ALL ir

Self-Determination

The idea that each people should govern themselves as a nation-state.

Sovereignty

A state’s right to rule itself without outside interference.

League of Nations

First international organization created to maintain peace after WWI.

Polarity

The distribution of power in the international system.

• Multipolar → many powerful states

• Bipolar → two dominant states

• Unipolar → one dominant state

Nuclear deterrence

The idea that nuclear weapons prevent war because destruction would be mutual.

Globalisation

Increasing global economic, political, and social interconnectedness.

If liberals have typically relied on international cooperation to prevent global conflicts, realists tend to see

this as a

Utopian belief

Who are the prominent actors in ir for realists

States

Who are the prominent actors in ir for liberals

International organisations

Liberalism

Internationalist ideology , its internationalism comes from a domestic analogy. If there is society within states, then there can be an international society among states.

People are good and if people are good then the state is good

Democracy good autocratic governments bad

Domestic analogy (liberalism)

The idea that if peace is possible within states, it can also exist between states.

Democratic peace theory (liberalism)

The idea that democracies do not go to war with each other bc they tend to see each other as legitimimate and unthreatening

Economic interdépendance (liberalism)

When countries are economically connected (trade), making war less likely

International anarchy (realism)

The absence of a global authority above states.

Security dilemma (realism)

When one state’s attempt to increase security makes others feel threatened, leading to conflict.

realism

Man is power hungry and want to rule , since they run states states want power.

States always think about their interests in terms of power,

and take action to protect those interests using power.

There are no moral laws that can claim validity

Neorealism/ structural realism

human nature is not essential to an explanation of a conflict, the states are .

International anarchy is a permissive cause of war

The interest of the state is to increase power because world gov in unacheivable

Balancing coalitions

strategic alliances formed by states to counter the power of a dominant, potentially aggressive nation, ensuring security through combined strength

Marxism in one sentence

The economy shapes world politics, states aren’t the most important actors but economic structures are .

Capitalism (Marxism )

An economic system based on private ownership and profit

Marxist’s critique of realism

Realists focus on states as autonomous agents but Marxist think this ignores regional inequalities , historical inequalities and other political actors such as international corporations .

Marxist materialist conception of history

historical changes are a reflection of the economic development of society.

Like technological advancements leads to social change since the Relations of production are transformed to better accommodate the new means of production.

Relations of production

Economic base

means of production & relations of production ,

change in the ____ leads to change in the legal and political superstructure

Legal and political Superstructure

the state, laws, and institutions that arise from a society's economic foundation . Itfunctions to uphold the interests of the ruling class, maintain existing power dynamics, and legitimize the way wealth and resources are produced

Dependency theory

By draining poor countries of their resources since colonisation by unfair terms of trade , global capitalism contributed To underdevelopment

World systems theory (Marxism )

argues that capitalism operates as an integrated, exploitative global economy rather than a collection of isolated nations,

Is the state most important for Marxists

No, social and economic structures are

According to Marxists, is globalization a new phenomenon or a long-standing feature of capitalist development?

For Marxists, globalization is not new; it is a long-standing feature of capitalism, which has always expanded across borders in search of new markets , labour and ressources which pushes economic relations beyond national borders .

Is capitalism maintained through coercion or consentual means ?

Marxists believe global capitalism is maintained through both coercion and consent: coercion through unequal power relations and exploitation, and consent through political, legal, and cultural institutions that reinforce the existing economic order.

Feminism in one sentence

The equality , justice and elimination of women’s subordination and oppression. , while also challenging traditional forms of knowledge that have marginalized women’s experiences.

Intersectionality (feminism

Intersectionality refers to the idea that women’s experiences are not shaped by gender alone but also by other forms of identity and inequality, such as race, class, sexuality, and nationality. Feminist scholars recognized that not all women experience oppression in the same way.

A critique of traditional feminism is how women from the Global South criticized Western feminism for imposing Western values and experiences on others

What is the contribution of feminist IR theory to the analysis of the state?

that it challenges the traditional understanding of the state as a neutral political institution. Feminist scholars argue that the state plays a central role in organizing and reproducing gender power relations

Theories such as realism and liberalism focus on states war and diplomacy while Feminist scholars point out that these theories reflected primarily men’s experiences and ignored the ways gender shapes politics.

Post colonialism in one sentence

theoretical approaches, such as liberalism and realism

are built on western philosophies . Classical approaches have obscured the role of colonialism in shaping patterns in the International order.

Moreover, all other approaches to IR (with the exception of feminist intersectionality) have left out questions of race and racial hierarchy.

Prominent IR has analysed the world through concepts almost exclusively derived from Western

philosophy

Post structuralism in one sentence

Rather than accepting concepts like the "state" or "anarchy" as natural facts, it investigates how they are socially constructed through language, power dynamics, and historical discourses

Epistemology (post structuralism)

rejects absolute, universal truths and objective foundational knowledge. It argues that reality is not discovered but rather constructed through language, culture, and power dynamics. Therefore, meaning is inherently unstable and entirely contingent upon the subjective position of the observer

Deconstruction theory (Post structuralism )

For poststructuralists, we need to investigate constructions of the world, and the people and places in it, and the way they depict them as threats, dangers, enemies, or underdevelopment.

For instance, we need to understand how these constructions make particular policies seem natural and therefore legitimate.

The ways we describe events, places, peoples, and states are neither neutral nor given by the Things themselves.

Do the norms and rules underlying international order reflect enduring

inequality or the possibility of moral progress? (Constructivism)

Constructivists argue that norms and rules are socially constructed.

They may reflect existing inequalities because powerful actors influence which norms become dominant, but they can also promote moral progress by shaping identities, interests, and standards of appropriate behavior.

As norms change, international order can change as well.

Constructivism in one sentence

social theory asserting that global politics is shaped by ideas, collectively held beliefs, and social interactions, rather than just material power. Unlike traditional theories (like realism), constructivists believe that state identities and interests are not fixed, but are constantly constructed and changed over time

Internationalization (global IR )

growing connections between sovereign independent nation-stateS

World politics

It refers to a wide set of actors and political relations in the world, and not only those among nation-states.

What is the difference between international politics and world politicS

their scope.

International politics focuses primarily on political relations between sovereign states. It examines how states interact through diplomacy, conflict, cooperation, alliances, and foreign policy. States are considered the main actors in the international system.

World politics, by contrast, is a broader concept. While it still includes relations between states, it also examines the role of many other actors that influence global affairs.

What kind of reflections does the concept of ‘globalisation’ elicit for the study of international relations

and its scope?

The concept of globalization encourages scholars of I(IR) to broaden their understanding of world politics beyond the traditional focus on sovereign states.

Challenging the state centered perspectives , allows to draw attention to other actors ( ngo’s , corporations , social movements)

Global health in one sentence

_____was originally an extension of public health that sought to control the spread of microbes across borders, stimulate scientific discovery, and set international standards in medical care and health systems

How are the ‘right to health’ and the ‘right to development’ balanced in global health governance?

Global health governance balances the right to health and the right to development by controlling the spread of disease while minimizing disruptions to trade and economic activity. The International Health Regulations (IHR) aim to protect public health without unnecessarily interfering with international traffic and development.

What is the difference between national, international and human security?

• National security = protection of the state and its interests.

• International security = protection against threats that cross borders and require cooperation among states.

• Human security = protection of individuals and their well-being rather than the state.

What is a critique of human security?

it can serve the interests of the Global North by focusing on controlling threats arising from the Global South rather than addressing underlying inequalities.

It may also justify surveillance, emergency powers, and restrictions on rights in the name of protecting people.

Anthropocene

human activity has become the dominant influence on the climate

and the biosphere, on which life on Earth depends.

What is a defining difference of the concept of ‘World Politics’ compared with traditional ideas about international relationS?

, a broader focus on ‘world politics’ suggests that other actors than the state have acquired important political Roles rather than just the roles of the state