Key Terminology and Concepts in International Relations and Justice

Key Terminology

• Anarchy:

  • System without a central authority in international relations.
  • Results in self-interested behavior among states affecting global crime enforcement.

• Borders:

  • Geographic boundaries between nations.
  • Impact movement of people, goods, and transnational crime.

• Citizenship:

  • Legal membership in a nation-state providing rights and protections, such as access to justice.

• First-Generation Migrant:

  • Individual migrating from one country to another, facing various challenges.

• Global Telecommunications:

  • Worldwide communications that enable legal cooperation as well as cybercrime.

• Globalization:

  • Increasing interconnectedness of the world.
  • Allows various issues to transcend borders, including crime and migration.

• Golden Crescent:

  • A major opium-producing region affecting international drug trafficking.

• Golden Triangle:

  • Another opium-producing area linked to global drug crime.

• Great Replacement Theory:

  • A conspiracy theory promoting anti-immigrant sentiments.

• Human Rights:

  • Universal protections and freedoms, which can be violated in various contexts of justice.

• Illegal Migration:

  • Movement across borders without authorization, intertwined with political debates.

• Interdependence:

  • The mutual reliance among nations complicating responses to transnational crime.

• Intergovernmental Organization (IGO):

  • Entities formed by states to address issues like crime, e.g., INTERPOL, UNODC.

• International Crime:

  • Crimes crossing borders, including human trafficking and terrorism.

Legal and Political Concepts

• International Criminal Law:

  • Governs global crimes like genocide and war crimes.

• International Justice:

  • Pursuit of accountability for global crimes through mechanisms like the ICC.

• International System:

  • Global political structure shaping justice pursuits.

• Legal Migration:

  • Movement complying with immigration laws, granting protections.

• Liberal Institutionalism:

  • Emphasizes international cooperation through institutions.

• Liberal Values:

  • Principles underpinning justice in democracies, e.g., equality and rights.

• Liberalism:

  • Philosophy promoting freedoms and rule of law in justice systems.

• Migrant Offending:

  • Concept often overemphasized despite low actual offending rates among migrants.

• Migrant Stereotypes:

  • Negative beliefs affecting public policy and justice outcomes.

• Migrant Victimization:

  • Vulnerability of migrants to crime and limited access to justice.

• Migration-Crime Nexus:

  • Complex relationship between migration and crime, often politically exploited.

• Multinational Corporation (MNC):

  • Companies across borders, possibly implicated in exploitation.

• Nation-State:

  • Defined political entity with authority to govern.

Societal and Security Issues

• National Security:

  • Protection of a state's people and institutions.

• Nativism:

  • Preference for native-born over immigrants, often leading to punitive policies.

• Non-governmental Organization (NGO):

  • Independent groups advocating for justice and rights, especially for migrants.

• Non-State Actor:

  • Influential individuals/groups not associated with the government.

• Political Instability:

  • Weak governments fostering crime and human rights violations.

• Political Transition:

  • Power shifts altering justice policies and protections.

• Power (State):

  • Ability of a nation to enforce laws and control borders.

• Rationality of Nation-States:

  • State behavior often driven by logical self-interest.

• Realism:

  • Theory focusing on states as power-seeking entities in an anarchic world.

• Regional Conflict:

  • Disputes causing crime and humanitarian crises.

• Relative Deprivation:

  • Perceived inequality leading to crime and unrest.

• Self-Help (International Politics):

  • Actions taken by states independently for security.

• Sovereignty:

  • State's authority to govern without external interference.

• State Actor:

  • Government entities involved in legal matters.

Historical Events and Legal Frameworks

• Technology and Globalization:

  • Tools facilitating global crime and cooperation for justice.

• Afghanistan:

  • A site of conflict with implications for law and justice reform.

• Soviet Union (USSR):

  • Central to tensions in international criminal law during the Cold War.

• USA:

  • Key player in shaping international criminal justice norms.

• Concert of Europe:

  • 19th-century diplomatic system for international cooperation.

• Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide (1948):

  • Treaty defining genocide obligations for states.

• Geneva Conventions:

  • Treaties outlining humanitarian protections in war.

• Hague Conventions:

  • Early laws regulating warfare and war crimes.

• Peace of Westphalia (1648):

  • Established principle of state sovereignty in international law.

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

  • UN document advocating fundamental rights for all.

Cases and Concepts in Justice

• Criminology of the Other:

  • Concept on how marginalized groups are criminalized.

• Thomas Hobbes:

  • Philosopher advocating for strong governance to prevent anarchy.

• Thucydides:

  • Historian influencing modern understandings of power and war.

• Woodrow Wilson:

  • U.S. President advocating for international peace and legal norms.

• Conflict Diamonds:

  • Illegally traded resources financing conflict.

• Crime Against Humanity:

  • Widespread attacks on civilians prosecutable under international law.

• Drug Trafficking:

  • Major transnational crime affecting stability and justice.

• War Crimes and Human Trafficking:

  • Serious violations of law subject to international prosecution.

Legal Institutions and Organizations

• European Union:

  • Promotes legal harmonization and cross-border justice cooperation.

• International Criminal Court:

  • Prosecutes crimes like genocide and war crimes.

• Nuremberg Trials:

  • Established precedents for prosecuting war crimes post-WWII.

• International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda:

  • Established to prosecute those responsible for the Rwandan Genocide.

• UN General Assembly and Security Council:

  • Bodies shaping international law and justice mechanisms.

• UN Office of Drugs and Crime:

  • Leads global efforts against organized crime and corruption.

Significant Historical Events and Lessons

• Responsibility to Protect (R2P):

  • Norm stating protection from atrocities is a state and international responsibility.

• Rwandan Genocide:

  • Highlighting failures of international intervention and justice.

• September 11, 2001 Attack:

  • Shifted global security and anti-terrorism responses.

• Srebrenica Massacre and The Holocaust:

  • Historical events that influenced international legal frameworks against genocide and crimes against humanity.

Key Characters and Themes from Hotel Rwanda

• Colonel Oliver:

  • Symbolizes limitations of international military response.

• Dehumanization:

  • Tactic justifying mass violence against targeted groups.

• Key Figures:

  • General Bizimungu, Georges Rutaganda, and Paul Rusesabagina.

• Hotel des Mille Collines:

  • Site of refuge during the genocide.

• Hutu and Tutsi:

  • Ethnic groups involved in the genocide.

• Role of Media and Propaganda:

  • Highlighted through RTLM and its impact on inciting violence.

• International Critique:

  • Focus on UN's ineffective intervention during the genocide.