Key Concepts in International Relations and Criminal Justice

Key Terminology

• Anarchy: Absence of central authority in international relations, leading to self-interested behavior among states, affecting global crime enforcement.
• Borders: Geographic boundaries that influence the movement of people and goods, impacting transnational crime control.
• Citizenship: Legal membership in a state, offering rights and protections, including justice access.
• First-Generation Migrant: Individuals migrating to a new country, facing various legal and societal challenges.
• Global Telecommunications: Systems enabling worldwide communication that can support legal cooperation but also facilitate cybercrime.
• Globalization: Increasing global interconnectedness resulting in cross-border issues in crime, migration, and justice systems.
• Golden Crescent: Region notorious for opium production, affecting transnational drug trafficking.
• Golden Triangle: Another opium-producing area with links to global drug trade.
• Great Replacement Theory: Conspiracy theory linking rising immigration to the replacement of native populations, often fueling xenophobia.
• Human Rights: Universal protections potentially violated during migration or in criminal justice contexts.
• Illegal Migration: Unauthorized border crossing, often criminalized and linked to political debates.
• Interdependence: Mutual reliance of countries complicating responses to transnational crime and justice issues.
• Intergovernmental Organization (IGO): Groups formed by states to address international issues like crime (e.g., INTERPOL, UNODC).
• International Crime: Crimes occurring across national borders, including human trafficking, drug smuggling, and terrorism.
• International Criminal Law: Legal frameworks addressing serious global crimes like genocide and war crimes.
• International Justice: Pursuit of accountability for global crimes via institutions like the International Criminal Court (ICC).
• International System: The political structure shaping cross-border justice pursuits.
• Legal Migration: Border-crossing that follows immigration laws, granting legal protections.
• Liberal Institutionalism: Theory highlighting international cooperation through institutions to tackle crime and conflict.
• Liberal Values: Core principles supporting justice in liberal democracies, such as equality and due process.
• Liberalism: Political philosophy advocating for individual liberties and rule of law.
• Migrant Offending: Misconception regarding high crime rates among migrants; often statistically low.
• Migrant Stereotypes: Oversimplified beliefs about migrants affecting public policy.
• Migrant Victimization: Increased vulnerability of migrants to crime and limited access to justice.
• Migration: Movement across countries intersecting with criminal justice through various laws and enforcement strategies.
• Migration-Crime Nexus: The complex interplay between migration and crime, often politically exaggerated.
• Multinational Corporation (MNC): Businesses operating globally, sometimes implicated in labor-related crimes.
• Nation-State: Political entity with designated borders, laws, and systems of justice.

Key Concepts and Influences

• National Security: State's obligation to protect citizens, often cited for justifying legal measures.
• Nativism: Preference for native citizens in policy discussions, frequently leading to strict immigration laws.
• Non-governmental Organization (NGO): Groups advocating for migrant rights and legal protections.
• Non-State Actor: Entities influencing international justice not linked to any government.
• Political Instability: Environments where governments are weak, thus fostering crime and rights violations.
• Political Transition: Changes in governance impacting legal structures and rights protections.
• Power (State): The capacity of nations to enforce laws and influence global interactions.
• Rationality (of Nation-States): Theory that states act logically in their self-interest, shaping security and justice strategies.
• Realism: Perspective understanding states as power-seeking in an anarchic environment, often minimizing international cooperation.
• Regional Conflict: Disputes that can provoke crime and humanitarian crises.
• Relative Deprivation: Feelings of inequality leading to unrest and crime.
• Second/Third-Generation Migrant: Descendants of migrants facing ongoing discrimination.
• Self-Help (International Politics): Concept where states rely on their resources for security instead of external support.
• Sovereignty: Authority of a state to govern itself and have control over legal frameworks.
• State Actor: Government instrumentalities involved in law enforcement.

Relevant Models, Laws, and Institutions

1. Afghanistan: Conflict region affecting international law and drug enforcement.
2. Soviet Union (USSR): Historically significant in relation to international law.
3. United States: Influential in shaping international justice norms and practices.
4. Concert of Europe: Early model for diplomatic cooperation.
5. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948): Key treaty for defining and addressing genocide.
6. Fourteen Points (1918): Woodrow Wilson's proposal for peace and international order post-WWI.
7. Geneva Conventions: Treaties defining humanitarian law in conflicts.
8. Hague Conventions: Early legal frameworks for war conduct.
9. Peace of Westphalia (1648): Established principles of non-interference and state sovereignty.
10. Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Landmark UN document establishing global human rights standards.
11. Criminology of the Other: Highlights how marginalized groups, notably migrants, face criminalization.
12. Thomas Hobbes: Philosopher advocating for strong state authority to prevent chaos.

Key Events and Theories in International Law

• Conflict Diamonds: Illicit trade financing wars, raising ethical issues.
• Crime against Humanity: Serious offenses prosecutable under international law.
• Drug Trafficking: National security threat requiring international collaboration.
• Firearms Trafficking: Links to organized crime and violence.
• Genocide: Defined intent to eliminate groups, a fundamental international crime.
• Human Trafficking: Exploitation violating human rights standards.
• Money Laundering: Hiding proceeds of crimes, crucial for transnational networks.
• War Crime: Major violations of war laws, prosecutable internationally.

Institutions and Tribunals

1. European Union: Promotes cross-border justice cooperation.
2. International Court of Justice: Primary adjudicator of state disputes under international law.
3. International Criminal Court: Prosecutes individuals for severe global crimes.
4. International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia: Addressed Balkan war crimes.
5. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda: Resolved cases from the Rwanda genocide.
6. League of Nations: Predecessor to the UN, faced challenges in enforcement.
7. Nuremberg Trials: Set precedents for prosecuting war crimes.
8. Tokyo Trials: Similar to Nuremberg but focused on Japanese offenses.
9. UN General Assembly: Equal representation for all states, impacting norms.
10. UN Office of Drugs and Crime: Leads global initiatives against organized crime and drug trafficking.
11. UN Security Council: Authorizes international peacekeeping and law enforcement measures.
12. United Nations: Main body for promoting peace and cooperation on justice issues.

Historical Events and Doctrines

• Responsibility to Protect (R2P): Norm for states to protect populations from mass atrocities.
• Rwandan Genocide: Reflection on international justice failures.
• September 11, 2001 Attack: Shifted global security policies and criminal justice norms.
• Srebrenica Massacre: Labeled a genocide by courts, signifying humanitarian concerns.
• The Holocaust: Central to the formation of human rights laws.

Key Characters and Concepts in "Hotel Rwanda"

1. Colonel Oliver: Symbolizes UN limitations during the Rwandan Genocide.
2. Dehumanization: Used as propaganda to justify violence.
3. General Augustin Bizimungu: Convicted military leader from the genocide.
4. Georges Rutaganda: Businessman involved in genocide.
5. Hôtel des Mille Collines: Refuge during the genocide, famous for its role.
6. Hutu: Ethnic majority responsible for genocide against Tutsis.
7. Interahamwe: Militia group executing killings.
8. Jack Daglish: Represents foreign media’s role and Western indifference.
9. Paul Rusesabagina: Real-life hotel manager who sheltered victims.
10. Radio: Instrumental in inciting violence.
11. Red Cross: Provided critical aid amid the genocide.
12. Rwanda: Site of 1994 genocide against Tutsis.
13. Tutsi: Ethnic minority targeted in the genocide.

Relevant Multiple Choice Questions

• Question A: The Peace of Westphalia established the principle of c) Sovereignty for nation-states.
• Question B: The b) United Nations was formed to enhance international cooperation in response to earlier failures like the League of Nations.