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The Reference Library

Diplomacy & Politics Glossary

Every term you need — from Model UN procedure to international law, economics, and political theory. Clear definitions, real examples, and cross-linked concepts.

Terms
2,494
terms· showing letter A (137)
Categories
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categories
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Showing 137 entries

A

137 entries

Abraham Accords

A series of 2020 US-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and Arab…

Absolute Advantage

A situation where a country can produce a good or service more efficiently than…

Global Affairs

Absolute Gains

Benefits a state obtains from cooperation without comparing them to others'…

Global Affairs

Absolute Sovereignty

Complete and unrestricted authority of a state over its territory and…

Global Affairs

Abstention

A formal vote choice that registers neither support nor opposition, counted…

Act East Policy

India's 2014 rebrand of the Look East Policy under PM Modi, emphasizing more…

Act of Aggression

An act by a state involving the use of armed force against the sovereignty,…

Law & Rights

Act of Belligerency

An act by a state or Non-State Actor that constitutes participation in armed…

Law & Rights

Act of State

A doctrine preventing courts of one country from questioning the validity of…

Law & Rights

Act of State Doctrine

A principle preventing courts of one country from questioning the validity of…

Law & Rights

Act of State Doctrine Exception

An exception allowing domestic courts to review foreign sovereign acts when…

Law & Rights

Active Reading

Engaging with a text by questioning, summarizing, and evaluating content to…

Media & Critical Thinking

Ad Hoc Tribunal

A temporary court established to prosecute specific crimes or conflicts, such…

Law & Rights

Ad Hominem

An ad hominem attack targets a person’s character instead of addressing their…

Media & Critical Thinking

Ad Populum Fallacy

A logical Fallacy that argues a claim is true because many people believe it.

Media & Critical Thinking

Adam Smith's Invisible Hand

The self-regulating behavior of the marketplace where individuals' pursuit of…

Leaders & Thinkers

Adaptation Fund

A climate finance fund established under the Kyoto Protocol to support…

Adaptive Cyber Defense

A cybersecurity approach that continuously evolves in response to emerging…

Global Affairs

Adjournment

The suspension or ending of a meeting or debate until a later time or date.

Model United Nations

Administrative Burden

The learning, compliance, and psychological costs imposed on individuals or…

Government & Policy

Administrative Discretion

The flexibility granted to bureaucrats in interpreting and applying laws and…

Government & Policy

Administrative Law

Administrative law governs the activities and decisions of government agencies…

Government & Policy

Administrative Law Judge

An official who presides over disputes involving administrative agencies,…

Government & Policy

Administrative Procedure Act

Legislation that governs the process by which federal agencies develop and…

Government & Policy

Administrative Tribunal

A specialized Quasi-Judicial Body that resolves disputes involving…

Government & Policy

Administrative Tribunals

Administrative tribunals are specialized quasi-judicial bodies that resolve…

Government & Policy

Admissibility Criteria

Standards used by international courts or bodies to determine whether a case or…

Law & Rights

Admissibility of Refugee Claims

Criteria used to determine whether a refugee claim is eligible for examination…

Law & Rights

Advice and Consent

A constitutional requirement that certain presidential appointments and…

Government & Policy

Advisory Opinion

Non-binding legal advice issued by an international court or tribunal upon…

Law & Rights

Advocacy

Efforts by individuals or groups to influence public policy and decision-making…

Government & Policy

Advocacy Coalition Framework

A theory explaining policy change by focusing on groups of actors who share…

Government & Policy

Advocacy Group

An organized group that seeks to influence public policy and decision-making to…

Government & Policy

AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area)

A 2018 trade agreement creating a continent-wide African free trade area, with…

Affirmative Burden

The obligation of the affirmative team to establish a case that supports the…

Debate & Speech

Affirmative Case

The structured set of arguments presented by the affirmative team to support…

Debate & Speech

Affirmative Constructive

The first speech in a Policy debate where the affirmative team presents their…

Debate & Speech

African Union (AU)

A continental organization of 55 African states, succeeding the Organisation of…

African Union (AU) Peace Operations

Military and civilian missions led by the AU to prevent, manage, and resolve…

Global Affairs

Agenda Setting

The process by which certain issues are prioritized and framed for discussion…

Global Affairs

Agenda-Setting in Stakeholder Engagement

The process of prioritizing topics and issues to guide discussions and…

Professional Skills

Agenda-Setting Power

The ability of an actor to influence the priorities and topics addressed in…

Global Affairs

Agenda-Setting Strategies

Techniques used to prioritize issues and influence the focus of discussions or…

Professional Skills

Agenda-Setting Theory

The process by which media or actors influence the importance placed on topics…

Global Affairs

Aggregated Treaty Interpretation

A method of interpreting treaties by considering the combined effect of…

Law & Rights

Aggression

The use of armed force by a state against the sovereignty, Territorial…

Law & Rights

Agonistic Pluralism

A political theory that emphasizes the positive role of ongoing conflict and…

Leaders & Thinkers

Aide-mémoire

A short written summary of a diplomatic conversation or position, left with the…

Al-Qaeda

A militant Islamist organization responsible for numerous terrorist attacks,…

History & Current Affairs

Algorithmic Bias

Algorithmic bias occurs when automated systems produce unfair results due to…

Media & Critical Thinking

Algorithmic Transparency

The extent to which the processes and criteria used by algorithms are open and…

Media & Critical Thinking

Alienation

Karl Marx's concept describing workers' estrangement from their labor,…

Leaders & Thinkers

Alliance Cohesion

The degree to which members of a military or political alliance maintain unity…

Global Affairs

Alliance Entrapment

A situation where a state is dragged into an unwanted conflict due to…

Global Affairs

Alliance Formation

The process by which states enter into formal agreements to cooperate for…

Global Affairs

Alliance Management

The process by which states coordinate policies, share resources, and maintain…

Global Affairs

Alliance of Sahel States (AES)

A confederation of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger formed in September 2023 after…

Alternative Disadvantage

An argument that presents a different Disadvantage to the same plan or…

Debate & Speech

Amendment

A formal proposal to change, add, or delete parts of a Draft Resolution or…

Model United Nations

Amendment Process

The formal procedure by which changes or additions are made to a constitution.

Government & Policy

Amicus Curiae

A Latin term meaning 'friend of the court'; a person or group offering…

Law & Rights

Amicus Curiae Brief

A document submitted by a non-party to a court case offering information or…

Government & Policy

Amplification Effect

The process by which certain information, ideas, or Misinformation gain…

Media & Critical Thinking

Analogy

A rhetorical device that compares two different things to clarify or persuade…

Debate & Speech

Analytic Skepticism

A critical approach that involves questioning assumptions and evaluating…

Media & Critical Thinking

Anarchical Society

A concept in international relations describing a system where sovereign states…

Global Affairs

Anarchy in International Relations

A condition in the international system where no central authority exists above…

Global Affairs

ANC Youth League

The ANC Youth League was a political organization that mobilized young South…

Leaders & Thinkers

Anchor Text

The visible, clickable text in a hyperlink that provides context about the…

Media & Critical Thinking

Anchoring Bias

A Cognitive Bias where individuals rely too heavily on the first piece of…

Media & Critical Thinking

Anchoring Effect

People rely too heavily on the first piece of information encountered when…

Media & Critical Thinking

Anchoring in Negotiation

The tactic of establishing an initial offer or position that influences the…

Professional Skills

Ancien Régime

The Ancien Régime refers to the political and social system of France before…

History & Current Affairs

Annexation

The forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state without the…

Law & Rights

Anschluss

The political annexation of one state by another, historically referring to…

Global Affairs

Anti-Dumping

Measures taken to protect domestic industries from foreign companies selling…

Economics & Trade

Anti-Dumping Duty

An Anti-Dumping duty is a tariff imposed on imports priced below fair market…

Economics & Trade

Anti-Dumping Measures

Trade defense tools used to protect domestic industries from foreign companies…

Economics & Trade

Appeal as of Right

A procedural entitlement allowing a party to appeal a decision to a higher…

Law & Rights

Appeasement

A Foreign Policy strategy of conceding to aggressive demands to avoid conflict,…

Global Affairs

Appeasement Policy

A diplomatic strategy where concessions are made to an aggressive state to…

Global Affairs

Appropriation Clause

A constitutional provision that authorizes government spending only if approved…

Government & Policy

Appropriations

Legislative acts that allocate specific funding for government programs and…

Government & Policy

Appropriations Bill

An Appropriations bill authorizes government spending for specific programs or…

Government & Policy

Appropriations Committee

A Legislative Committee responsible for determining the specific allocation of…

Government & Policy

Appropriations Rider

A provision added to an Appropriations Bill that may be unrelated to the main…

Government & Policy

Appropriations Subcommittee

An Appropriations subcommittee is a smaller legislative group focused on…

Government & Policy

Approval Voting

Voters can select as many candidates as they approve of, and the candidate with…

Elections & Democracy

Arab League (League of Arab States)

A regional organization of 22 Arab states founded in 1945, coordinating…

Arab Spring

A series of pro-democracy uprisings and protests across the Arab world…

History & Current Affairs

Arab-Israeli Six-Day War

1967 conflict where Israel fought Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, resulting in…

History & Current Affairs

Arendtian Banality of Evil

Hannah Arendt's concept that ordinary people can commit evil acts simply by…

Leaders & Thinkers

Arendtian Eichmann in Jerusalem

Describes the concept of ordinary individuals committing evil acts through…

Leaders & Thinkers

Arendtian Eichmann Trial Analysis

Hannah Arendt's examination of Adolf Eichmann's trial highlighted the concept…

Leaders & Thinkers

Arendtian Natality

Natality in Arendt's philosophy highlights birth as the origin of new…

Leaders & Thinkers

Arendtian Political Action

Hannah Arendt’s concept that genuine political freedom arises from collective…

Leaders & Thinkers

Arendtian Totalitarianism

Hannah Arendt’s analysis of totalitarian regimes characterized by ideological…

Leaders & Thinkers

Arendtian Vita Activa

Hannah Arendt's concept distinguishing active life involving labor, work, and…

Leaders & Thinkers

Armed Conflict

A situation of sustained combat between two or more organized armed groups,…

Law & Rights

Armed Non-International Conflict

A conflict occurring within a state between governmental forces and Non-State…

Law & Rights

Armed Non-State Actor

An organized group not affiliated with any government that engages in Armed…

Law & Rights

Article 5 (NATO)

The collective defense clause of the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty under which an…

Article 51 (UN Charter)

The UN Charter provision recognizing the inherent right of individual or…

Artificial Intelligence Arms Race

Competitive development and deployment of AI technologies for military…

Global Affairs

Asch Conformity Effect

A psychological phenomenon where individuals conform to group opinions or…

Professional Skills

ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)

A 10-member Southeast Asian regional organization operating by consensus, with…

ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)

A multilateral platform for security dialogue and confidence-building among…

Global Affairs

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

A China-initiated multilateral development bank founded in 2016 with 109…

Astroturfing

Astroturfing is creating fake grassroots movements to disguise orchestrated…

Media & Critical Thinking

Asylum

Protection granted by a state to individuals fleeing persecution from their…

Global Affairs

Asylum Diplomacy

The use of granting Asylum as a diplomatic tool to influence relationships…

Global Affairs

Asylum Seeker

An individual who flees their home country seeking international protection but…

Global Affairs

Asylum Shopping

The practice where Asylum seekers apply for refugee status in multiple…

Global Affairs

Asymmetric Information

A condition where one party in a negotiation or transaction has more or better…

Global Affairs

Asymmetric Warfare

Conflict where opposing forces differ significantly in military capabilities or…

Global Affairs

Attribution Bias

The tendency to attribute others’ behaviors to their character while…

Media & Critical Thinking

Attribution Error

The tendency to attribute others' actions to their character while attributing…

Media & Critical Thinking

Attribution Theory

Explains how individuals infer the causes of behaviors and events, affecting…

Media & Critical Thinking

Audience Analysis

Identifying and understanding the characteristics, needs, and expectations of…

Professional Skills

Audience Costs

The domestic political costs a leader pays for backing down from public threats…

Audience Fragmentation

The division of media audiences into smaller groups based on different…

Media & Critical Thinking

Audience Rapport Building

Audience Rapport Building involves establishing trust and connection with…

Professional Skills

Audience Segmentation

Dividing an audience into distinct groups based on characteristics to tailor…

Professional Skills

Audience-Centered Writing

Audience-centered writing tailors content, tone, and structure to meet the…

Professional Skills

AUKUS

A 2021 trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom,…

Aut Dedere Aut Judicare

An obligation requiring states to either extradite a suspected offender to…

Law & Rights

Autarky

An economic policy or condition where a country aims for self-sufficiency,…

Global Affairs

Authoritarian Backsliding

The gradual erosion of democratic institutions and norms, leading to increased…

Elections & Democracy

Authoritarian Regime

An authoritarian regime concentrates power in a single leader or party with…

Government & Policy

Authoritarianism

A governing system characterized by concentrated power, limited political…

Elections & Democracy

Authority Fallacy

Accepting a Claim as true solely because an authority figure endorses it,…

Media & Critical Thinking

Automated Content Moderation

The use of algorithms and artificial intelligence to identify and manage…

Media & Critical Thinking

Autonomous Treaty Interpretation

Interpretation of treaty terms based on their independent meaning within…

Law & Rights

Autonomous Weapon Systems

Weapons that can select and engage targets without human Intervention, raising…

Law & Rights

Autonomous Weapons Systems

Military technologies capable of selecting and engaging targets without human…

Global Affairs

Availability Cascade

A self-reinforcing process where a collective belief gains more plausibility…

Media & Critical Thinking

Availability Heuristic

A Cognitive Bias where people judge the likelihood of events based on how…

Media & Critical Thinking
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