Concepts
Actors
Civil-Military Relations
Democracy
What's New?
100

This type of narrative suggests a country is losing its place in the world, whether that is true or not.

Declinism
100

The public has the most confidence in this institution.

The military

100
The President, Secretary of Defense, and Secretary of State are this type of actor. Unlike the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Civilians

100

Because they can control information, this regime type is less vulnerable to the threats posed by social media than democracies. 

Authoritarian Regimes

100

Speed, access, and amplification make this type of media distinct.

Social Media

200

This term describes statements made by cabinet members, experts, or other politicians that influence public opinion. 

Elite Cues

200

The decision to start a war benefits most from the support advisers described as this bird.

Doves

200

This concept, asserting that elected leaders should have the final say over security policy, is key to democracy.

Civilian Control

200
National security requires secrecy, which is in tension with the fact that democracy requires this 12-letter term.

Transparency

200

Digital means and digital targets describe this type of attack.

Cyberattack

300

This assumption expects countries to behave as though there is consensus on national security issues.

Unitary Actor Assumption

300

This party changed its stance on humanitarian intervention in Kosovo, illustrating the importance of coherent party ideologies.

The German Green Party

300

This pattern expects civilian officials to advocate for using military force more often and to solve a wider range of problems than military officials. Its name comes from a famous exchange over US action in Bosnia.

Powell-Albright

300

According to this model, following volatile trends in public opinion causes democracies to make bad security decisions.

Almond-Lippmann

300

This problem describes the challenges of be certain about the source of a cyberattack.

Attribution Problem

400

This trade-off explains why candidates sometimes campaign on unpopular policies. 

Issue-Image Trade-Off

400
This actor's power is based on access to unique information, from evidence of human rights abuses to details of nuclear development.

Transnational Advocacy Networks

400

Outlined in his book "The Soldier and the State," this person expected the military to be apolitical and engage in a transactional relationship with civilians.

Huntington

400

Because it offered fewer channels of influence, during the Cold War transnational advocates had a greater effect on the nuclear policy of this country.

The Soviet Union
400

Over time, more border disputes have been settled this way.

Peacefully

500

This concept captures how permissive or controlling a country's boundaries are.

Border Orientation

500

Individuals who focus on loyalty, protection of the in-group, and respect for authority have this type of moral foundations.

Binding foundations

500

Elected leaders have the right to be this.

Wrong

500
Viewing security policy as the outcome of democratic compromise, this decision-making model claims that where you stand is where you sit.

Bureaucratic Politics Model

500

Globalization can generate concerns that tomorrow will not look like today, leading to this type of insecurity.

Ontological

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