Realism Terms Flashcards
1
Q
realpolitik
A
-power politics in which foreign policy is guided by national interests
2
Q
sovereignty
A
- a key characteristic of the modern international system denoting political authority and self-determination over a defined territory and the people within it
3
Q
defensive realists
A
- theorists including Kenneth Waltz, Barry Posen, Jack Snyder, and Stephen Van Evera, who believe that states seek power as a means of security to balance and defend themselves against other states. They argue that there is an offense-defense balance that is weighted in the defender’s favor and that aggressive states seeking additional power and territorial gains will end up fighting a string of losing wars or expending significant resources holding conquered territories that in the end will be detrimental to their own power.
4
Q
Offensive realists
A
- theorists, including John Mearsheimer, who work from the assumption that more power is always better in securing the survival of the state, thus they seek maximum or dominant power. They argue that the historical record shows that the side that takes the offensive wins more often than not, thus great powers will constantly be seeking dominance over one another with the prize being hegemony.
5
Q
bandwagoning
A
- when states ally themselves with other states to take advantage of their strength; states attempt to increase their gains and lessen their losses by joining with the stronger side.
6
Q
great powers
A
- the states in the international system with high levels of economic and military power that set them apart form other states in the system.
7
Q
Peace of Westphalia
A
- Treaty that ended the Thirty Years’ War in 1648 and established the modern international state system through the principle of sovereignty
8
Q
Bismarckian alliance system
A
- a succession of alliances constructed by Otto von Bismark after the unification of Germany in 1871
9
Q
buckpassing
A
- states sitting on the sidelines while other states do the fighting
10
Q
hegemonic stability theory
A
- the argument of offensive realists who postulate that having a preponderant power or a hegemon leads to stability.
11
Q
power transition theory
A
- theory by A.F.K. Organski that postulates that conflict is more likely when the top nation and its allies are challenged by a great power in a secondary position.
12
Q
long cycle theory
A
- a theory posited by George Modelski, identifying regular cycles of world leadership and global war, each of which lasts about 100 years; each cycle contains a global war, a global power (hegemon), delegitimation (the hegemon faces a decline in relative power) and deconcentration (the hegemon is challenged by emerging rivals).
13
Q
classic mercantilism
A
- a period of history in the fifteenth through eighteenth centuries, a time where the modern nation-state emerged in Europe. During this period, economies were used to create wealth and power in the name of national security.
14
Q
economic nationalism
A
- to prevent dependency on other nations, economic nationalism promotes strong and independent domestic economies. The interests of the nation supercede the interests of the individual, and state action is needed to promote wealth and power.
15
Q
neomercantilists
A
- economic theorists who believe economic power is used to ensure the survival of a state; they support free trade and open markets as long as they do not impede national interests. If free trade counters national interests, subtle trade protectionist policies, or non-tariff barriers, are pursued.
