Current Events
In its ongoing war against Russia, Ukraine has increasingly relied on these unmanned aerial systems to strike military and energy infrastructure deep inside Russian territory.
What are drones (UAVs)?
This island democracy, which Beijing claims as part of its territory, is among the most significant potential flashpoints in U.S.-China relations.
What is Taiwan?
This U.S. president pursued détente with the Soviet Union and became the first sitting American president to visit the People's Republic of China.
Who is Richard Nixon?
Article 5 of this organization's founding treaty establishes the principle of collective defense among its members.
What is NATO?
Political scientist Joseph Nye popularized this concept, which describes a country's ability to influence others through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion.
What is soft power?
In 2024, this Nordic country became NATO's 32nd member, ending more than two centuries of military nonalignment.
What is Sweden?
China claims extensive maritime rights within this controversial boundary, which encompasses much of the South China Sea and overlaps with the maritime claims of several neighboring states.
What is the Nine-Dash Line?
This 1947 U.S. foreign policy doctrine pledged support for countries resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures, initially focusing on Greece and Turkey.
What is the Truman Doctrine?
These five countries hold permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council and possess veto power over substantive resolutions.
What are the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China?
This international relations concept describes how one state's efforts to increase its own security can unintentionally make other states feel threatened, potentially triggering an arms race.
What is the security dilemma?
In 2025, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom initiated this mechanism under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, resulting in the restoration of previously lifted UN sanctions.
What is the snapback mechanism?
This American general commanded United Nations forces during the Korean War before being dismissed by President Harry Truman in 1951 over disagreements about the conduct of the war.
Who is Douglas MacArthur?
This American diplomat wrote the 1946 "Long Telegram" and later published an influential article under the pseudonym "X," outlining the strategy of containment.
Who is George F. Kennan?
Established alongside the World Bank during a 1944 conference in New Hampshire, this international institution promotes monetary cooperation and assists countries facing balance-of-payments difficulties.
What is the International Monetary Fund (IMF)?
Popularized by political scientist Graham Allison, this concept describes the danger of conflict when a rising power threatens to displace an established dominant power.
What is the Thucydides Trap?
Despite ongoing U.S. mediation efforts in 2026, Russia continues to demand control over the entirety of this Ukrainian oblast, including territory it does not currently occupy.
What is Donetsk Oblast?
This 1972 diplomatic document, issued during President Nixon's visit to China, helped establish the framework for improved relations between Washington and Beijing.
What is the Shanghai Communiqué?
This 1964 congressional resolution authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to take extensive military action in Southeast Asia without a formal declaration of war.
What is the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?
This principle of international law prohibits states from returning refugees to territories where they face persecution or certain other serious threats.
What is non-refoulement?
This grand strategy advocates maintaining favorable balances of power in strategically important regions while avoiding extensive permanent military commitments abroad unless necessary.
What is offshore balancing?
In October 2026, the U.S. Secretary of State warned that sabotage operations spilling into neighboring NATO countries could escalate the Russia-Ukraine war into a broader regional conflict. Name the U.S. Secretary of State.
Who is Marco Rubio?
This strategic concept describes the network of U.S. alliances and partnerships with countries such as Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Australia, forming a security architecture in the Indo-Pacific.
What is the hub-and-spokes alliance system?
Signed in 1975, this agreement recognized European postwar borders, promoted cooperation between Eastern and Western blocs, and established commitments concerning human rights during the Cold War.
What is the Helsinki Final Act (Helsinki Accords)?
This 1968 international treaty recognizes five nuclear-weapon states and rests on three major pillars: nonproliferation, disarmament, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
What is the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)?
In 1950, this classified National Security Council document advocated a substantial buildup of American military power to counter Soviet expansion and became a foundational document of U.S. Cold War strategy.
What is NSC-68?