Midterm 3 Flashcards
state
a distinctive political community with its own set of rules and practices, more or less separate from other such communities
IR definition of state
the modern sovereign state, which possesses a “legal personality” and is recognized as possessing certain rights and duties
intervention
in IR, usually refers to direct intervention by one or more states in the internal affairs of another, by either military or nonmilitary means
nation
a named community, often referred to as “a people”, usually occupying a homeland and sharing one or more cultural elements, such as a common history, language, religion or set of customs. Nations may or may not have states of their own
empire
a system in which one country to centre of power directly or indirectly dominates and controls other weaker countries
statecraft
the skilful conduct of state affairs, usually in the context of external relations
arthashastra
sets out the ways and means of acquiring territory, keeping it and reaping prosperity from it
imperialism
the exercise of power by one group over another; from a latin verb meaning literally “to command”. Imperialism is sometimes used as a synonym for colonialism, but is broader because it doesn’t necessarily involve actual physical occupation of the territory in question or direct rule over the subjugated people
interdependence
can largely be traced to the global reach of the modern european empires and the networks and movements of people, technology and financial and economic systems
interdependence
in IR, the primarily liberal notion that states are increasingly interconnected through a web of relations, especially in the economic field, and that this makes warfare less desirable as a foreign policy strategy. The concept of complex interdependence simply introduces more variables, deepening the complexity of interdependence and strengthening the case for a more pluralistic approach to international relations than neorealist thought allows for
modernity
a temporal and cultural phenomenon linked in part to the rise of industrialization in Europe and NA and in part to profound changes in social and political thought associated with the intellectual movement the Enlightenment
human intervention
direct intervention by one country, or a group of countries, in the internal affairs of another country for humanitarian reasons
anarchy
the absence of political rule or sovereign authority. In realist and neorealist international relations theory, the international sphere is considered anarchic because there is no sovereign authority standing above the individual states to make up the sphere. States therefore have no choice but do defend themselves
the Concert of Europe
a largely informal agreement among the major powers of nineteenth-century Europe to act together on matters of mutual concern. It developed following the Congress of Vienna after the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte ad generally took the form of diplomatic meetings and conferences aimed at the peaceful resolution of differences
nation-building
the process in which a state is created and then its leaders attempt to mould it’s sometimes quite diverse groups of inhabitants into a coherent, “functional” nation
weak states
states that lack the capacity to organize and regulate their societies and cannot deliver an adequate range of political, social and economic goods to their citizens
quasi-states
overlap with a weak state. Robert Jackson uses it to refer specifically to the developing states that are dependent on the support of the international community and therefore possess what he calls “negative sovereignty”
state failure
a state is weak and reaches a point where factors such as corruption, incompetence, unfair distribution of resources, human rights abuses, favouritism on the basis of ethnicity, and the direct involvement of the military in politics feed into social unrest, persistente violence, economic breakdown and political turmoil
regionalization
a process in which a number of states in a given geographical area come together for mutual benefit, often forming a regional association, some like the EU are highly institutionalized and have myriad economic, social and political interconnections while others have minimal rules and less ambitious purposes
self-determination
the principle (embodying elements of both democracy and nationalism) that “peoples” (nations) have the right to determine their own political future
global governance
an extension of the concept of governance, referring loosely to the “Architecture” constituted by various authoritative political, social and economic structures and actors that interconnect and interact in the absence of actual “government” in the global sphere
idealism
the term has invited numerous interpretations in philosophy, politics and IR. In IR it is usually taken to refer to a particular school of liberal thought that emerged in the wake of WWI and sought positive change in world affairs, including the elimination of warfare. It remains an appropriate designation for any school of thought in IR that envisions a world order in which peace and justice are the norm
internationalism
the belief in the benefits of international political and economic cooperation; may also refer to a movement that advocates practical action in support of cooperation
realism
a school of thought in the human sciences, especially philosophy, sociology, politics and IR. IN the latter, it refers to a general approach that takes concepts such as power politics and national interest to be the foundations of action; realists oppose what they see as the idealism of liberal and critical theories
national interest
the concept that the interests of the state or at least of one’s own state take precedence over any other consideration in the international sphere. Although it is a foundational concept in realist approaches, “national interest” is just as easily used to justify idealist approaches; this suggests that what is actually in the national interest may be highly contested
state of nature
a hypothetical vision of how people lived before the institution of civil government and society; a concept with a long history in political and social thought. There are different versions of the state of nature. Some thinkers emphasizing its dangers and others seeing it in a more positive light
balance of power
a system of relations between states to maintain an equilibrium of power
deterrence effect
a system of relations between states to maintain an equilibrium of power
behaviourlism
an approach to the study of social phenomena based on the methods used in the natural sciences. Objective measurement of the social world was the goal, and values were considered to have no place in social inquiry
positivism
A school of thought that believes it is possible to generate empirical statements without any evaluative or normative connotations. At the extreme, so-called logical positivists argue that only empirical statements and tautologies (Statements true by definition) are meaningful
normative analysis
the basis of political philosophy. Normative analysis is concerned with what “ought to be” as opposed to what “is”. Thus, instead of asking whether democracy, or freedom, or a pluralist state exists, it asks whether these things are desirable
international society
a society of states characterized by peaceful working relations; a concept associated with the English school of IR, which proposed that the anarchic nature of the international sphere did not preclude co-operation
ethnocentrism
an ethic that removes humans from the centre of the moral universe and accords intrinsic value to nonhuman parts of nature
ethnocentricity
the tendency to see and interpret the world primarily from the perspective of one’s own cultural, ethnic or national group; often entails a tendency to regard one’s own culture as superior, or at least preferable to others
solidarism
a branch of thought in English school intl relations theory that promotes solidarity among humans and argues that the obligation to protect human rights can override the right of states to nonintervention in domestic politics
international civil society
broadly, the realm of nonstate actors, including interest groups and voluntary associations, in the international sphere
neorealism/structural realism
concentrates on the structure of the international system, largely ignoring domestic politics. It argues that the logic of the system sends cues that determine the actions of state-based decision makers, rather than the other way around. Thus maintains that leaders should not bow to domestic pressure; nor should they act according to their own private morality
security dilemma
a concept in IR, developed principally in realist thought, in which the anarchy of the system forces the state to engage in self-regarding behaviour to survive. The dilemma arises when efforts by one state to enhance its own security provokes insecurity in another state, which may respond by building up its own military capacity
hegemony
political, social and economic domination, in IR, hegemony may refer to the general dominance of a particular country over others. The concept was developed by Antonio Gramsci and is used to theorize relations of domination and subordination in both domestic and international spheres
bourgeoisie
a term associated with Marxist analysis, referring to the merchant or propertied class that possesses essential economic power and therefore has control over the working class or proletariat
Andre Frank’s dependency theory
decentres Europe as the main agent of historical change
Immanuel Wallerstein
critiques exploitative economic and political relations from a sociological and historical perspective
