By Sir Ali Naqvi Basie Concepts in Current s ffairs Buffer Zone/Area: A butfer state is an area lying berween the borders of Wo powerfull and potentially hostile powers. Armed forces of cither of the rival powers donot exist in the buffer area, and war often ensues when either or both of the powers iry t0 invade the territory of the buffer state. Choke Points 4 chokepoint refers to 2 point of natural congestion along two wider and important navigable passages. Maritime choke points are naturally narrow channels of shipping having high traffic because of their strategic locations. Collective Security In formal terms, collective security refers to a set of legally estab- lished mechanisms designed to prevent or suppress aggression by any state against any other state. This is achieved by presenting to potenticl/ actual aggressors the credible threat, and to potentiaVactual victims the reliable promise, of effective collective measures to maintain and if necessary enforce the peace. Confitet ‘ Protracted hostility berween different actors (States or” others) over a dispute or divergence of interes's onsmatersat poftics, economics or security. Crisis we Crises between states are peridds during which there is a sharply increased likelihood of war. Crises are quite Sudden transformations of ‘normal’ relations between states. They “riay escalate and result in war or may be deelt with in such a manner that war is averted and the, sires quo ante restored. A crisis is therefore a necessary phase between peace and war, but one from which war does not necessarily result, Diplomacy: ‘The range of actions taken by a nation to represent and pursue its interests Dispute Divergence of opinions between different parties about the ownership of ghysical territory or ebjéct Extra-regional states: ‘The states that are not located within a particular region Foreign Policy A forcign policy is a set of political goals that seeks to outline how a particular country will interact with the other countries of the world. Foreign policies generally are designed to help protect a country's nationel interests, rational security, ideological goals, and economic prosperity. Free Trade Agreement an Agreemens which there ate no tariffs or other restrictions on the movement of goods and services across bordersGeo-Economies: Most commonly, it is understocd a8 the use of economic qyois 19 advance geopolitical objectives. Other definitions reverse the ends and means, emphasizing how cxing geopolitical muscle is used for economic resus. Broadly, one cal as the interplay of international economics, geopolitics aad strategy. Geo-politica: The use of geography as an element of power; theories and concepts emphasizing location, size, and geographic factors a9 primary influences in 1 Globalization The integration of people and countries, through inctezsed contact, communication and commerce into a larger, informal intemational system Gross Domestic Product ‘The value of Goods and Services Produced in g state in one year is called GDP and must be distinguished from GDP rate which reflects annual rise in GDP International Law ‘There are two kinds of intemational law: private and public. The for- mer is concerned with the resolution of intemstional disputes between individuals and companies, while the latter governs relations between sates. It includes such things as claims to territory, usc of the sea, arm#@bntrol, and human rights:s of geoeconomics International relations: ba % Relations betweenStates OR 28 i Relatiiig between! governments rok Liberalism: yee political doctrine that takes protecting. and enhancing the freedom of e individual to be the central problem .of. politics. Liberals typically believe that govemiment is necessary to protect individuals from being harmed by others, but they also recognize that government itself can pose a threat ta liberty. ‘Mattilateralism Relationships among more thaa two states of other international actors for the purpose of collectiveaction National Interest ‘Those elements constituting a nation's most vital needs and objectives, including such factors of selfipreservation, independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, military security, and economic well-being National Power The ability or potential of a state to influence behavior of others as measured by the possession of certain tangible and intangible characteristics Realism . . A pragmatic approach to foreiga golicy, emphasizing national self-interest and based on the premise that power is the central aetor in IR 2SLMLIESNIES UTE Regionalism This term refers to intensifying political and/or economic processes of cooperation among states and other actors in particular geographic regions, although it is most often discussed in the context of trade flows. State: A political entity that exhibits extemal and internal sovereignty It is also a considered a political primary unit that take parts in international relations as a separate autonomous entity, ‘Trade: Trade involves the transfer of goods or services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money Unilateralism A national acting on its own, independently, in the pursuit of its foreign policy objectives, as opposed to a bilateral or multilateral approach ‘War / ‘The use of armed forces in a conflict, especially between countries, The conventional view is that for « conflict to be classified as a war, it should culniinate in at least 1,000 battle deaths, Soft Power Power based on intangible or indirect influences such es culture, values, and ideology; the ability to advance interests through attraction rather than through coercion. Involves economic assistance, public diplomacy, educational and cultural exchange Deterrence Strategy of having « credible counter-threat so as to pose unacceptable risks 10 an ‘opponent considering an attack Non.State Actors Sub-national or transnationally active groups other than states, such as intemational organizations whose members are states and non-governmental organizations whose ‘members are individuals and private groups ftom within a state or more than one state. SLMLIESNIES UTE