Theory
Regimes are most effective when power in the international system is most concentrated
Hegemonic Stability Theory
Allying with a particularly strong state. (Ex. States allying with the US in the 1990s)
Bandwagoning
Warfare by one state waged to conquer and occupy another
Total war
Spread of weapons of mass destruction (especially nuclear weapons) into the hands of more actors.
Proliferation
A branch of mathematics concerned with predicting bargaining outcomes (Prisoner's Dilemma)
Game Theory
Democracies almost never fight wars against each other (although they do fight against authoritarian states).
Democratic Peace Theory
Forming a coalition to counterbalance against a particularly strong state. (Ex. States coming together to oppose Germany before WWII)
Balancing
The public’s increased support for government leaders during wartime, at least in the short term.
Rally round the flag effect
Tanks and other armored vehicles.
Armor
Foreign policies adopted to distract the public from domestic political problems.
Diversionary Foreign Policy
A strand of feminism that believes gender roles are not just socially constructed.
Difference Feminism
A situation in which actions that states take to increase their own security are perceived as threats by other states
Security Dilemma
War for control of the entire world order
Hegemonic War
Foot soldiers who use assault rifles and other light weapons.
Infantry
Actors conceived of as single entities that can “think” about their actions, coherently make choices, and identify and rank their interests
Rational Actors
Form of nationalism whose goal is to regain territory lost to another state.
Irredentism
The threat to punish another actor if it takes a certain negative action.
Deterrence
Military actions short of the surrender and occupation of the territory
Limited war
Digital intelligence collection, analysis and operations.
SIGINT
A political and economic situation in which states are mutually dependent on each other for products.
Interdependence
The principle that people who identify as a nation should have the right to form a state.
Self-Determination
The practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility.
Groupthink
An effort to combat guerrilla armies.
Counterinsurgency
Possession of second-strike nuclear capabilities, which assures that neither of two adversaries can prevent the other from destroying it in an all-out war.
Mutually Assured Destruction
The ability to use force in areas far from a country’s region or sphere of influence.
Power projection