Powers and Borders Glossary Flashcards
State
An area of land, of an independent country, with well defined boundaries, within which there is a singly politically organised body of people under a single government.
State Apparatus
Set of state institutions and organisations through which state power is exercised; these include legal mechanisms, administrative organisations, police and armed forces, and health, education and welfare services.
Nation
A large group of people with strong bonds of identity, unites by shared descent, history, culture and language.
Sovereignty
The absolute authority that independent states exercise in the government of the land and peoples in their territory.
Territorial Integrity
Principle that the defined territory of a state, over which it has exclusive and legitimate control, is inviolable. This is enshrined in the Charter of the UN and an important part of international law.
Intervention
Action of a state, group of states or international organisations in a foreign territory to end gross violations of human rights. This includes military force, economic sanctions and the assistance of NGO’s
Asylum Seeker
A person who seeks entry to another country by claiming to be a refugee.
Corporate social responsibility
A business approach that contributes to sustainable development by delivering economic, social and environmental benefits for all stakeholders.
Diaspora
The spread of an ethnic or national group from their homeland e.g. Jews from Israel or Kurds from Kurdistan
Ethnic Groups
A community or population made up of people who share a common cultural background or descent.
Geopolitics
Ways in which geographical factors were central in shaping international politics.
Global governance
Intervention by the global community, attempting to regulate issues, such as human rights, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Human Rights
Basic rights and freedoms inherent to all human beings, to which all people are entitled without discrimination.
Human rights norms
ways of living inculcated into the culture of a country or area over a long period of time.
Humanitarian intervention
Action taken (often by a third-party country or multilateral agency like the UN) in a sovereign state to protect people at risk from war, famine, floods, genocide etc.
Independence
A situation in which the people of a country exercise self-government and sovereignty over their state territory having gained political freedom from outside control.
International Borders
A geographical boundary between two countries
International community
The countries of the world considered collectively
International law
Body of law that governs international relations between states or nations. This provides the framework for the obligations of states to be maintained
International treaties
International agreements concluded between states, in written form and governed by international law
Militarisation
A significant increase in military activity in a place.
Nation building
Process by which a state government promotes nationality, for example through the education system of the media.
Nation-state
A nation which has its own independent state; the boundaries of the state coincide with the area inhabited by the nation.
Nation
A large group of people with strong bonds of identity, unties by shared descent, history, traditions, culture and language.
