IS101 Flashcards
Interstate system
Today’s prevailing international order
What is international studies?
Involves nearly any issue that transcends borders including health, war, environment, business, religion and culture.
What is soft power?
Power without coercion. Attained through culture, political values, and/or policies. Using media, brands, news etc (attraction and/or co-option)
Comparative culture
How different people (groups of people) believe different things, adopt different values and behave in various ways according to local customs
Urbanization
The growth of cities at the expense of the countryside and its pros and cons
Nationalism
Recognition of, and attachment to, ones nation. The drive of a nation to get its own state.
Realism
First and foremost, ones nation or country must look out for its own interests and advantages on the world stage.
Idealism
The most important thing for nations and countries to do is to contribute what they can towards the creation of a better world for all.
Countries consist of what 4 basic elements?
Territory (natural resources)
Population (people)
Culture (high and low)
State (governance)
Hard power
Books down to wealth and strength. Get what you want by buying it, bribing others to get it or taking it by force.(coercion) “bullets and bucks”
Nation
Belonging together in some meaningful sense as a unit
Having its own identity
Separate and distinct from other comparable groups
High culture
Of especially good quality
Enduring merit (worthy)
Represents the very best and most meaningful pieces of culture. (Sophisticated art)
Low culture
Common or widespread forms of belief and behaviour
Pop culture (music, books, sports, TV, radio content, Internet/new media content)
Common ways of speaking/dressing
Non-state actors
Non governmental groups such as businesses, corporations, churches, charities and NGOs
Multinational corporations
Big businesses with multiple units in multiple countries
Terrorist group
Armed group that deliberately uses violence against civilian populations, as opposed to military targets, in hopes that the spread of terror will further their political agenda.
Insurgent forces
Revolutionary armed groups, committed to the violent overthrow of the government
Private militias
Armed groups that’s are not part of any country’s official military with a private or political agenda
Privatized
When a medium or product of any kind is sold to for-profit companies
Empire
System of governance forged in military conquest without the consent of the people. Consists of a “hub of empire” or metropole and colonies (dependencies). Substantial inequality between the two.
Treaty of Westphalia
Deal for peace.
Birth of modern interstate system.
No more killing over religion. The right to separate religions in separate countries.
Live and let live.
Political sovereignty
The right of a group of people to rule themselves.
Hegemony
Strong influence/dominant power
Us is said to be the global hegemon
Brazil the hegemon of South America
How many military bases does the U.S. have outside of its own borders?
700
Domestic policy
Concerns the way ones national community is or should be governed.
Foreign policy
Concerns the way one country does or should relate to other countries, and their national governments around the world.
Diplomacy
The attempt to persuade another country to adopt your view and act accordingly.
Idealists multilateralism
The idealists response to the realists assurance problem.
Instead of a unilateral (one sided) approach, join in with others so that everyone can help each other.
The assurance problem
Countries cannot trust each other. They cannot rely on anyone but themselves. They are too different and there is no effective world governance.
Prehistoric period
10,000 - 3500 BCE
Pre-modern period
3500 - 1500 BCE
Early modern period
1500-1750
Modern period
1750-1970
Contemporary/postmodern
1970- present
Elitism
The rule of the most able. The existence of a ruling group beyond popular control in all societies on any complexity.
Feudalism **
The dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants (villeins or serfs) were obligated to live on their lords land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for military protection.
Mercantilism
Economic theory that trade generates wealth and is stimulated by the accumulation of profitable balances, which a government should encourage by means of protectionism.
Primitive accumulation
Historical process of gaining wealth prior to the capitalist transformation that eventually led to class-creation (elite, bourgeois, proletariat)
Four phases of imperialism
- In 1600, Portuguese, Spanish & Dutch establish strong seaborne empires (shipbuilding)
- In 1759, seven yrs war (WWI). Britain emerges as victorious winning ground in Europe, Canada & India
- Late 1800s, Great Depression and the scramble for Africa.
- Bankruptcy and resistance. Decolonization begins.
Protectionism
Government power that is inconsistent with free trade.
Tariffs & subsidies
Tragedy of the commons
When things are owned in common, or are unowned, and results in a decline of both quality and quantity of the thing.
Grazing areas were public, cows chewed up everything, everyone lost.
Zero-sum conflict
It is impossible for one party to advance without the other party suffering a corresponding loss.
(+1) + (-1) = zero
Positive-sum conflict
The sum of winnings and losses are greater than zero