Intro/Section 1 Flashcards
International Politics
Relationship between the world’s governments
International Security
Focuses on war and peace, main subfield of I.R.
International Political Economy (IPE)
Concerns trade and financial relations among nations. Flow of international economic/financial transactions. Subfield of I.R.
State
Monopoly of legitimate force over territory (controlled by authority, the authority differs based on system)
Country
A place on a map, a state may or may not control all the territory
Nation
A cultural concept about which people belong within a territory or civilization and who is/should be a citizen of the state
Nation-state
A state that contains all and only the members of one culture/civilization. (Ex: Japan)
Sovereignty
The ability to carry out actions and policies within a territory independently of external actors and internal rivals
Nonstate actors (substate and transnational)
Sub-state actors (domestic): Operate in a single state
Transnational: Operate in multiple states (encompasses IGOs, NGOs, and individuals)
Nongovernmental Organizations
Members are private organizations made up of individuals and groups. Ranges from political to humanitarian to economic work. Ex: Red Cross
Intergovernmental Organizations
Members are state governments. Ex: UN, NATO, WTO, Arab League
Multinational Corporation
Companies that span multiple countries. Ex: Toyota, Walmart
International Conflict
Difference of preferences between 2 or more states
International Cooperation
2 or more states working together to fulfill shared goals
Theory vs History
History: A story of how something happened in the past, not reliable for predicting the future
Theory: A mental construct for explaining outcomes, predicting future outcomes, and prescribing appropriate policy
Individual LOA
Concerns the perceptions, choices, and actions of individual human beings
State LOA
Political, economic, or cultural attributes of a state
International LOA
Concerns the influence of the international system upon outcomes
Global LOA
Global challenges, prevailing technologies, world opinion,
WWI
1914 - 1918, global war between Central Powers and Allied Powers, characterized by Trench Warfare
WWII
Global War from 1939-1945 between the Allied and Axis powers, Allied powers fought against fascism of the Axis powers.
League of Nations
IGO that emerged after WWI to promote international cooperation and peace
United Nations
An IGO that works to maintain peace and security, develop relations between nations, and promote human rights
Marshall Plan
Provided economic assistance to Western Europe after WWII in hopes of promoting democracy in these nations
Cold War
A period of political and military tension between the US and USSR between 1947-1991. No military conflict occurred
Containment
A policy adopted in the late 1940s by the U.S. to stop the spread of communism
Cuban Missile Crisis
In 1962 the USSR put nuclear missiles in Cuba in response to Kennedy putting missiles in Turkey. Both parties came to a resolution and removed their respective missiles
Proxy Wars
Wars in which more powerful states compete with one another by supplying and advising opposing smaller nations w/o direct intervention
Gulf War (1991)
An armed conflict between Iraq and the United States in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. Kuwait was liberated
Disintegration of Yugoslavia/Kosovo War
The break up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s which led to conflicts like the Kosovo War where Albanian Kosovars fought against the Serbian government in Kosovo, leading to NATO intervention
9/11 Attacks and War on Terrorism
The global military campaign led by the U.S. in response to the 9/11 attacks which led to military action in Afghanistan and Iraq. The 9/11 attacks occurred after al-Qaeda flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Iraq War
Part of the war on terror, lasted from 2003 to 2011. The US invaded in hopes of overthrowing the Saddam Hussein regime and promoting democracy in the region.
