Mid-Term Flashcards
Define Globalization
The continual increase in worldwide economic, social and cultural interactions that transcend the boundaries of states and which have significant political implications.
Define International Relations
The study of relationships and interactions amount national states
What are the effects of globalization on states?
Weakening of Sovereign power, interdependence
Who are the actors in IR?
States, international organizations, NGOs and individuals.
Define states
A geographical entity governed by a central authority
What are the core values of states?
Expected to uphold security, freedom, order, justice and welfare.
What is the most important actor in IR?
States
Define International organizations
An institution composed of states as members
What are norms?
Values that are considered universal, such as: human rights, and that can influence the behavior of IR actors.
Define Nongovernmental organizations
Transnational organizations that have a standing independent of governments, often with a diverse membership that works to fulfill specific political, social, or economic objectives.
What is a Global Civil Society?
The gradual worldwide emergence of the rule of law and networks or relationships among people in a world composed of both state and nonstate actors.
What is security as a key concept?
The basic survival and protection of a state, but can also refer to individuals
What is the economy as a key concept?
The production, distribution and consumption of goods and services.
What is identity as a key concept?
Refers to the answer to the question of “who am I” it may be associated with a state, religion, ethnicity and have political implications.
Define theory
An intellectual construct that predicts or explains the world by offering explanations for law-like regularities
Define hypothesis
States a casual relationship between variables and should be testable through quantitative or qualitative methods:
- dependent: what you seek to explain
- independent: factors that may be casually related to the dependent variable
- intervening: may affect the relationship between the independent and dependent variable
What are the levels of analysis?
Individual level
Group level
State and societal level
International/global level
What are the mainstream theories?
Realism
Liberalism
Economic structuralism
English school
What are the alternative theories?
Constructivism
Feminism
Postmodernism
Critical theory
What are the different types of international systems?
Independent
Hegemonic
Imperial
Feudal
What is Colonialism?
Legal condition in which a land seeks sovereignty
Who are the BRICS countries?
Brazil Russia India China South Africa
Define physical geography
Depictions of terrain such as: continents, mountains, rivers, lakes and oceans.
Define human geography
Depiction of human activities over physical terrain
What is geopolitics?
An early approach to international relations that explain national power and state behavior in terms of geography.
What is demography?
A focus on data about populations such as literacy, life expectancy, per capita income, etc.
What does Realism say about religion in IR?
Power and national interests are more significant factors than religion.
What does Liberalism say about religion in IR?
Religion is a defining element of global civil society.
What does English School say about religion in IR?
The rules of international society, even when secular, often have religious underpinnings.
What does Marxism say about religion in IR?
Churches reinforce the dominant power structures.
What are the major religious traditions of the world?
Hinduism and Buddhism: 2 billion
Judaism, Christianity and Islam: 2.5 billion
Define partition
A formal separation amount groups
-may be a short term solution to ethnic strife
What is assimilation?
The denial of national/ ethnic differences in favor of a common identity.
What is Consociationalism?
A unitary state, which lacks internal administrative divisions, allows for power sharing and local autonomy among national groups.
What is a Federation and Confederation?
Separate local governments allow for considerable independence
-central government is weak relative to the local governments
Social development
Establishment of greater tolerance and acceptance
Economic development
Reduction of economic disparities.
Technology as a dynamic in globalization
Advances particularly in communication and transportation, which make geographic distance largely irrelevant: key to globalization
Economic Impact: globalization
Relevance of borders is also challenged by the blurring o domestic and international markets.
Social-cultural impact
Global social interactions are magnified by improvements in communication technology.
Political impact of globalization
States have lots some degree of control over their policies
What are the attributes of Capitalism?
Investment (capital)
Commercial culture
Economic success equated with virtue
Interdependence
A situation in which actions and events in one state affect people in other states and assumes some degree of reciprocal effect.
Trade Integration
The level of a country’s participation in world markets through trade-countries increase over the past decades )30%->50%)
Foreign Direct Investment
Money invested in countries besides ones own
European Union
An economic and political partnership between 27 european countries.
Cyber War
Politically motivated computer network hacking designed to conduct sabotage and espionage.
Social Network Analysis
Software designed to place individuals in the context of their social network and hence discern personal ties.
Patterns of life
Repeated human behavior and tendencies.
Capitalism
An economic system, form of political economy or mode of production that emphasizes money, market-oriented trade, capital investment for further production, and a set of values or culture.
Mode of Production
The form of political economy associated with the production of goods and services at different historical periods-used in the Marxist understanding of ancient slavery, feudalism and capitalism as different modes of production.
Political Economy
The intersection of politics particularly in relation to trade, money, finance and investment (the flows of capital across national boundaries)
Capital Goods
Refers to goods used in the production of other goods
GDP
Gross domestic product
-GNP minus the return on foreign investment
GNP
Gross national product
-country’s annual output of goods and services
GNI
Gross national income
-GNP minus indirect business taxes
Capital Formation
New and continuing investment in capital goods for production and consumption.
Mercantilism
The concept that national wealth is a function of the amount of gold and other accumulated treasure
Factors of production
Land, labor, capital
Free Trade
Commerce unobstructed by tariffs, quotas or other barriers.
Comparative Advantage
Countries tend to specialize in those goods and services for export in which they are most efficient.
Protectionism
Policies favoring a countries industries, agriculture or other products by imposing tariffs or quotas on imports. Subsidizing production.
Neocolonialism
Relations of economic, social, cultural and even political dominance by a former colonial ruler of a now independent state.
Cartel
An association for establishing national or international market control, setting production levels, etc
-oil, tin, coffee
Competitive Devaluation
Some countries devalue their currency to make export prices of goods and services cheaper to gain an unfair advantage.
GATT
General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs
-signed in 1947-1993
WTO
World Trade Organization
- reduce barriers to trade
- 1995
Tariffs
Taxes places by governments on imported goods from other countries
IMF
International Monetary Fund
- 1944
- oversees the international monetary system to ensure exchange rate stability
International Liquidity
The ease with which foreign currencies are available to countries so they can settle their accounts.
Fixed Exchange Rates
A system in which the value of a country’s currency, in relation to the value of other currencies, is maintained at a fixed conversion rate through government intervention.
World Bank
International Organization created in 1944 to be a source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world.
National Interest
A states core security interests and values
Sovereignty
A claim to political authority to make policy or take actions domestically/ abroad: based on territory and autonomy.
Objective
Specific goals of a state, IO or TNO
Capabilities
Material and non material resources that can serve as the basis for power
Presidential Government
Executive branch is separate from the legislature.
Separation of powers
Political system in which power is distributed between 2 or more branches of government.
Parliamentary government
Executive are part of the legislative branch
Balance of power
Key concept amount realists and defined as a condition of equilibrium amount states.
Voluntarism
The philosophical position that humans can influence, if not control outcomes in IR.
Power
Means by which a state or other actor wields can assert actual or potential influence.
Legitimacy
A right to govern and exercise power based on popular acceptance.
Unitary State
A system of government in which most powers are reserved for the national level government
Federal state
Power is apportioned between national level government and states or regions
Political Culture
Those norms, values and orientations of a societies culture that are politically relevant.
Soft Power
Non material capabilities such as reputation, culture and value appeal that can aid the attainment of a states objectives.
Issue Area
Military, economic and political issues in which different types of power are most relevant.
Economic Leverage
The ability to use economic power to extract political concessions.
