International Relations

Global politics

Who gets what, how, and when around the globe.

Intermestic

Characterized by interconnectedness of international and domestic concerns. In decision-making, used to signify the merger of international and domestic concerns.

high-value, low-probability problem

The nature of most problems or threats, in which the likelihood of a given individual being impacted is very low but the consequences if it occurs are very serious.

Globalization

A multifaceted concept that represents the increasing integration of economics, communications, and culture across national boundaries

States

A political actor that has sovereignty and a number of characteristics, including territory, population, organization, and recognition ( countries )

Sovereignty

The most essential defining characteristic of a state and perhaps the global system. The term strongly implies political independence from any higher authority and also suggests at least theoretical equality

Anarchy

A fundamental concept in global politics identifying the lack of a governing authority in the global system and the implications it has on global interactions.

international organizations

Organizations with an international membership, scope, and presence. There are essentially two types of international organizations

intergovernmental organizations

Organizations that are global or regional in membership and scope and whose members are states (governments or states members)

nongovernmental organizations

Formal legal entities distinct from the state, often operating not for profit, and primarily composed of individuals. ( people who have common interest) (Amnesty international) 

Multinational corporations

Private enterprises that have production subsidiaries or branches in more than one country.

Peace of Westphalia

the peace agreement signed in 1648 to end the Thirty Years War, effectively removing papal authority for dispute settlement in Europe. Viewed as the starting point for the modern nation-state system. Led to modern date nation state 

Polarity

The number of predominantly powerful actors in the global system at any given point in time.

Global North–Global South divide

(or North-South divide) The economic disparities between the developed North and underdeveloped South that are the roots of tension in global forums. To a large degree, this cleavage is a legacy of colonialism.

Theory

An interconnected set of ideas and concepts that seeks to explain why things happen and how events and trends relate to one another. 

Realism

The view that world politics is driven by competitive self-interest and that the central dynamic of the global system is a struggle for power among states as each tries to preserve or improve its military security and economic welfare 

zero-sum game

 A contest in which gains by one player can only be achieved by equal losses for other players.

Classical realism

A branch of realist thought that believes the root cause of conflict is the aggressive nature of humans.

Neorealism

also portrays global politics as a struggle for power, but neorealists believe that the cause of conflict is not human nature per se, or the individual choices and preferences that follow from it, but rather the anarchic (unregulated) structure of the global system

rational actors

The idea that people in general aim to maximize their utility and profit from action taken rather than acting against their self-interest.

Liberalism

The view that people and the countries representing them are capable of cooperating to achieve common goals, often through global organizations and according to international law

positive-sum game

A contest in which gains by one or more players can be achieved without being offset by losses for other players.

Cosmopolitanism

An understanding and appreciation of the shared human experience and the ties that bind people together across nations, borders, and cultures.

liberal internationalism

A theoretical perspective that seeks to transform international relations to emphasize peace, individual freedom, and prosperity by replicating models of liberal democracy globally through various foreign policy objectives.

classical liberalism

A branch of liberal thought that attributes cooperation to human nature and the understanding that people can achieve more collectively than individually.

Neoliberalism

The branch of liberalism that recognizes the inherent conflict in an anarchic global system but asserts it can be eased by building global and regional organizations and processes that allow actors to cooperate for their mutual benefit.

complex interdependence

The broad and deep dependence of issues and actors in the contemporary global political system that many scholars believe is a by-product of globalization, as evidenced by the extent to which international institutions have emerged to “govern” the multiple and complex interactions.

World systems theory

The view that global politics is an economic society brought about by the spread of capitalism and characterized by a hierarchy of countries and regions based on a gap in economic circumstance

Marxist theory

the philosophy of Karl Marx that the economic order determines political and social relationships. Thus, history, the current situation, and the future are determined by the economic struggle, which is termed dialectical materialism.

Imperialism

A term nearly synonymous with colonialism, recalling the empire building of the European powers in the 19th century. The empires were built by conquering and subjugating Southern countries.

center/core

The focal points of global politics according to world systems theory, which encompasses Global North countries around which global economic and political power revolve as a result of an overwhelming concentration of capital.

Periphery

According the Marxist theory, countries in the Global South that are exploited by the countries in the Global North (center/core) for their cheap labor, natural resources, or as dumping grounds for pollution or surplus production

dependency theory

the view of global politics as an economic system in which the Global South is dependent upon and disadvantaged by the Global North as a perpetuation of the imperialist relationships established in previous centuries

Semi-periphery

Those countries that do not occupy a commanding position in the global economy but that serve an important function or fill an important niche in the global system, supporting the primacy of the center/core countries.

Constructivism

The view that changing ideas, norms, and identities of global actors shape global politics.

feminist theory

A collection of theoretical approaches that analyze the role of gender in global politics.

Intersectionality

Refers to the ways in which multiple institutions of oppression (e.g., racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, xenophobia, and classism) are interconnected and cannot be understood separately from one another.

Liberal (or orthodox) feminism

the belief that gender equality is best achieved through political and legal reform so that women have equal access and equal opportunity in the workplace, politics, and other public spaces.

Critical (or radical) feminism-

the belief that gender equality is best achieved when we restructure the system in order to change what society values in terms of work, leadership, and politics and what society constructs as normal.

Patriarchy

the system of gender-based hierarchy in society that assigns most power to men, uses male(ness) as the norm, and places higher value to masculine traits.

fungible

The idea that power of one type (e.g., military power) is not necessarily transferable or applicable to other policy areas. Thus, military power might not prove helpful in the financial or environmental sector.

hard power-

The use or threatened use of material power assets by an actor to compel one or more other actors to undertake or not undertake a desired action. Hard power relies on coercion.

soft power

The use or prospective use of material or ideational power assets by an actor to induce another actor or actors to undertake a desired action or not undertake an undesirable one. Soft power relies on persuasion.

levels-of-analysis approach

A social scientific approach to the study of global politics that analyzes phenomena from different perspectives (system, state, individual).

behavioralism

A strand of intellectual study of global politics that focused on employing scientific methods to the study of social phenomena. Behavioral analysts believe that social science can be studied in ways similar to those employed in the biological and physical sciences.

Individual-level analysis

Emphasizes the ways in which people shape the conduct of global politics

bounded rationality-

A concept that rational choices of individuals are bound or limited by time pressures, imperfect information, and biases that influence those choices.

cognitive consistency-

The tendency of individuals to hold fast to prevailing views of the world and to discount contradictory ideas and information in the process

cognitive dissonance

-A discordant psychological state in which an individual attempts to process information contradicting his or her prevailing understanding of a subject

optimistic bias

The pysychological tendency of individuals—particularly those in power—to overrate their own potential for success and underrate their own potential for failure.

hawkish

In foreign policy, a term used to describe individuals and/or attitudes that favor a more aggressive, coercive, “hard-line” position and approach often predicated on military strength.

heuristic devices-

A range of psychological strategies that allow individuals to simplify complex decisions.

gender opinion gap

The difference in attitudes on various issues between those identifying as male and those identifying as female along any one of a number of dimensions, including foreign policy preferences.

operational code

How an individual acts in a given situation, based on a combination of one’s fundamental world-view and understanding of the nature of politics.

State-level analysis

Emphasizes the characteristics of states and how they make and implement foreign policy choices.

statecraft-

The use of military, economic, diplomatic, and ideational tools in the pursuit of clearly defined foreign policy interests and objectives.

regime type

The type of government prevailing in a given society.

salient

The degree of which an issue, question, or problem can be said to resonate with or “matter” to the general public

Bureaucracy

The bulk of the state’s administrative structure that continues to serve the public even when political leaders change

overstretch

A concept developed by historians that suggests a recurring tendency of powerful actors to overextend themselves by taking on costly foreign policy commitments that deplete their finances and generate domestic discord.

political culture

A concept that refers to a society’s long-held and fundamental practices and attitudes. These are based on a country’s historical experiences and the values (norms) of its population.

Information and communications technology

An umbrella term referring to any communication device or application encompassing radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems, and various services and applications.

Resource curse theory

Focuses on the difficulties experienced by many resource-rich countries in benefiting from their resource wealth

System-level analysis

Focuses on identifying and assessing the constraints and opportunities that the global system imposes on state and nonstate actors alike. Also focuses analysis on how different system structures can shape behavior of actors within a system.

transaction costs

Impediments to commercial or other cooperative ventures stemming from a lack of trust between and among involved parties rooted in concerns about the enforceability of agreements.

transnational

Social, political, economic, and cultural activities and processes that transcend and permeate the borders and authority of states.

unipolar system

A type of international system that describes a single country with complete global hegemony or preponderant power

multipolar system

A world political system in which power is primarily held by four or more international actors.

bipolar system

A type of international system with two roughly equal actors or coalitions of actors that divide the international system into two “poles” or power centers.

Cold War

A term used to describe the relations between the United States and the Soviet Union from about 1945 to about 1990. During that period, the two countries avoided direct warfare but remained engaged in very hostile interactions.

hegemony

A systemic arrangement whereby one predominantly powerful actor possesses both the disproportionate material capabilities and the will to enforce a set of rules to lend order and structure to that system.

rogue state(s)

A state that is perceived to be in noncompliance with the majority of prevailing rules, norms, and laws in the global system and therefore constituting a threat to order.