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PS20 Midterm
world politics
52
Political Studies
Undergraduate 1
10/29/2012

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Term
paradigm
Definition
a conceptual or theoretical perspective or framework commonly accepted within a scholarly discipline that helps to inform and guide thinking and research
Term
ideal type
Definition
a concept that provides an exaggerated and oversimplified version of reality as a way to promote analytical clarity and conceptual comparison
Term
state
Definition
a territorial entity controlled by a gov and inhabited by a population
Term
realism
Definition
dominant post WWII era paradigm; based on assumption that IR is a struggle for power among sovereign states
Term
anarchy
Definition
absence of an effective world gov capable of enforcing rules and norms of behavior
Term
state of nature
Definition
situation of anarchy in which there is no gov. Hobbes posited that humans once existed in a state of nature but elected to create govs and thereby surrender some personal liberty in exchange for order and security
Term
sovereignty
Definition
condition of supreme, independent political authority answerable to no higher authority. in IR theory, and esp among realists, states are regarded as sovereign
Term
self-help
Definition
state efforts to protect their interests thru accumulation of military power or forging of alliances
Term
secuirty dilemma
Definition
notion that what one state does for purely defensive purposes might appear to other states as threatening to their security and interests
Term
balance of power
Definition
realist approach to order; assumes that a rough equilibrium among the great powers helps to maintain stability, since no state can initiate war and be confident of victory- success depends on flexible, shifting alliances and while it can maximize chances of war in short run, war cannot be erased in long run
Term
bandwagon
Definition
join sides with rising power in order to be on winning side of future conflict
Term
balancer state
Definition
one with both interest and capability to ensure that power is kept relatively in balance
Term
idealism
Definition
post WWI perspective on world politics; assumes that ideas about reform of int system could move us beyond world of power politics emphasized by realism... destroyed by WWII
Term
liberalism
Definition
currently most well developed paradigmatic challenger to realism: suggests global cooperation is possible 
Term
absolute gains
Definition
total benefits that accumulate to a state as a consequence of its interactions with other states without regard to benefits that accrue to others
Term
liberal institutionalism
Definition
suggests that international institutions such as law, regimes, and int orgs mitigate anarchy and facilitate int cooperations
Term
liberal commercialism
Definition
suggests that commerce among states leads to a mutual economic interdependence that raises the cost and reduces the likelihood of wars
Term
liberal internationalism
Definition
suggests that domestic regime type has an impact of state's foreign behavior; democratic peace theory
Term
democratic peace theory
Definition
idea that democracies tend not to fight wars against one another and that the spread of democratic gov can be antidote to war in int system
Term
kantian triangle
Definition
idea that int institutions, economic interdependence, and diffusion of democratic gov are mutually reinforcing and together support liberal notions of a trend toward peace and cooperation among states
Term
constructivism
Definition
paradigm emphasizing the role that norms and identities have in constructing character of IR
Term
feminism
Definition
paradigm that suggests inclusion of more women in positions of authority would change way world politics is conducted and traditional scholarship, esp realism, reflects a gendered perspective on conduct of IR
Term
neo-marxism
Definition
paradigm that accepts the realist notion that conflict is inherent in world politics, but sees that conflict as driven more by economic interest of socioeconomic classes than by geopolitical interests of sovereign states
Term
state
Definition
a political unit able to exercise effective governance and control over a well-defined piece of territory and its population
Term
nation
Definition
group of people who see themselves, due to shared historical and cultural experiences, as members of a common group
Term
nation state
Definition
a state that exists to provide territory and governance for a group of people who see themselves as a single nation- ideal
Term
nationalism
Definition
idea that people care about their national identity and are motivated to seek national self-determination by aquiring a state of their own
Term
concert model
Definition
balance of power system that relies on collective oversight and maintenance of balance of great powers
Term
2 level game
Definition
idea that leaders have negotiations with other states and with key domestic societal actors
Term
collective security
Definition
approach to order in which a global coalition of states agrees to repel aggression against any other in the int system- regional alliances use this in their own membership
Term
spheres of influence
Definition
approach to international order in which key parts of the world would be designated as under the influence of one or the other great powers
Term
proxy war
Definition
a conflict in which one state confronts a main rival via third parties- indirect aggression
Term
detente 
Definition
term is used to refer specifically to relaxation of cold war tensions that took place between US and USSR
Term
bipolarity
Definition
an international system in which only two major powers are capable of seriously threatening the security and sovereignty of one another
Term
preemptive war
Definition
a war in which a country fires the first shot in expectance of an imminent attack by an adversary that would severely compromise vital interests
Term
preventative war
Definition
a war in which a nation strikes first to prevent an anticipated shift in BOP that will be detrimental to its interests at some point in the future (frowned upon in international community)
Term
billiard ball model
Definition
view that IR are shaped exclusively by the structure of the int system and external interactions of states within that system- domestic variables are irrelevant
Term
ideology
Definition
an integrated set of assumptions and understandings about how the social, political, and economic world should be structured and organized
Term
rational actor model
Definition
policy makers begin with a shared sense of national interest. policy making is a rational, intellectual process designed to achieve this national interest
Term
satisficing
Definition
accepting policies and outcomes that minimally satisfy foreign policy objectives without necessarily maximizing outcomes achieved and interests attained
Term
misperception
Definition
decision makers tend to fit new info into their preexising theories instead of altering their theories. tend to view other states as more hostile than they are. tend to see behavior of others as more centralized, disciplined, and coordinated than it actually is
Term
groupthink
Definition
tendency, most often found in small, cohesive groups operating under conditions of stress, to abandon ciritical thinking in favor of viewpoints that reflect group solidarity
Term
bureaucratic politics model
Definition
sees foreign policy making as a competitive struggle among various gov insts and actors to promote their version of the "national interest" as shaped by interests and perspectives of their particular bureacratic agency
Term
coercive diplomacy
Definition
mobilization of forces, raising military alert levels, warning shots, small scale skirmishes designated to send a signal and impact behavior of other actors in int system
Term
just war doctrine
Definition

accepts that war can sometimes be both necessary and just. allows that ethical and moral considerations must be part of determining when and how to fight

just cause

right intention

last resort

probability of success

limited objectives

legit authority

Term
deterrence
Definition
ability to dissuade another state from acting against one's interest by the threat of harm one might do in response
Term
second strike capability
Definition
ability to survive initial attack and have sufficient retaliatory nuclear capacity to respond
Term
stability-instability paradox
Definition
idea that states will engage in conventional war precisely because they feel secure that it can never escalate to nuclear war among the superpowers
Term
security community 
Definition
group of states that have ruled out the use of war and violence as a means of resolving conflicts with one another
Term
end of history
Definition
end of cold war, end of ideological debates about how to organize economic and politcal affairs with the triumph of the ideas and democracy and market capitalism
Term
assymetric war
Definition
war in which there is fundamental diff in nature of participants- in their goals, capablities, and tactics
Term
article
Definition

theories of war in an era of leading power peace

robert jervis

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