars and conflicts
Which IR theory is likely to consider non-governmental organizations important political actors?
a. Realism
b. Liberalism
c. Constructivism
d. None of these
c. Constructivism
The UN high sea treaty, which was signed by almost all countries earlier this month, can be best explained by:
a. Realism
b. Liberalism
c. Constructivism
d. None of these
b. Liberalism
The modern state system is thought to have emerged:
a. when the Roman Republic first became the Roman Empire.
b. with the first successful unification of China.
c. after the Peace of Westphalia.
d. after World War II.
c. after the Peace of Westphalia.
Which of the following is the best example of a hegemon?
a. Germany after World War I
b. The United States during the Cold War
c. France during the Thirty Years’ War
d. Great Britain in the 1800s
d. Great Britain in the 1800s
The economic system where European colonizers monopolize trade among colonies is called:
a. Trade protectionism
b. Mercantilism
c. Economic liberalism
d. Pax Britannica
b. Mercantilism
In the nineteenth century, England promoted international economic stability by:
a. building up its army, rather than its navy.
b. withdrawing from active intervention in world politics.
c. going off the gold standard frequently.
d. leading the world in promoting free trade.
d. leading the world in promoting free trade.
Why did the adoption of the gold standard facilitate global trade?
a. The International Monetary Fund pushed for the adoption of the gold standard.
b. It suited the interests of Great Britain, as it controlled most of the gold mines.
c. It created a predictable way to exchange international currencies.
d. Few countries had existing trade barriers against gold.
c. It created a predictable way to exchange international currencies.
After World War I:
a. the German economy rebounded relatively quickly.
b. the League of Nations was created to avoid another war.
c. few new countries became independent.
d. the Austrian and Ottoman empires survived until the next war.
b. the League of Nations was created to avoid another war.
Which of the following institutions is a member of the Bretton Woods System?
a. North Atlantic Treaty Organization
b. The United Nations
c. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
d. International Monetary Fund
d. International Monetary Fund
1. According to the bargaining model, why do states fight wars?
a. Most states are inherently aggressive.
b. They value something more than the cost of war and cannot come to an agreement.
c. They have too much information about other states and realize they could win.
d. They disagree over the rules of war.
b. They value something more than the cost of war and cannot come to an agreement.
If a state has incomplete information, it could refer to:
a. uncertainty about an opponent’s capabilities and resolves to fight a war.
b. its reluctance to go to war.
c. doubts about an opponent’s willingness to commit to a deal.
d. uncertainty about one’s own preferences for war.
a. uncertainty about an opponent’s capabilities and resolves to fight a war.
If a state leader makes a war threat but does not follow through, he/she could suffer from:
a. Brinksmanship crisis
b. Audience costs
c. Commitment problems
d. A preemptive war from the adversary
b. Audience costs
Which of the following accurately describes a security dilemma?
a. American efforts to topple the communist regime in North Korea
b. North Korea pursuing nuclear weapons in response to U.S. troops stationed in South Korea
c. A weak state’s inability to protect itself from stronger states
d. Israel’s threat to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons
b. North Korea pursuing nuclear weapons in response to U.S. troops stationed in South Korea
What is a preventive war?
a. A war launched to prevent human rights abuses in another state
b. A war begun by a state to prevent an adversary from becoming a stronger threat in the future
c. A war launched by a state that fears an adversary is about to attack
d. A war authorized by an international organization to eliminate aggressive states that could threaten world peace
b. A war begun by a state to prevent an adversary from becoming a stronger threat in the future
Brinksmanship often refers to:
a. Countries use nuclear threats to show their resolves
b. Countries bluff about military power, hoping to intimidate the other side
c. Countries use surprise attacks to gain a first-strike advantage
d. Countries make false promises of peace then conduct sneak attacks
a. Countries use nuclear threats to show their resolves
What is a preemptive war?
a. A war initiated by a state that wants to take advantage in first strike
b. A war initiated by a state that anticipates its adversary will become stronger in the future
c. A war initiated by a state when another state refuses to honor its alliance commitments
d. A defensive war fought by a state after it has suffered a surprise attack
a. A war initiated by a state that wants to take advantage in first strike
A state covets a piece of territory that is valued at $100 million, yet it costs the state $40 million to attain it through war. How much must its adversary need to offer to make a peaceful settlement preferable to war?
a. At least $60 million
b. More than $100 million
c. At least $40 million
d. Exactly $100 million
a. At least $60 million
Which of the following is an example of a national interest?
a. The aspiration of the armed forces to create a larger military organization
b. The need for a country to maintain economic growth
c. The need for a company to expand its oil exploration
d. The expectation of the public that public officials will pay attention to its needs
b. The need for a country to maintain economic growth
Countries that restrict competition in elections such that one party is almost assured of victory are considered:
a. liberal democratic.
b. nondemocratic.
c. bureaucratic.
d. technocratic.
b. nondemocratic.
Which of the following is an example of the rally-’round-the-flag effect?
a. A leader begins a war to show how patriotic he or she is.
b. A leader begins a war to reclaim territory that has historically belonged to his or her country.
c. The citizens of a country pressure the government to go to war, even when its leaders are reluctant to do so.
d. The citizens of a country unite to support their country when a dramatic international event occurs.
d. The citizens of a country unite to support their country when a dramatic international event occurs.
Which of the following is an example of a diversionary incentive?
a. The leader of a country starts a war to distract attention from his or her government’s struggles.
b. After a country declares war, public support for the government drops sharply.
c. The military pushes for more defense funding for troops in the field.
d. The leader of a country that was unsuccessful in war loses the next election.
a. The leader of a country starts a war to distract attention from his or her government’s struggles.
Which IR theory can best explain the Russia-Ukraine War?
a. Realism
b. Liberalism
c. Constructivism
d. All of them
a. Realism
Which country provides the largest aids to Ukraine so far?
a. Germany
b. UK
c. US
d. China
c. US
The “Balloon incident” earlier this signals the tension between the US and _________.
a. Canada
b. China
c. Russia
d. North Korea
b. China
realism: Interest, interaction, institutions.
Interests: The state is the dominant actor, States seek security and/or power, state’s interests are generally in conflict. Interaction: International politics is primarily about bargaining, in which coercion always remains a possibility. Institutions: The international system is anarchic, and institutions exert little independent effect. International institutions reflect the interest of powerful states.
liberalism:Interest, interaction, institutions.
Interest: Many types of actors are important, and no single interest dominates. Wealth is a common goal for many actors. Actors often have common interest, which can serve as the basis for many actors. Actors often have common interests, which can serve as the basis for cooperation. interaction: International politics has an extensive scope for cooperation. Conflict is not inevitable but occurs when fail to recognize or act on common interest. institutions: International institutions facilitate cooperation by setting out rules, providing information, and creating procedures for collective decision making. Democratic political institution increased the scope for international politics to reflect the common interest of individuals.
Constructivism: Interest, interaction, institutions.
Interest: Many types of actors are important. Actor’s interests are influenced by culture, identity, and prevailing ideas. Actor’s choices often reflect norms of appropriate behavior, rather than interests. interaction: Interactions socialize actors to hold particular interests, but transformations can occur, caused by alternative understanding of those interest. Institutions: International institutions define identities and shape action through norms of just and appropriate behavior.
Anarchy
The absence of a central authority with the ability to make and enforce laws that bind all actors.
Mercantilist Era (1492-1815)
Major Actors/Interest: European monarchies, monopolies/political and military power; access to markets and resources around the world. Interactions: monopoly of trade; war and conflicts among European state. Institutions: monopolies and colonies. Key events/concepts: Mercantilism, Colonialism, Peace of Westphalia (Birth of nation states)
Pax Britannica ( 1815-1914)
Major Actors/interest: Britain/ maintain predominance; European states/ suppress revolution. Interactions: Free trade; cooperation among European powers. Institutions: the gold standard; concert of Europe. Key events/concepts: hegemon.
Why do states fight?
Territory, Wealth, Military value, historical reasons/ religion.
capability
a state’s physical ability to prevail in war.
Resolve
A state’s willingness to bear the cost of fighting and how much the state values the war.
Tying Hands
A way in which states can send credible signals of their willingness to fight is by making threats in ways that would make backing difficult.
Note
Flashcard