POLI 340 Midterm Study Guide

Vocabulary flashcards covering core topics, doctrines, models, institutions, and diplomatic tools from the POLI 340 Midterm Study Guide.

Unitary actor

An actor (individual or group) treated as an individual whose behavior is conditioned by the goals he/she/it possesses, which in the case of states are national interests.

Rationality

Goal-oriented behavior, maximizing expected utilities, or ordering preferences in a consistent way and acting accordingly.

Condorcet Winner

An alternative which can always beat another one in pairwise comparisons.

Rational Policy-Making Process

A process involving identifying the problem, setting goals or desired outcomes, looking for policy options, weighing benefits and costs, assessing probabilities, and selecting the feasible option bringing the highest net benefits.

Action policy opportunity costs

The principle that resources devoted to one foreign policy problem cannot be used to address other foreign or domestic policy problems.

Declaratory Policy

Proclamations that state the intention of the country to pursue a line of action, which are less costly.

Action Policy

What the country actually does, which is more costly than declaratory proclamations.

Action policy blowback

Unintended consequences of an action policy.

Hard power

Military power or economic power.

Soft power

Power to influence or persuade.

Grand Strategy

The linchpin uniting goals and tactics in a government-wide approach that brings together all elements of power.

The Truman Doctrine

US declaration of Cold War against the Soviet Union based on containment and deterrence.

Deterrence

Stopping an adversary from doing something bad by making them afraid and showing threat.

The Nixon Doctrine

Policy of helping free countries defend themselves by providing military aid and economic assistance without direct US military involvement, featuring Vietnamization and Detente.

Vietnamization

Turning over responsibility for defending the South.

Detente

Seeking to engage the Soviets and China in a dialogue, moving from competition and open distrust to limited cooperation and muted conflict.

The Carter Doctrine

Declaration in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in Dec. 1979 stating that any attempt by an outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region would be repelled by any means necessary, including military force.

The Reagan Doctrine

Policy where Reagan referred to the Soviets as an 'evil empire' and declared the US would work actively to remove communists and their allies from power.

The Bush Doctrine

Policy stating after 9/11 that the US would make no distinction between terrorists and those who harbor them, pursuing nations providing aid or safe haven.

Rational Actor Model

Model based on the assumption that a state, like an individual, is a rational unitary actor possessing goals and choosing alternatives that achieve them most efficiently.

Bureaucratic Politics Model

Model viewing policy making as a political process where individuals inside government with different goals bargain with one another.

Small-Group Decision-making Model

Model where foreign policy decisions are made by small groups, offering benefits such as swift action, open exchange, and secrecy, but subject to defects like groupthink.

Groupthink

A special problem in small groups characterized by overestimation of the group's power and morality, closed-mindedness, and pressures toward conformity.

Elite Theory

Theory asserting that political elites are a stable and cohesive group sharing common goals, interests, and values, causing basic US foreign policy to change slowly, if at all.

Pluralism

Theory holding that power in society is fragmented and diffused among many participating groups, with policy being the product of group bargaining and government acting as an umpire.

Parliamentary System

Form of government where the Prime Minister and cabinet are selected by and dependent on the legislature's confidence, with no collective executive.

Presidential System

Form of government based on separation of powers with a single, noncollegial president elected by the general public and not dependent on legislative confidence.

Semipresidential System

Mixed constitutional form of government where a president elected by universal suffrage holds considerable powers and stays in office unless parliament shows opposition.

Executive agreement

An international commitment carrying the same legal force as a treaty but requiring no consent from the Senate.

Signing statement

A statement attached to a piece of legislation to affirm presidential authority and state how the president interprets the law.

Congressional-Executive Agreement

A binding international agreement approved by a simple majority in both the House and Senate, easier to enact than a treaty but more limited in scope.

Competitive System (Managerial)

Managerial style used by Johnson where advisors compete and disagree for the president's attention.

Formalistic System (Managerial)

Organized hierarchical managerial style used by Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Obama where advisors communicate through the chief of staff.

Collegial System (Managerial)

Team-oriented managerial style used by Kennedy, Carter, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and Biden where advisors work together as equals.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) System

Managerial style used by George W. Bush and Trump where the president operates as CEO directing the organization to carry out his goals.

Delegates

Members of the legislature who act as mechanistic agents of their constituents.

Trustees

Members of the legislature who act as active interpreters of constituent interests, incorporating national needs and their own moral/intellectual judgements.

Formalistic Representation

Formal bestowing of authority onto a person to act for others.

Descriptive Representation

Correspondence between characteristics of the representatives and the represented.

Substantive Representation

'Acting for' representation focusing on representing constituent interests.

War Powers Act of 1973

Act requiring the president to consult Congress before committing troops, inform Congress within 48 hours, and remove troops within 60 days if Congress does not declare war or approve the action.

Simple Resolution

A statement made by one house of Congress.

Concurrent Resolution

A statement made by both houses of Congress that is not a law and not submitted to the president for signature.

Joint Resolution

A statement made by both houses of Congress that becomes law if signed by the president.

Path Dependency

The concept that prior events condition current and future decisions and actions, meaning history matters.

Punctuated equilibrium

Pattern of institutional change where rapid change at critical junctures is interspersed with long periods of stability or inertia.

Generalist (Secretary of Defense)

Role approach exemplified by Lloyd Austin of recognizing and deferring to military expertise.

Functionalist (Secretary of Defense)

Role approach exemplified by Robert McNamara of consolidating management and policy control in office.

Goldwater-Nichols DOD Reorganization Act of 1986

Act stipulating that the military chain of command runs from the president to the secretary of defense to the combatant command, leaving the JCoS without executive command authority.

Vietnam Syndrome

Public unwillingness to support the use of military force if it results in casualties.

Insider Strategy

Interest group approach of attempting to establish a close relationship with the government.

Outsider Strategy

Interest group approach relying on large-scale campaigns that are publicly oriented.

The Collective Actions problem

The difficulty of forming interest groups due to nonexcludable common benefits encouraging free riding, causing small groups to be overrepresented compared to large groups.

Classical Pluralist Theory

Theory arguing for a free press not dominated by any single political or economic interest, but held by a multiplicity of news sources covering various political positions.

New pluralism

View that while the mass market for news is becoming less pluralist, the digital market is rapidly becoming more pluralist.

Agenda setting

The process by which political issues are continuously sorted according to changing priorities attached to them.

Priming

Media effect where constant repetition of news items leads audiences to focus on specific issues, keeping them front of mind.

Framing

Media effect where the way news stories are set up and expressed influences how audiences interpret them.

Track II Diplomacy

Diplomatic activity involving individuals and private sector groups rather than official state representatives.

Shuttle Diplomacy

Process where a third-party mediator travels between opposing sides to carry proposals and find compromise.

Coercive diplomacy

Threatening or using force to compel a country to stop or change a policy.

Nuclear diplomacy

Using the existence, threat, or deterrent power of nuclear weapons to influence another state's decision.