Exam 2 Review Flashcards
Anarchy
no government in the international system
National Interest
the interest of the state, most basically the protection of territory + sovereignty
Balancing
taking actions to offset the power of more powerful states
Rational Actors
Actors that make decisions by weighing the costs + benefits of various options against the goal to be achieved.
Relative Gains
How much more one state gains
over another (can lead to security dilemma)
Security Dilemma
the situation in which each state tries to increase its own power to protect itself but their increase of power is seen as a threat by other States, leading them to be more insecure + thus they seek to Increase their own power + makes other states more insecure
Realism
An IR theory - States act in pursuit of their own national interests and
Accumulate more power for security in an anarchic world
Internal Balancing
a state building up its own military resources + capabilities in order to be abe to stand against more powerful states
External Balancing
refers to allying with others states to offset the power of more powerful states.
Bandwagoning
a process in which states that might have oppossed a threatening state chose to ally with it instead.
Neorealism
the structure of the international system is the most important level to study; states behave the way they do because of the international system, general laws can be found to explain events
Liberalism
theory of IR, the innate goodness of the individual + the value of political institutions in promoting social progress
Collective Security
The idea that aggression by a
state should been defeated collectively because aggression against one state is aggression against all
Neoliberal institutionalism
Even in an anarchic international system, states will cooperate because of their continuous interactions with each other + it is their self interest to do so; institutions provide the framework for cooperative interactions
Complex interdependence
States are connected through multiple channels (both informal + formal) there is no hierarchy of issues and the result is a decline in the use of military force
Constructivism
Explains events through a focus on norms + identities - both of individuals + states.
Discourse
how we choose to talk about ourselves and others
Socialization
the process through which one adopts the identities of other groups
Radicalism
social theory by Karl Marx, class countries between owners and workers will cause the eventual demise of capitalism; offers a critique of capitalism.
Dependency Theory
a strand of the radical school of economic thought that seeks to explain the under development of dominant states
Multinational Corporations(MNC)
Private enterprises which span state borders through the actual presence in, investments in, or trade with other countries
Identity
a sense of self based on certain qualities and beliefs that define a person/group.
Norms
collective expectations for the proper behavior of actors with a given identity
International Institutions
Sets of rules such as international treaties + organizations meant to govern international behavior
System
An assemblage of units, objects, or parts, united by some form of regular interaction in which a change in one unit causes changes in others
Multipolar
Any system in which the distribution of the power to conquer is concentrated in more than two states
Bipolar
the distribution of the power to conquer is concentrated in two states or coalitions of states
Unipolar
the power to conquer all other states in the system combined resides within a single state
Hegemon
a dominant state that has a preponderance of power often establishes and enforces the rules and norms in the international system
multilateralism
the conduct of international activity by three or more states in accord with shared general principles often but not always through international institutions
State
an organized political unit that has a geographic territory, stable population, and a govemment to which the poplation owes an allegiance and that is legally recognized by other states
Nation
a group of people sharing a common language, history, or culture
Nation-state
the entity formed when people sharing the same historical, cultural, or linguistic roots form their own state with borders, a government and international recognition, trend began with French+ American revolution
Group-think
A mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when members strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action
Levels of analysis
based on the ideas that events in international relations can be explained by looking at individuals, states, or the
International system and that causes at each level can be seperated from causes at other levels
