Ch 15 - Conflict, War, and Terrorism Flashcards
(20 cards)
War
Organized armed violence aimed at a social group in pursuit of an objective
State
The organization of the central government and government agencies such as the military, police, and regulatory agencies.
Cold War
The state of military tension and political rivalry that existed between the US and the former Soviet Union from the 1950s through the late 1980s
Dual-use Technologies
Defense-funded technological innovations with commercial and civilian use
Military-Industrial Complex
A term first used by Dwight D Eisenhower to connote the close association between the military and defense industries
Constructivist Explanations
Those explanations that emphasize the role of leaders of ethnic groups in stirring up hatred toward others external to one’s group
Primordial Explanations
Those explanations that emphasize the existence of “ancient hatreds” rooted in deep psychological or cultural differences between ethnic groups, often involving a history of grievance and victimization, real or imagined, by the enemy group.
Security Dilemma
A characteristic of the international state system that gives rise to unstable relations between states; as State A secures its borders and interests, its behavior may decrease the security of other states and cause them to engage in behavior that decreases A’s security
Terrorism
The premeditated use or threatened use of violence by an individual or group to gain a political objective
Transnational Terrorism
Terrorism that occurs when a terrorist act in one country involves victims, targets, institutions, governments, or citizens of another country
Domestic Terrorism
Sometimes called insurgent terrorism, occurs when the terrorist act involves victims, targets, institutions, governments, or citizens from one country
Geneva Conventions
A set of international treaties that govern the behavior of states during wartime, including the treatment of prisoners of war
Guerrilla Warfare
Warfare in which organized groups oppose domestic or foreign governments and their military forces; often involves small groups of individuals who use camouflage and underground tunnels to hide until they are ready to execute a surprise attack
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
Chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons that have the capacity to kill large numbers of people indiscriminately
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
A set of symptoms that may result from any traumatic experience, including crime victimization, war, natural disasters, or abuses.
Nuclear Winter
The predicted result of a thermonuclear war whereby thick clouds of radioactive dust and particles would block out vital sunlight, lower temperature in the northern hemisphere, and lead to the death of most living things on earth.
Arbitration
Dispute settlement in which a neutral third party listens to evidence and arguments presented by conflicting groups and arrives at a decision that the parties have agreed in advance to accept
Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)
A Cold War doctrine referring to the capacity of two nuclear states to destroy each other, thus reducing the risk that either state will initiate war
Nuclear Nonproliferation
Efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, or the materials and technology necessary for the production of nuclear weapons
Clash of Civilizations
A hypothesis that the primary source of conflict in the 21st century has shifted away from social class and economic issues and toward conflict between religious and cultural groups, especially those between large-scale civilizations such as the peoples of Western Christianity and Muslim and Orthodox peoples.
