Final Exam Flashcards
(146 cards)
1
Q
What distinguishes a social science approach to global politics?
A
It analyzes global politics using evidence, theories, and patterns of behavior.
2
Q
Why do social scientists use concepts?
A
To simplify, categorize, and better understand complex political ideas and systems.
3
Q
Why do social scientists use hypotheses?
A
To make testable predictions that guide research and analysis.
4
Q
Why do social scientists use theories to build cumulative knowledge?
A
To connect findings over time and create a broader understanding of political patterns.
5
Q
How do actors, states, IGOs, NGOs, and MNCs shape international outcomes?
A
They influence global politics through diplomacy, policymaking, advocacy, and economic power.
6
Q
What are public goods?
A
It is goods that are available to all, and one state’s use doesn’t reduce availability to others, like global security or clean air.
7
Q
How do collective action problems complicate their provision?
A
They create difficulties in coordination and free-riding, where individuals or states benefit without contributing.
8
Q
What are NGO’s?
A
Non-governmental organizations that operate independently to address social, environmental, or political issues. (Red Cross)
9
Q
What are IGOs?
A
Intergovernmental organizations are formed by states to address global issues collectively. (The U.N.
10
Q
What are MNCs?
A
Multinational corporations that operate in multiple countries and influence global economies.
11
Q
What is a collective action problem?
A
A situation where individuals or states fail to cooperate for a common benefit due to self-interest.
12
Q
What is a public good?
A
A good that is nonexclusive and nonrivalrous, meaning everyone can use it without diminishing its availability. (Food and healthcare)
13
Q
What is excludable?
A
When access to a good can be restricted. Through pricing or other variables.
14
Q
What is a rational actor?
A
An individual or entity that makes decisions based on maximizing personal or group benefits.
15
Q
What is rivalrous?
A
When one person’s use of a good reduces its availability for others.
16
Q
What is hegemony?
A
Dominance of one state or actor over others in the international system.
17
Q
What is polarity?
A
The distribution of power in the international system, typically categorized as unipolar, bipolar, or multipolar.
18
Q
What is hard power?
A
The use of military or economic force to influence others.
19
Q
What is an example of hard power?
A
The United States uses military intervention to reinforce its foreign policy, like the Iraq War in 2003.
20
Q
What is soft power?
A
The ability to influence others using attraction, persuasion, and cultural or diplomatic means.
21
Q
What is an example of soft power?
A
The global influence of American culture through movies, music, and media, like Hollywood.
22
Q
What is smart power?
A
A combination of both hard and soft power is used to achieve foreign policy goals efficiently.
23
Q
What is an example of smart power?
A
The US is combining diplomatic efforts and economic sanctions with military presence to address nuclear proliferation in North Korea.
24
Q
What is irregular warfare?
A
Warfare that involves nontraditional tactics, commonly by insurgents or nonstate actors. For example, guerrilla tactics or cyber attacks.
25
What is asymmetric warfare?
Conflict between two parties with significantly unequal military power, often involving unconventional tactics by the weaker side.
26
What is hybrid warfare?
A strategy that blends conventional military force with irregular tactics, cyber warfare, and other nontraditional methods.
27
What are key examples of state actors?
Countries like the United States, China, Russia, and India.
28
What are key examples of non-state actors?
Groups like terrorist organizations, multinational corporations, and nongovernmental organizations.
29
How do strategies of insurgency differ from conventional military campaigns?
Insurgents rely on unconventional tactics such as ambushes and sabotage. Conventional campaigns involve direct, organized military engagement.
30
Why do some groups choose terrorism?
To achieve political or ideological goals through violence and fear when they lack the military power to fight conventional battles.
31
What are the consequences of different state responses (negotiation versus repression)?
Negotiation can lead to compromise and peace, while repression may escalate violence, rationalize groups, and prolong conflict.
32
What role does a provocative strategy play in terrorism?
It aims to provoke a strong government reaction that can rally support for the terrorist group’s cause and alienate the population from the government.
33
How does a provocative strategy affect government legitimacy or escalation?
It can damage government legitimacy by triggering harsh responses, which may increase public resentment and escalate the conflict.
34
What is the relationship between terrorism and the media?
It aims to provoke a strong, violent government response that alienates the population and strengthens the terrorist cause.
35
What is civil war?
A conflict between organized groups within the same country, often for control of the government or territory.
36
What is intrastate conflict?
Conflict occurring within a state typically involves the government forces and nonstate actors, like rebels or insurgents.
37
What is terrorism?
The use of violence or threats to create fear and achieve political, ideological, or religious goals.
38
What is insurgency?
A rebellion against established authority, often using unconventional tactics like guerrilla warfare.
39
What is a provocation strategy?
A tactic designed to provoke an overreaction from the government to gain support or recruit more followers.
40
What is repression?
The use of force or heavy control by a government to suppress dissent or opposition.
41
What are guerrilla tactics?
Irregular warfare tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, and hit-and-run attacks, are used by smaller, mobile groups against a large force.
42
How do cyber operations differ from conventional military attacks?
Cyber operations involve using digital tools to disrupt, damage, or steal information. Controversial attacks rely on physical force or weapons.
43
What lessons does Stuxnet teach about the integration of digital and physical warfare?
He showed that cyber attacks can target physical infrastructure, blending digital and physical warfare to cause significant damage without direct military confrontation.
44
How do AI-enabled systems like the Fakhrizadeh operation reshape strategic thinking without control, attribution, and accountability?
AI systems can carry out operations autonomously, making it harder to assign responsibility, trace actions, or maintain oversight, which complicates ethical and strategic decision-making.
45
What is an example of a zero-day vulnerability?
A flaw in software that is exploited before the software developer has had a chance to release a fix.
46
How do cyber and AI capabilities blur the lines between civilian and military domains?
Both can be used for military and nonmilitary purposes, such as cyber espionage or AI and civilian applications that double as military tools, complicating jurisdictions and accountability.
47
What is a concern about artificial intelligence?
There is a concern about employment.
48
Who is Stuxnet?
It is a highly sophisticated computer worm that targeted Iran's nuclear program, causing physical damage to uranium-enrichment centrifuges.
49
What is a zero-day vulnerability?
A security flaw in software that is unknown to the vendor and has no patch, making it an effective target for attackers.
50
What is cyber sovereignty?
The concept where states have the right to control and regulate their own digital infrastructure and cyberspace.
51
What is attribution?
The process of identifying the source or responsible party behind a cyber attack or malicious digital action.
The process of identifying the source or responsible party behind a cyber attack or malicious digital action.
52
What is AI-enabled targeting?
The use of artificial intelligence to select, track, and engage targets and military operations, often with less human oversight.
53
What is LAWS?
Lethal autonomous weapons systems, machines capable of selecting and engaging targets without human intervention.
54
What is misinformation?
False or inaccurate information spread intentionally or unintentionally, often to mislead or deceive.
55
What is remote operation?
The ability to control systems or devices from a distance, often used in military, industrial, and technological contexts.
56
What are anonymous systems?
Systems or networks that conceal the identity of users or operators used for privacy or to evade detection.
57
What are the different types of nuclear weapons?
Types include strategic nuclear weapons (long-range missiles), tactical nuclear weapons (short-range), and nonstrategic nuclear weapons (used on the battlefield).
58
How do nuclear weapons shape deterrence strategies?
By threatening massive retaliation in the event of an attack, it prevents adversaries from inflicting conflict.
59
What is the logic behind mutually assured destruction (MAD)?
It relies on the belief that if two nuclear-armed states fight, then both will suffer total destruction, which deters both sides from using nuclear weapons.
60
How do arms control treaties attempt to reduce risk?
They aim to limit the number and types of nuclear weapons, ensuring transparency, reducing tensions, and minimizing the risk of escalation.
61
What has led to the collapse or erosion of major treaties like the INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) Treaty or New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty)?
Factors include evolving geopolitical tensions, non-compliant technological advances, and shifting national security priorities.
62
How do emerging technologies, including cyber and AI, complicate nuclear strategy verification?
They can introduce new vulnerabilities, making it harder to track compliance, detect violations, and ensure the security of nuclear arsenals.
63
What is Reagan's “Star Wars” Program?
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) aimed at developing space-based missile defense systems to protect the US from nuclear missile attacks.
64
What is the impact of Reagan's “Star Wars” Program?
It spurred technological development, but faced skepticism due to feasibility concerns and the high cost of deployment.
65
What is deterrence?
It is a strategy aimed at preventing an adversary from taking unwanted actions (such as an attack) by threatening severe retaliation.
66
Who is Dr. Strangelove?
A fictional character who represents the dangers of nuclear escalations and the absurdity of the arms race.
67
What is MAD?
Mutually Assured Destruction is a doctrine where both sides and a nuclear conflict are assured of total destruction if nuclear weapons are used.
68
What are first strike capabilities?
The ability of a country to launch a nuclear attack that can significantly damage or destroy the adversary’s nuclear forces before they can retaliate.
69
What are second strike capabilities?
The ability to retaliate with nuclear weapons after observing an initial nuclear strike, ensuring that the adversary faces total destruction.
70
What is NPT?
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is an agreement aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, promoting disarmament, and fostering peaceful nuclear cooperation.
71
What is an INF treaty?
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is a 1987 agreement between the US and the Soviet Union to eliminate intermediate-range missiles later dissolved in 2019.
72
What is New START?
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is a 2010 agreement between the US and Russia to limit and reduce the number of deployed nuclear warheads and delivery systems.
73
What is arms control?
It refers to international agreements to regulate or limit the development, production, or use of weapons, particularly nuclear arms.
74
What is verification?
Verification is the process of ensuring compliance with arms control agreements, often through inspections out of sharing, and monitoring.
75
What is proliferation?
It is this spread of nuclear weapons or nuclear technology to states or nonstate actors not previously possessing them.
76
What is strategic stability?
It refers to the condition where no state has an incentive to use nuclear weapons first, reducing the risk of nuclear conflict.
77
What is the attribution dilemma?
It refers to the difficulty in identifying the source of a cyber or nuclear act, complicating responses and deterrent strategies.
78
o How do we measure development?
Through indicators like GDP per capita, human development index, and any quality measures like the Gini coefficient.
79
Why is GDP alone insufficient?
It doesn't capture any quality, the quality of life, or social well-being.
80
What are the historical exigencies of colonialism that continue to shape inequality across states?
Colonialism created lasting economic, political, and social structures that favor wealthier countries and disadvantaged former colonies.
81
What are competing explanations for why some states develop more rapidly than others? (Modernization theory versus dependency theory)
Modernization theory says development follows internal progress. Dependency theory says global inequalities trap poor countries.
82
What role do aid, foreign investment, in international institutions play in promoting or constraining development?
They can promote growth, but sometimes reinforce dependency or impose harmful conditions.
83
What is GDP per capita?
A country's total economic output divided by its population measures average income.
84
What is the human development index (HDI)?
Composition measures of health, education, and income to assess overall human well-being.
85
What is the Gini coefficient?
A measure of income inequality within a country. 0 means perfect equality, 1 means extreme inequality.
86
What is the modernization theory?
The idea is that all countries progress through similar stages of economic and political development.
87
What is the dependency theory?
The idea is that rich countries keep poor countries dependent and undeveloped through economic and political systems.
88
What is the new international economic order?
A set of proposals in the 1970s to restructure global trade and finance to favor developing countries.
89
What are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
UN goals to set in 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity by 2030.
90
What are the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)?
8 UN goals from 2000 to 2015 focus on reducing poverty, improving health, and promoting education.
91
What is foreign aid?
Money, goods, or services given by 1 country or organization to support development in another.
92
What is the Berlin conference?
An 1884 to 1885 meeting where European powers divided Africa into colonies without African input.
93
What is structural adjustment?
Economic reforms imposed by the IMF or World Bank often require austerity and market liberalization.
94
What are inclusive institutions?
Institutions that promote equal opportunity, protect property rights, and encourage participation in the economy.
95
What is a colonial legacy?
The long-term effects of colonial rule on political, economic, and social structures and former colonies.
96
What legal frameworks define human rights?
The Universal Declaration of Rights (UDHR), ICPR, ICESCR, and other international treaties.
97
Mechanisms exist to promote or enforce them?
UN bodies, regional courts, IGOs, and sometimes international sanctions or interventions.
98
Distinguish among rights categories and understand how enforcement is complicated by state sovereignty and cultural relativism.
Rights can be civil-political (negative rights) or economic-social (positive rights). Enforcement is hard because states resist outside interference, and cultural norms vary
99
What are the patterns and causes of modern slavery and human trafficking? Who is responsible when a state is the violator?
Causes include poverty, conflict, and weak law enforcement. When the state is responsible, international bodies and courts may intervene.
100
How does human security differ from traditional security?
Human security focuses on protecting individuals, while traditional security focuses on protecting states.
101
What are the foundational legal texts that make up the International Bill of Human Rights?
UDHR, ICCPR, and ICESCR.
102
How do the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) differ in their scope and enforceability?
UDHR is aspirational, ICCPR and ICESCR are binding treaties with reporting and monitoring mechanisms.
103
What is UDHR?
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is an influential nonbinding statement of basic rights and freedoms.
104
What is ICCPR?
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is a binding treaty protecting rights like freedom of speech and fair trial.
105
What is ICESCR?
The International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights is a nonbinding treaty protecting rights like education, health, and work.
106
What are positive rights?
Right, so that requires government actions to provide services like education and healthcare.
107
What are negative rights?
Rights that require government noninterference, like freedom of speech or religion.
108
What is modern slavery?
The exploitation of people through forced labor, trafficking, debt bondage, or forced marriage.
109
What is forced labor?
Work performed under threat cohesion or without the worker’s consent.
110
What is trafficking?
The illegal trade of people for exploitation, including forced labor and sexual slavery.
111
What is FGM?
Female Genitalia Mutilation is the harmful practice of cutting or altering female genitalia for nonmedical reasons.
112
What are honor killings?
The murder of a family member, usually a woman, who is perceived to have brought shame to the family.
113
What is R2P?
Responsibility to protect is an international norm that states must protect people from genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
114
What is sovereignty?
A state's right to govern itself without outside interference.
115
What are NGO's?
Nongovernmental organizations are independent groups that work to address social, political, or humanitarian issues.
116
What are IGOs?
International organizations, which are groups foreign by states to work on common issues like the UN.
117
What is statelessness?
When a person is not recognized as a citizen by any country.
118
What is human security?
Protecting individual safety and well-being, not just the security of states.
119
Distinguish migrants from refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced people (IDPs)?
Migrants move for various reasons. Refugees flee persecution, asylum seekers request protection, and IDPs flee to stay within their borders.
120
What protections are afforded under international law?
Refugees are protected under the 1951 Refugee Convention. Migrants have fewer legal protections.
121
How do national visa and asylum systems vary?
Each country sets different rules for entry, stay, and the criteria for granting asylum or visas.
122
What happens if an individual is denied asylum?
They may be deported, detained, or seek appeals or alternative protections.
123
How have colonial legacies shaped migration patterns today?
Former colonies often migrate to perform as colonial powers due to historical, linguistic, and economic ties.
124
Why is migration increasingly framed as a security issue?
Governments link migration to terrorism, crime, and social instability.
125
How have populous movements and state responses effective the landscape?
Large movements have strained asylum systems, shifted public opinion, and led to stricter border controls.
126
Explain the causes and consequences of modern slavery and the forms it might take.
Causes include poverty and conflict. Consequences are human rights abuses in the form of trafficking, forced labor, and forced marriage.
127
What are child brides?
Girls married before age 18 were often married through coercion.
128
What are child soldiers?
Children recruited or forced to fight in armed conflicts.
129
What are push factors?
Conditions like war, poverty, or persecution force people to leave their homes.
130
What are pull factors?
Opportunities like job safety or better living conditions attract migrants.
131
What are refugees?
People are forced to flee the country because of persecution, war, or violence.
132
What is trafficking?
The illegal trade and exportation of people.
133
What is resettlement?
Moving refugees from a first country of asylum to a new permanent country.
134
What is modern slavery?
Exportation of people through forced slavery or trafficking, or forced marriage.
135
What are visa regimes?
National rules that control who can enter, stay, and work in a country.
136
What is legal status?
A person's official recognition by a state determines their rights and protections.
137
How do emerging technologies and environmental stressors affect the prospects for cooperation and conflict?
They create new threats but also opportunities for collaboration and innovation.
138
What tools exist for addressing global challenges, and what obstacles persist?
Tools include treaties, IGOS, NGOs, and diplomacy. Obstacles are sovereignty and equality, and mistrust.
139
What are the limitations of current international institutions and responding to transnational problems?
They are often slow, underfunded, and limited by state interests and lack of enforcement power.
140
What is global governance?
The systems and rules that manage international issues without a world government.
141
What is the international order?
The set of norms, rules, and institutions that shape global relations.
142
What is multilateralism?
Cooperation among three or more states to solve problems together.
143
What is climate security?
The link between climate change and threats to peace, stability, and human survival.
144
What is AI warfare?
The use of artificial intelligence and military operations and weapon systems.
145
What is cyber conflict?
Disputes and attacks in the digital space often occur between states or state-backed groups.
146
What is cultural homogenization?
The spread of a single culture across the world often at the expense of local traditions.
