AOS 1 unit 3 politics Flashcards
what is realism
realism is a political theory that stresses that states prioritise their interests over those of the global community
why are countries realist?
- realism happens because actors and states are informed by what they know is real, they cant trust or predict other global actors and what they can do, so their own interests take precedences since those of the other states are unknown
characteristics of realism
- state centralism and power
- zero sum game: if one state gains, another state loses
- national interests: first priority out of necessity
- anarchic: assumption that states will act according to their interests
- international system: organised based on chaos realism
cosmopolitinism
a political theory that reflects the desire among global actors to cooperate and reach common goals and outcomes to meet challenges that are faced and present to the global community
characteristics and why of cosmopolitanism
- humanity has moral priority
- focus on universal rights and intercultural rights
- states cannot prioritise their citizens at the expense of harming others (outsiders)
- must provide humanitarian assistance and hospitality to those in need
what is a nation
group of people claiming common bonds based of culture language and history
what is a state
possess permanent population, defined territory and recognised sovereignty
what is power defined as
fueled by cultural homogeneity, where everyone within the bounds of the state (defined territory) share cultural bonds
what are nation states
fueled by cultural homogeneity, where everyone within the bounds of the state (defined territory) share cultural bonds
what is global governance
institutions, rules, norms and legal arrangements to facilitate relations and cooperations between states
detterence
refers to the ability of one actor to convince another to refrain from initiating a provocative action using real or implicit threats
what makes an issue global?
a problem with no clear consensus or resolutions that is also apparent across regional and national boundaries
what are weapons of mass destruction
atomic explosive weapons that are radioactive, chemical, material, lethal or biological weapons that are an existential threat to ongoing survival
why are WMDs a global issue, what makes them a global issue
- they exist worldwide, making the problem a global issue as they can be used and stored anywhere
- the issue is that actors lack a clear consensus on how to deal with them for example some actors want them removed, some want to store them and some want to use them
what is mutually assured destruction
two or more actors being deterred from using nuclear weapons because doing so would annihilate all others
characteristics of WMD’s
- intended to harm large amount of people physically
- pose an existential threat
- exist worldwide, stored and used everywhere
examples and non examples of WMDs
- nuclear weapons are an example
guns and melee weapons are a non example
ideological causes - realist nationalism characteristics
- impacts WMDs as it makes states more likely to resort to them to protect their interests regardless of the global community
eg. religious differences
political causes - conflicts + disputes characteristics
- threat to wellbeing of the state means more implementation of WMDs to protect states and their interests
state to state conflict - escalation of weapons so who can win?
internal conflicts - escalation of weapons used to maintain political stability
border conflicts - escalation of weapon to maintain national integrity
technological causes - militarism and new arms race characteristics
- substantial investment in military arms to protect power through military means
- outcome of cause 1 and 2
- technology is a primary factor in allowing further militarism and exacerbating the crisis and creating further global tensions
what is global interconnectedness?
defined as the intricate web of interactions and interdependencies that link countries, societies and individuals across the world, previously known as globalisation
factors and characteristics of global interconnectedness
- due to process of global economic and social integration
- exchange of power
- exchange of g + s
- transactions (financial, military, cyber)
- globalised media
- transnational cooperations
what is terrorism
terrorism is the use of violence and intimidations especially against civilian for political aims with the intent to cause death or injury
characteristics of terrorism
- violent acts
- political aims
- intimidation
- aims to instil fear and terror
- in breach of rules
- indiscriminate
- form of change
- reactions
- immoral/unlawful
impact of global interconnectedness on terrorism and WMD
it causes terrorism
- transnational communications
- economic disparity
- inhibits state power
- additional groups can acquire WMD
- do not sign any laws no boundaries
