Exam 1 Flashcards
Anarchy:
The absence of a higher order power or government in world politics that could enforce international cooperation.
Balancing
The act of a state joining a weaker coalition to counter the influence or power of a stronger coalition
Bandwagoning
The act of a state joining a stronger power or coalition
Bretton Woods
The monetary order negotiated among World War II allies in 1944 that lasted until 1970s
Collective Security
The idea that if one state violates another states’ sovereignty, then all the other states can get together (even those whose sovereignty was not violated) and take on the aggressor
Collective Goods
Goods that are non-rival (i.e., one person using the good does not prevent anyone else from using it) and non-excludable (i.e., no one can be prevented from using the good)
Collective Goods Problem/ Tragedy of the Commons/ Collective Action Problem
The problem of how to provide collective goods when no one has an incentive to do so
Cult of the offensive
The common belief among state leaders that offensive advantages are so great that a defending force would have no hope of repelling the attack
GDP
Gross-domestic product: the total value of goods and services produced in a given year in a given country
General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT)
An international institution created in 1948 in which member countries committed to reduce barriers to trade and to provide similar trading conditions to all other members
International Monetary Fund
A major international economic institution that was established in 1944 to manage international monetary relations
League of Nations
A collective security organization formed in the aftermath of WWI
Marshall Plan
Also called “the European Recovery Plan,” the Marshall Plan was enacted by the US in 1947 as a way to help rebuild Europe after World War II.
Munich Conference
An agreement that took place in 1938 where Russia, Germany, Britain, France, and Italy met in Munich to decide what action to take concerning Germany’s aggression in Czechoslovakia
Nation-state
A legally recognized state comprised overwhelmingly of one nation
Nation
A group of people who share a common identity based on a shared history, language, culture, etc.
Sovereignty
The norm that states have the right to do whatever they like within their own borders, free from interference by other states
State
A territorially bound, legalized international entity, controlled by a government and inhabited by a population
Treaty of Versailles
The peace treaty between the Allies and Germany that ended World War I on June 28, 1919
Treaty of Westphalia
A treaty signed after the Thirty Years War in 1648, which established that states had the right to choose their own religious practices and taxation policies, free from interference by other states
United Nations Security Council
Being the main governing body of the UN, the UNSC has the authority to identify threats to international peace and security and to prescribe the organization’s response.
United Nations
A collective security organization founded in 1945, consisting of 193 members
Agenda-setting power:
State’s ability to set the terms of interaction between itself and other states and amongst groups of states
Anarchy
The structure of the international system, which is characterized by a lack of hierarchy and central authority – does NOT mean chaos or disorder
Classical Realism
An older form of realism, most prominently that of Hans Morgenthau, which focuses on power and human nature
Deterrence
A key example of bargaining based on the policy of persuading an adversary, through the threat of military action, that the costs of an action will outweigh the benefits
Free-riding
Since no one can be prevented from using collective goods, no one has an incentive to actually bear the costs and provide these goods. Rather, everyone has an incentive to wait for someone else to bear the costs, and then benefit from the good for free.
Hegemony
The domination of international politics, in both security and economic relations, by a single powerful state
Idealism
A rival doctrine explaining international relations by placing its emphases on an altruistic common human morality, institutional learning, and the efficacy of international organizations
Liberal Institutionalism
A strand of liberalism that emphasizes the role of international institutions in creating and maintaining peace and cooperation
Liberal internationalism
A strand liberalism that emphasizes the role of domestic institutions in creating and maintaining peace and cooperation
Liberalism
A grand theory of IR that seeks to explain how peace and cooperation are possible
Material Power
is tangible power and usually measured in terms of GDP, military forces and natural resources a state has.
Offensive Realism
A type of realism that suggests states will behave aggressively and seek territorial expansion whenever they perceive an opportunity for relative gains
Polarity
The number of independent centers of power in the international system (e.g., unipolarity, bipolarity, and multipolarity)
Prisoner’s Dilemma:
A commonly applied game in IR when individually rational choices leave both actors worse off than if they were able to coordinate a common strategy
Rationality
The assumption that states and other international actors can identify their interests, put priorities on various interests, and make their choices accordingly
Realism
A doctrine that explains international relations in terms of power
Relative gains/Relative power
Gains that are only measured in reference to how they compare to those of other actors
Security dilemma
A problem when the actions that one state takes to bolster its security threaten the security of other states, leading to a self-reinforcing spiral that fosters mistrust and arguably increases the likelihood of conflict
Soft power
is the ability of a state to get what it wants through the appeal of ideas, values, religions, consumer brands, etc., rather than coercion.
Stag Hunt
A game in which two players gain benefits from cooperation, but issues of trust and coordination influence whether they successfully coordinate over a smaller (rabbit) or larger (stag) price
Structural realism:
A type of realism starting in the 1980s, which focuses on systemic, international factors, such as power balancing
Unitary Actor Assumption
An understanding of states as individual actors, rationally motivated to achieve goals that are strictly in their national self-interest
