Global political system
The patterns of political interaction among actors
in the global arena.
Transformation
A change in the characteristic pattern of
interaction among the most active participants in world politics.
Cold war
The forty-two-years rivalry between the United
States and soviet, as well as their competing coalitions, between 1949 and
1991, sought to contain each other’s expansion through an arms race and win for
capitalism (U.S.) or communism (USSR).
State
An independent, territorially defined community in
the global system administered by a sovereign government.
Anarchy
A condition in which the units in the global system
are subjected to few if any overarching institutions to regulate their conduct.
Ideology
A set of core philosophical principles that a group
of leaders and citizens collectively holds about politics, the interests of
political actors, and the ways people ought to ethically behave.
State level of analysis
An analytical approach that emphasizes how the
internal attributes of States influence their foreign policy behaviors.
Global level of analysis
Analyses that emphasize the impact of worldwide
conditions on foreign policy behaviour and human welfare.
Great powers
The powerful countries, militarily and economically,
in the global system.
Non-state actors
All transnational active groups other then States,
such as organizations whose members are state, and non-governmental
organizations whose members are individuals and private group from more than one
state.
Low politics
A category of global issues related to the economic,
social, demographic, and environmental and people.
A high politics
Issues related to the military, security, and
political relations of States.
State sovereignty
Under international law, the status of States as
equals in that, within their territory, a state’s government is subject to no
higher external authority.
Globalization
The integration of States through increasing
contact, communication, and trade, creating a holistic, single global system in
which the process of change increasingly binds people together in common fate.
Interdependence
When the behavior of international actors greatly
affects others with whom they have contact, and the parties to the exchange
become mutually sensitive and vulnerable to the others actions.
Hegemon
A state so powerful that it has the capacity to
control world politics and create rules for others to follow.
Geo-economics
The relationship between geography and the economic
conditions and behavior of States that define their levels of production,
trade, and consumption of goods and services.
Geopolitics
The relationship between geography and politics and
their consequences for state national interests and relative power.
Human rights
Political rights and civil liberties recognize
internationally as inalienable for individuals in all countries.
Sustainable development
Economic growth then does not deplete the resources
needed to maintain growth.
Gross national product (GNP)
The total monetary value of goods and services
produced in a state during a specified period.
Paradigm
Derived from the Greek paradigm, manning an example,
a model, or an essential pattern; a paradigm structures thoughts about an area
of inquiry.
Theory
A set of hypotheses postulating the relationship
between variables or conditions, advanced to describe, explain, or predict
phenomena and make prescriptions about how positive changes ought to be
engineered to realize particular goals and ethical principles.
Liberalism
A paradigm predicted on the hope that the application
of reason and universal ethics to international relations can lead to a more
orderly, just, and cooperative world, and that international anarchy and war
can be policed by intuitional reforms that empower international organizations
and laws.
Idealism
Post-World War I movement inspired by the liberal
theoretical tradition which believed that the pursuit of ideals like world
peace could change the world reducing the disorder often exhibited in world
politics.
Realism
A paradigm based on the premise that world politics
is essentially and unchangeably a struggle among self-interested States for
power and postiton under anarchy, with each
competing state pursuing its own national interests.
Power
The factors that enable one actor to manipulate another
actor’s behavior against its preferences.
State sovereignty
Under international law, the principle that the
governments of States are subject to no higher external authority.