Concepts and Content
Contents
Unit 1: Power, Sovereignty and International Relations
Unit 2: Human Rights
Unit 3: Development
Unit 4: Peace and Conflict
Power, Sovereignty and International Relations:
Actor: An entity that is capable of taking meaningful action or effecting change at
any one of the six levels of analysis. Actors range from us as individuals all the
way up to the most powerful states and intergovernmental organizations.
Appeasement: A political policy of conceding to aggression by another nation.
The most famous example of appeasement relates to Chamberlain’s appeasement
of Nazi Germany prior to WWII.
Authoritarian state: An authoritarian state is one in which political power is
concentrated in an institution not accountable to the people of that state (e.g. North
Korea or Saudi Arabia).
Balance of power: A condition in which no one state predominates over others,
tending to create general equilibrium and curb the hegemonic ambitions of all
states.
Bilateral: A term that refers to relations between two states. Thus, a bilateral
agreement is one that is made between two states.
Bipolar world order: A global system in which power is concentrated around two
nations (or poles). During the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union
formed a bipolar world order.
Bush Doctrine: The doctrine, not always precisely formulated, that preemptive
military action, possibly aimed at achieving regime change, should be taken
,against states thought to be threatening the USA through the development of
weapons of mass destruction and/or by harbouring terrorists.
Capitalism: The key features of capitalism as an economic system are that it is one
in which: the profit motive is the overwhelming motivation for economic activity;
property is privately owned; and a free market determines the supply and price of
goods.
Collective security: The idea or practice of common defence, in which a number
of states pledge themselves to defend each other, based on the principle of 'all for
one and one for all’. NATO is
Colonialism: The process of a state seeking to establish or maintain control over
other territories or peoples. This is often with the aim of promoting an economic
benefit to the colonising power. Examples of former colonial powers include
Britain and France. The extent to which they are still colonial powers is a matter of
debate.
Communism: A political system, based on the work of Karl Marx, in which
property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their
needs and abilities. In reality, pure communism is rare and even states that identify
as communist possess some free market traits. Contemporary examples of
communist states include Cuba and China.
Compellence: A tactic or strategy designed to force an adversary to make
concessions against its will through war or the threat of aggression.
Constitution: A set of fundamental principles or precedents that set out how a
state should be governed. The US constitution, along with various amendments, is
one of the best known examples of a written constitution. Not all constitutions are
written (e.g. British constitution).
Constitutive theory of statehood: A theory that states are only states because they
are recognised as such by other states. This is opposed to the declarative theory of
statehood.
Constructivism: Constructivism is a theory in Global Politics that emphasizes the
socially constructed nature of international relations.
Core (North) This is a term taken from the core/periphery model which,
essentially, argues that the global north is the economic core of the global system
,as opposed to the economic periphery made up of states from the global south.
This model is regarded as outdated by some.
Credibility: The willingness of countries to carry through with its use of power
such as weapons or resources.
Declarative theory of statehood: A theory that states are only states because they
meet four criteria: 1) a defined territory; 2) a permanent population; 3) a
government and 4) a capacity to enter into relations with other states. This is
opposed to the constitutive theory of statehood.
Deterrence: Deterrence refers to the principle that a state can be discouraged or
deterred from acting another state, usually due to the relative military strength of
that state. An interesting contemporary case study is that of North Korea and
nuclear deterrence.
Democratic state: A democratic state is one in which power resides with the
people (electorate) and is exercised by them through their elected agents. This is a
form of indirect democracy. Theoretically, it is also applicable to direct democracy
but, with the exception of referenda, this is rare in the modern global system.
Diplomacy: Diplomacy refers to the process by which states manage their
international relations. This is almost always carried out by professional diplomats
although there are notable exceptions, such as politically appointed ambassadors
by the US in some circumstances.
Environmentalism: This is a political and ethical movement seeking to protect
and improve the quality of the environment through changes to harmful human
activity. NGOs such as Greenpeace as well as various green political parties
demonstrate a commitment to environmentalism.
External sovereignty: This concept contrasts with internal sovereignty. Internal
sovereignty refers to the supreme authority of a state within its territory while
external sovereignty means that other states acknowledge the state’s internal
sovereignty.
European Commission: The European Commission (EC) is one of the institutions
of the European Union (EU). It is responsible for proposing legislation,
implementing decisions, upholding EU treaties and carrying out the day to day
business of the union. The EC consists of 28 commissioners drawn from all EU
member states.
, European Parliament: The European Parliament is one of the institutions of the
EU. It is the primary legislative body in the EU whose members are directly
elected by national electorates.
European Union: An economic and political union of 28 countries in Europe,
many of which also share a common currency. The UK is currently in the process
of withdrawing from the European Union. This process is commonly known as
Brexit.
Executive: The branch of government responsible for putting policies and laws
into practical effect. Not to be confused with the other two branches of
government, the Judiciary and Legislature.
Failed state: While there is no agreed definition of a failed state, we can start from
the understanding that a failed state is one in which the government is no longer
capable of meeting the basic responsibilities of a sovereign government. Thus, we
might consider Syria and Somalia as failed states.
Feminism: In simple terms, feminism can be regarded the advocacy of women’s
rights on the basis of sexual equality. There are several areas of particular interest
in relation to the GloPo syllabus including the representation of women in decision
making and human rights.
Fragile state: Whilst fragile state is a contested concept, the term can be seen to
mean a low-income country characterized by weak state legitimacy and/or weak
state capacity. The World Bank defines fragile states as: (a) eligible for assistance
(i.e., a grant) from the International Development Association (b) has had a UN
peacekeeping mission in the last three years, and (c) has received a ‘governance’
score of less than 3.2 (as per the Country Performance and Institutional
Assessment (CPIA) index of The World Bank).
Global governance: The movement towards political cooperation amongst
transnational actors in order to develop solutions to problems affecting more than
one state or region. It is important to note that global governance does not refer a
unified global government but may include institutions of global governance such
as the World Bank and International Court of Justice.
Globalization: A debated term, which can be defined as the increasing interaction
of people and states through the increasing interaction of money, ideas and culture.
Contents
Unit 1: Power, Sovereignty and International Relations
Unit 2: Human Rights
Unit 3: Development
Unit 4: Peace and Conflict
Power, Sovereignty and International Relations:
Actor: An entity that is capable of taking meaningful action or effecting change at
any one of the six levels of analysis. Actors range from us as individuals all the
way up to the most powerful states and intergovernmental organizations.
Appeasement: A political policy of conceding to aggression by another nation.
The most famous example of appeasement relates to Chamberlain’s appeasement
of Nazi Germany prior to WWII.
Authoritarian state: An authoritarian state is one in which political power is
concentrated in an institution not accountable to the people of that state (e.g. North
Korea or Saudi Arabia).
Balance of power: A condition in which no one state predominates over others,
tending to create general equilibrium and curb the hegemonic ambitions of all
states.
Bilateral: A term that refers to relations between two states. Thus, a bilateral
agreement is one that is made between two states.
Bipolar world order: A global system in which power is concentrated around two
nations (or poles). During the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union
formed a bipolar world order.
Bush Doctrine: The doctrine, not always precisely formulated, that preemptive
military action, possibly aimed at achieving regime change, should be taken
,against states thought to be threatening the USA through the development of
weapons of mass destruction and/or by harbouring terrorists.
Capitalism: The key features of capitalism as an economic system are that it is one
in which: the profit motive is the overwhelming motivation for economic activity;
property is privately owned; and a free market determines the supply and price of
goods.
Collective security: The idea or practice of common defence, in which a number
of states pledge themselves to defend each other, based on the principle of 'all for
one and one for all’. NATO is
Colonialism: The process of a state seeking to establish or maintain control over
other territories or peoples. This is often with the aim of promoting an economic
benefit to the colonising power. Examples of former colonial powers include
Britain and France. The extent to which they are still colonial powers is a matter of
debate.
Communism: A political system, based on the work of Karl Marx, in which
property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their
needs and abilities. In reality, pure communism is rare and even states that identify
as communist possess some free market traits. Contemporary examples of
communist states include Cuba and China.
Compellence: A tactic or strategy designed to force an adversary to make
concessions against its will through war or the threat of aggression.
Constitution: A set of fundamental principles or precedents that set out how a
state should be governed. The US constitution, along with various amendments, is
one of the best known examples of a written constitution. Not all constitutions are
written (e.g. British constitution).
Constitutive theory of statehood: A theory that states are only states because they
are recognised as such by other states. This is opposed to the declarative theory of
statehood.
Constructivism: Constructivism is a theory in Global Politics that emphasizes the
socially constructed nature of international relations.
Core (North) This is a term taken from the core/periphery model which,
essentially, argues that the global north is the economic core of the global system
,as opposed to the economic periphery made up of states from the global south.
This model is regarded as outdated by some.
Credibility: The willingness of countries to carry through with its use of power
such as weapons or resources.
Declarative theory of statehood: A theory that states are only states because they
meet four criteria: 1) a defined territory; 2) a permanent population; 3) a
government and 4) a capacity to enter into relations with other states. This is
opposed to the constitutive theory of statehood.
Deterrence: Deterrence refers to the principle that a state can be discouraged or
deterred from acting another state, usually due to the relative military strength of
that state. An interesting contemporary case study is that of North Korea and
nuclear deterrence.
Democratic state: A democratic state is one in which power resides with the
people (electorate) and is exercised by them through their elected agents. This is a
form of indirect democracy. Theoretically, it is also applicable to direct democracy
but, with the exception of referenda, this is rare in the modern global system.
Diplomacy: Diplomacy refers to the process by which states manage their
international relations. This is almost always carried out by professional diplomats
although there are notable exceptions, such as politically appointed ambassadors
by the US in some circumstances.
Environmentalism: This is a political and ethical movement seeking to protect
and improve the quality of the environment through changes to harmful human
activity. NGOs such as Greenpeace as well as various green political parties
demonstrate a commitment to environmentalism.
External sovereignty: This concept contrasts with internal sovereignty. Internal
sovereignty refers to the supreme authority of a state within its territory while
external sovereignty means that other states acknowledge the state’s internal
sovereignty.
European Commission: The European Commission (EC) is one of the institutions
of the European Union (EU). It is responsible for proposing legislation,
implementing decisions, upholding EU treaties and carrying out the day to day
business of the union. The EC consists of 28 commissioners drawn from all EU
member states.
, European Parliament: The European Parliament is one of the institutions of the
EU. It is the primary legislative body in the EU whose members are directly
elected by national electorates.
European Union: An economic and political union of 28 countries in Europe,
many of which also share a common currency. The UK is currently in the process
of withdrawing from the European Union. This process is commonly known as
Brexit.
Executive: The branch of government responsible for putting policies and laws
into practical effect. Not to be confused with the other two branches of
government, the Judiciary and Legislature.
Failed state: While there is no agreed definition of a failed state, we can start from
the understanding that a failed state is one in which the government is no longer
capable of meeting the basic responsibilities of a sovereign government. Thus, we
might consider Syria and Somalia as failed states.
Feminism: In simple terms, feminism can be regarded the advocacy of women’s
rights on the basis of sexual equality. There are several areas of particular interest
in relation to the GloPo syllabus including the representation of women in decision
making and human rights.
Fragile state: Whilst fragile state is a contested concept, the term can be seen to
mean a low-income country characterized by weak state legitimacy and/or weak
state capacity. The World Bank defines fragile states as: (a) eligible for assistance
(i.e., a grant) from the International Development Association (b) has had a UN
peacekeeping mission in the last three years, and (c) has received a ‘governance’
score of less than 3.2 (as per the Country Performance and Institutional
Assessment (CPIA) index of The World Bank).
Global governance: The movement towards political cooperation amongst
transnational actors in order to develop solutions to problems affecting more than
one state or region. It is important to note that global governance does not refer a
unified global government but may include institutions of global governance such
as the World Bank and International Court of Justice.
Globalization: A debated term, which can be defined as the increasing interaction
of people and states through the increasing interaction of money, ideas and culture.
