GLOPO Power & Sovereignty

J.J. Mearsheimer

A prominent political scientist known for his work on international relations, particularly offensive realism. He argues that great powers are inherently driven to seek dominance in an anarchic international system.

Gramsci

cultural hegemony is the dominance of a ruling class in a society by using its culture to make its own beliefs.

Anarchy/anarchic

a condition of the international system where there is no central authority or world government, leading to the absence of a higher power regulating states’ interactions

Hegemony

a situation in which one dominant state shapes global rules and norms through a mix of economic, military, cultural, and diplomatic means

Unipolar

When a state acts with little to no cooperation with other states. 

Example: Liberal world order- U.S

Bipolar

A global structure where two states hold a disproportionate amount of power compared to other statesThe Cold War (US VS USSR)

Multipolar

A world order characterized by multiple, diverse, and interconnected actors, rather than being dominated by a single superpower or a few major states. Ex: NATO, or the EU association

Multiplexity

describes a world order characterized by multiple, diverse, and interconnected actors, rather than being dominated by a single superpower or a few major states

Hard power

a state’s ability to influence and shape international affairs through military force, economic coercion, or other forms of tangible coercive means.

Soft power

a state’s ability to influence others through attraction and persuasion, rather than coercion, diplomacy

Power-over

relationship where one actor exercises control and influence over another to make them act in a way they would not otherwise choose, often through force, dominance, coercion, or manipulation.

Power-with

collaborative efforts and the ability of multiple actors to work together and influence one another's outcomes through shared decision-making and cooperation

Power to

the capacity of individuals, groups, or states to act in ways that promote their own interests, often emphasizing agency, autonomy, and the ability to achieve goals through cooperation and self-determination

State

a sovereign political entity characterized by defined borders, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to conduct foreign relations.

Nation-state

state based on a shared national identity (example Japan/Iceland)

Totalitarian states

characterized by an all-encompassing government that exercises control over every aspect of public and private life, often suppressing opposition, limiting individual freedoms, and tightly regulating the economy and society. Example: North Korea.

Legitimacy

The ability to defend and enforce rules with justification

Sovereign state

a country that has full control over its own government, laws, and territory, and is independent from outside authority

Fragile state

a country with a weak government that struggles to provide stability and basic services

Failed state

a country where the government has collapsed and can no longer function at all

Colonality

The enduring power structures established through colonialism, which continue to influence social hierarchies, knowledge systems, and economic exploitation

Decoloniality

resistance against coloniality, emphasizing alternative ways of thinking and being that challenge Western rationality

Colonial Power matrix

system in colonial and decolonial studies that describes system of global power and domination (power is not just exercised by states but is embedded in global systems, and how the sovereignty of postcolonial states can be constrained by persistent colonial legacies)

UN General Assembly Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples in 1960

unanimous vote  amongst countries by the general assembly that all peoples have an inalienable right to complete freedom.

Mandate system (Post WWI, 1919)

When the League of Nations agreed after WW1 to split territories and control over Germany, and parts of the Ottoman empire in the Middle East and Africa.

UN Trusteeship (Post WWII, 1946)

this agreement oversaw the transition to independence for territories that were previously League of Nations mandates or freed from enemy states.

Pooled Sovereignty

a concept where states share their decision-making authority and responsibilities in certain international areas to achieve collective goals like the European Union