Final Exam (c. 6) Flashcards
Civil War
A war in which the main participants are within the same state, such as the government and a rebel group.
Terrorism
The use or threatened use of violence against noncombatant targets by individuals or nonstate groups for political ends
Asymmetrical warfare
Armed conflict between actors with highly unequal military capabilities (ex. rebel groups fighting strong states)
Separatist
an actor that seeks to create an independent state on territory carved from an existing state
irredentist
an actor that seeks to detach a region from one country and attach it to another, usually because of shared ethnic or religious ties
proxy war
conflict in which two opposing states “fight” by supporting opposing sides in a war, such as the government and rebels in a third state
insurgency
a military strategy in which a small, often lightly armed units engage in hit-and-run attacks against military, government, and civilian targets
extremists
an actor whose interests are not widely shared by others; individuals or groups that are politically weak relative to the demands they make
coercion
a strategy of imposing or threatening to impose costs on other actors in order to induce a change in their behavior
provocation
a strategy of terrorists attacks intended to provoke the target government into making a disproportionate response that alienates moderates in the terrorists’ home society or in other sympathetic audiences
spoiling
a strategy of terrorist attacks intended to sabotage a prospective peace between the target and moderate leadership from the terrorists’ home society
outbidding
a strategy of terrorist attacks designed to demonstrate superior capability and commitment relative to other groups devoted to the same cause
