Midterm Terms Flashcards
UN mission shortfall
The difference between the amount of troops authorized for a mission and the amount that are actually deployed, average is 20%
Yemeni civil war
A religious conflict between the insurgent Houthis who are Shi’ite (supported by Iran) and the government run by Hadi who is Sunni (supported by US and Saudi Arabia)
South Sudanese civil war
Fighting between the Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups, sparked by an accusation of an attempted coup, but hostilities go way back
UN mission composition
The breakdown of forces and people the UN send to a conflicted area: troops are the most effective in limiting battle deaths (Hultman)
UN peacekeeping operations
Not initially in the charter, but cites ch. 7 and threats to international peace as justification for stepping (now the most common intervener)
Mediation
It is non-binding, non-coercive, and nonviolent mediation, meaning that government and rebels must voluntarily come together to negotiate with the aid of a third party
Greed v. Grievance
Theory of causes of civil conflict: either a marterial element that an insurgent group desires to obtain or a dissatisfaction with the state; however, tends to over predict civil conflicts
Lootable resources
Resources an autocratic nation may get involved in a civil conflict; wants to take those resources to give to their winning coalition that keeps them power; provides incentive to make war last
Non-military/humanitarian intervention
The involvement of one or more non-warring parties to try to help state and insurgent halt violence, focus on helping civilians (UN, US, Catholic Church)
Sana’a
Capital of Yemen, taken peacefully by Houthis in 2014 who disliked Hadi as president because he refused to step down–religious tensions; Hadi fled to Aden
Military intervention in civil conflict
(Koga) Democracies get involved on behalf of their constituents co-ethnics or when the rebels are particularly strong and will bring decisive victory while autocracies get involved when lootable resources are available
Saleh
Former president of Yemen, ousted in the 2012 Arab Spring, aligned with Shi’ite Houthi but killed by them when he broke away
Houthi
An Islamic political and religious group of Shi’ites, backed by Iran, who are unhappy with Hadi ruling Yemen
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Serves as a de facto government in many parts of rural Yemen because they are able to perform public services; capitalized on the bombing campaigns of US and Saudi Arabia
Nuer
Insurgent ethnic group in South Sudan, led by Riek Machar
Dinka
Ethnicity of the government, led by president Salva Kiir in South Sudan
anarchy
the absence of a higher authority with the ability to reliably/effectively regulate state behavior
Relative vs. absolute gains
Liberalists believe in absolute gains (doing better than you were regardless of others) while realists believe in relative gains (it’s only better if you’re also doing better than others)
Hard vs. soft power
Hard power: military might
Soft power: diplomatic influence
Levels of analysis: lenses through which we can study IR
Individual: looks at the influence of leaders and influential people
Dyadic: looks at pairs of states and their common or different attributes
State: looks at the domestic characteristics of a state
Global/systemic: looks at how the resources are distributed throughout the entire system
Realism
• An approach to international affairs that emphasizes the importance of power as a means of state survival
Liberalism
An approach to international affairs that emphasizes international cooperation and how institutions can help mitigate anarchy
Constructivism
An approach to IR that emphasizes how social interactions shape state identities and interests, and social history between states matters
Power cycles theory
Hegemon’s can’t stay in power forever and usually rise and wane over a 100-year period
Misperception
Belief that another state is weak in capability or resolve can lead to more risk-accepting behavior and result in conflict