Key Issues 8.3 Flashcards
Iraq
a state divided among 3 nations: 1) Sunni Muslims, 2) Shiite Muslims, and 3) Kurds; a multinational state experiencing strong devolutionary forces
Commonwealth
a territory that has established mutual agreement with another state for mutual benefit of both parties
Examples: U.S.A. and Puerto Rice, U.K. and Australia
Autonomous Region
a defined area within a state that has a high degree of self-government and freedom from its parent state; greater autonomy frequently granted to areas with distinct geography, ethnic makeup, or cultural composition
Example: Aland/Finland, Hong Kong and Macau/China, Northern Ireland/U.K., South Tyrol/Italy
Multistate Nation
when a nation (group of people) has a state of its own but stretches across borders of other states
Examples: Hungarians living in Hungary and Romania, Koreans live in North and South Korea
Supranational Organization
a separate entity composed of 3 or more states that forge an association and form an administrative structure for the mutual benefit and pursuit of shared goals
Advantages: increased trade, development, peacekeeping
Disadvantages: sanctions, economic disparity, embargoes, loss of sovereignty
League of Nations
an international organization, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, created after WWI to provide a forum resolving international disputes; a precursor to the United Nations; failed to prevent outbreak of WWII
United Nations
an international organization that was tasked to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among states, achieve international cooperation, and create a center for harmonizing the actions of nations
U.N. Security Council
one of the 6 principle organs of the UN; charged with the maintenance of international peace and security; consists of 15 members (5 permanent members are Russia, U.K., U.S.A., China, and France); has power to veto resolutions from the General Assembly
Cold War
the state of hostility between the Soviet bloc countries and the U.S.-led Western powers from 1945 to 1990; led to an arms race between superpowers; termed “cold” because there was never an official outbreak of fighting between the Soviet Union and United States
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization: an international alliance that consists of 29 member states from North America and Europe, originally established to prevent the spread of communism after WWII
Warsaw Pact
a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland among the Soviet Union and 7 soviet satellite states of Central in Eastern Europe; the Soviet Union’s response to the establishment of NATO
Domino Theory
a Cold War policy that suggested a communist government in one state would quickly lead to communist takeovers in neighboring states; formed the backbone of U.S. foreign policy throughout the Cold War; justified interventions in Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, etc.
European Union
a primarily economic (but also political) organization founded in the aftermath of WWII to promote stability and economic cooperation between member states
NAFTA
North American Free Trade Agreement: economic trading organization that eliminated taxes on virtually all goods traded among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; came into effect on January 1, 1994
Benelux
a politico-economic union of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg;
