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Important terms in international relations

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Anarchy: implies not the complete chaos or absence of structure or rules, but rather thanlack a of a central government that can enforce rules.

Balance of payments: net flow of goods, services and financial transactions that takes intoaccount outflows and inflows of money from a state

Balance of payments deficit: a state spends more than it receives from other countriesBalance of payments surplus: a state receives more than it spends in other countries

Balance of power: a condition in which the distribution of military and political forcesamong nations means no one state is sufficiently strong to dominate all the others. It maybe global, regional or local in scope

Bargaining power: the general capacity of a state to control the behaviour of others,

power to cause another actor to do an actionBretton Woods System: name given to the three institutions that comprise the post WWII

international political economic system.Capitalism: a system of production in which human labour and its products are

commodities that are bought and sold in the marketplaceCapacity building: providing the funds and technical training to allow developing countries

to participate in global environmental governanceClassical Realism: the drive for power and the will to dominate are the fundamental

aspects of human nature. The behaviour of the state as a self-seeking egoist is understood

to be merely a reflection of the characteristics of the people that comprise that state.Coercive diplomacy: the use of diplomatic and military methods that force a state toconcede to another state. These methods may include the threat of force and the actual

mobilization of military forces so as to gradually turn the screw but e!clude the actual useof force. The implication is that war is the ne!t step if diplomacy fails

Cold War: the period in world affairs from c."#$%-"##&, marked by ideological, economicand political hostility and competition between the '( and the (oviet 'nion, and drawing in

other powers at various levels of involvementConcert of Europe: the informal system of consultation set up by the )reat *owers

+ustria, ritain, rance, *russia and /ussia0 to manage the balance of power at the end ofthe 1ongress system

Conditionality: when regional or international lending agencies re2uire that recipient

national governments accept certain policy conditions in order to receive a loan or someform of assistance

Conflict: perceived rival and incompatible claims over some desired goodCongress of Vienna: meeting of the four main victors over 3apoleon and rance: ustria,

ritain, *russia and /ussia.Containment: policy pursued by the '( toward the (oviet 'nion c. "#$%-"#4#, the aim of

which was to deny 5oscow opportunities to e!pand its political influence abroad, to draw a

line and contain the (oviets within their bordersemocratic deficit: leaders have created to many policy making institutions at the global,

regional, and national levels with policy-making power led by individuals who are appointedand not elected. Thus policy decisions are not sub6ect to review by citizens.

efence strategy: involves the assumption that war will be fought with three aims inmind: ". to punish the aggressor 7. to deny territorial gains 8. to limit the damage to

oneself eterrence: efforts of an actor to dissuade the opponent from doing something considered

against the actor9s interests by making the costs of action outweigh the benefits with threatof punishment, the implicit or e!plicit purpose of this strategy was to avoid actually fighting

warEcological footprint: used to demonstrate the load placed on the arth9s carrying capacity

of individuals or nations. It does this by estimating the area of productive land and watersystem re2uired to sustain a population at its specified standard of living

Eurodollar mar!ets: free market where buyers and sellers e!change currencies outside of

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their country of originEmpire: a distinct type o political entity, which may or may not be a state, possessing both

a home territory and foreign territories. This may include con2uered nations and colonies"oreign policy: the articulation of national interests and the means chosen to secure those

interest, both material and ideational, in the international arena"oreign policy style: this describes how a country deals with other states and how it

approaches and decision making situation. !ample: does the state act multilaterally orunilaterally, does it seek consensus on an issue or go with ma6ority rule."oreign policy tradition: a tradition includes national beliefs about how the world works

and a list of national interests and priorities based on these beliefs. It also refers to past

action or significant historical events that act as analogs and give guidance to leaders aboutwhat strategy would best secure their national interests.

#ame theory: a branch of mathematics that e!plores strategic interaction#lobal capital mar!ets: these are banks, investment companies, insurance companies,

trusts, hedge funds, and stock e!changes that transfer funds to industries and othercommercial enterprises globally

#lobal goods: products that are made for global market and are available across the world#lobal governance: Involves the regulation and coordination of transnational issue areas

by nation-states, international and regional organizations, and private agencies through the

establishment of international regimes. These regimes may focus on problem solving or thesimple enforcement of rules and regulations.#lobali$ation: undamental shift in the spatial scale of human social organization that links

distant communities and e!pands the reach of power relations across regions and continents#reat depression: global economic collapse that ensued following the '( stock market

crash in "#7##reat power: state that has the political, economic, and military resources to shape the

world beyond its9borders. In most cases such a state has the will and capacity to define therules of the international system.

#uerilla wars: conflicts or insurgencies that involve irregular forces. ighters in these warsuse unconventional methods of warfare such as sabotage, ambushes, roadside bombs, and

sniping

%uman development: the notion that it is possible to improve the lives of people. asicallyit is about increasing the number of choices people have. These may include living a long

and healthy life, access to education, and a better standard of living.%umanitarian intervention: the use of military force by e!ternal actors to end a threat to

people within a sovereign state%uman security: the security of people, including their physical safety, their economic well

being, respect for their dignity, and the protection of their human rights. (imply put, it is

freedom from fear and freedom from want&CB'(s: inter-continental ballistic missiles

&nflation: money is losing value relative to goods and services produced in an economy&dentity: the understanding of self in relation to the other. Identities are social and are

therefore always formed in relationships to others. 1onstructivists generally hold thatidentities shape interests; we cannot know what we want unless we know who we are. ut

because identities are social and produced through interactions, identities can change&mmigration controls: when a government controls the number of people who may work

study, or relocate to its country. It may also include 2uotas for certain national groups forimmigration.

&mperialism: the practice of foreign con2uest and rule in the conte!t of global relations ofhierarchy and subordination. It can lead to the establishment of an empire.

&nternational law: the formal rules of conduct that states acknowledge or contractbetween themselves

&nternational order: The normative and the institutional pattern in the relationship

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between states. Includes issues such as - sovereignty the forms of diplomacy, internationallaw etc.

'onoculture: refers to the use of one genetic strain of plant or animal to replace adiversity of strains

'ultiple)sum game: both actors can mutually gain*&E+: 'nited 3ations /esolution of 5ay "#%$ for a 3ew International conomic 19s*on)Aligned 'ovement: loose organization of Third World countries which dealt withstatements on a wide variety of issues from nuclear proliferation to trade and development,

first meeting: andung, Indonesia, "#??, led by a few relatively strong, independent

personalities: Tito, 3ehru, and 3asser,ositive peace: the absence of structural violence as well as direct violence

,rotectionism: protecting your economy from the international economy by imposingvarious restrictions on flow of imports or e!ports of goods or services into or out of your

countrySovereignty: means a government has the right, at least in principle, to do whatever it liks

in its own territoryStructural power: the power to change the rules of the game for others, the power to

structure the choices of other actors

Structural violence: latent or hidden forms of social conflictState: an organized political entity that occupies a definite territory, has a permanentpopulation, and en6oys stable government, independence and sovereignty

Stoc!holm Conference: '3 1onference on the @uman nvironment, held "#%7, was firstworldwide environmental conference in history

sustainable development: term coined by rundtland 1ommission /eport "#4%, defined asdevelopment which can ensure that it meets the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs-erms of trade: the ratio in prices between a country9s e!ports and its imports

-ruman octrine: a promise of '( aid to all 9free peoples who are resisting attemptedsub6ugation by armed minorities or by outside powers.

.*CE: 'nited 3ations 1onference on nvironment and >evelopment, also known as the

arth (ummit, held in /io "##7. ffort by the int. 1ommunity to reach consensus onprinciples and a long-term workplan for global sustainable development, ma6or output was

genda 7" +referring to the Twenty-irst 1entury0, a global plan of action containing 7#$pages encompassing every sectoral environmental issues as well as international policies

affecting both environment and development and the full range of domestic social andeconomic policies.

.*C-A: 'nited 3ations 1onference on Trade and >evelopment: formed "#A$: first

(ecretary )eneral /aul *rebisch: called for reform of system of international trade based onliberalism and comparative advantage, in order to assist development of poor countries,

included calls for a)(* and I*1War: legitimate use of organized violence or force to achieve goods

/ero)sum game: one actors9 gain is another9s loss

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