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 O (65)
- Categories
- 18 categories
Showing 65 entries
O
65 entriesOAU Refugee Convention
The 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in…
Obama Doctrine
Obama's strategic preference for diplomacy over military force, careful use of…
Objection
An objection is a formal protest raised by an attorney to challenge improper…
Objection Overruled
A judge’s decision to reject an Objection, allowing the questioned evidence or…
Objection Sustained
Objection sustained is a judge's ruling that agrees with a party's objection,…
Objectivity
The practice of presenting information fairly and without personal bias or…
Obligation Erga Omnes
An obligation owed by states towards all other states and the international…
OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
The UN office mobilizing and coordinating international humanitarian response…
OEWG (Open-Ended Working Group on cyber)
The UN-mandated process on cyber security open to all member states,…
OFAC SDN List
The Specially Designated Nationals list maintained by the US Treasury's Office…
Off-Case
Arguments that do not directly respond to the opponent's case but attack other…
Off-Case Argument
An argument introduced by the negative that does not directly respond to the…
Offensive Cyber Operations
Deliberate cyberattacks designed to disrupt, damage, or gain advantage over…
Offensive Realism
A theory in international relations that emphasizes states seek to maximize…
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
The UN agency mandated to protect and support refugees, stateless persons, and…
Official Development Assistance
Government aid designed to promote economic development and welfare in…
Offshore Balancing
Strategy where a great power uses regional allies to check rivals instead of…
OHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights)
The UN office promoting and protecting human rights worldwide, supporting the…
Oliver Tambo
Oliver Tambo was a key leader of the ANC and played a significant role in the…
Omnibus Bill
A single legislative document that packages together several measures into one…
OPEC
An organization of oil-exporting countries coordinating petroleum policies to…
Open Ballot
A voting method where voters publicly declare their choice instead of voting…
Open Budget Initiative
Efforts to increase transparency and public participation in the government…
Open Committee Hearing
An open committee hearing is a public legislative session where testimony and…
Open Government
A governance principle promoting transparency, accountability, and citizen…
Open List Proportional Representation
An electoral system where voters can influence the order of candidates on a…
Open Party List
A Proportional Representation system where voters can influence the order of…
Open Primaries
Primary elections where any registered Voter can participate regardless of…
Open Primary
An election where any registered Voter can participate in choosing a party’s…
Open-Ended Questioning
Asking questions that encourage detailed responses and dialogue rather than…
Open-List System
A Proportional Representation system where voters can influence the order of…
Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)
Open-source intelligence involves collecting and analyzing publicly available…
Open-Source Intelligence Gathering
Collecting publicly available information to inform negotiation strategies and…
Opening Speech
A delegate's initial presentation outlining their country's position and…
Opening Statement
An opening statement outlines the main arguments and sets the tone for a mock…
Operation Ajax
A 1953 CIA-led coup d'état that overthrew Iran’s Prime Minister Mohammad…
Operation Barbarossa
Nazi Germany's 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, marking a major turning point…
Operation Desert Storm
The 1991 military campaign by coalition forces to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi…
Operation Enduring Freedom
The US-led military campaign launched in 2001 to dismantle Al-Qaeda and remove…
Operation Market Garden
A failed Allied military operation in 1944 aiming to capture bridges in the…
Operation Neptune Spear
The 2011 U.S. Navy SEAL mission that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan,…
Operation Overlord
The codename for the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, marking the…
Operation Paperclip
A secret US program that recruited German scientists, including former Nazis,…
Operation Rolling Thunder
A sustained US bombing campaign against North Vietnam from 1965 to 1968 during…
Operation Tomodachi
The US military humanitarian assistance operation following the March 2011…
Operation Valkyrie
A failed 1944 German military plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler and overthrow…
Operational Clause
A clause in a resolution that outlines specific actions or recommendations to…
Operative Clause
A clause in a resolution that outlines specific actions or recommendations for…
Opposition Bench
In British Parliamentary debate, the two speakers who oppose the motion and…
Opposition Research
Gathering information about political opponents to use against them in…
Optional Clause Declarations
Optional clause declarations are unilateral commitments by states accepting the…
Optional Protocols
Additional treaties linked to a main human rights treaty that expand rights or…
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
The intergovernmental body implementing the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention,…
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
An intergovernmental organization of 57 member states with significant Muslim…
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
The world's largest regional security organization with 57 participating states…
Organization of American States (OAS)
The regional organization of 35 Western Hemisphere states, founded in 1948 with…
Original Position
John Rawls's hypothetical scenario where individuals choose principles of…
Ostracism
Excluding or ignoring individuals or groups in social or media contexts to…
Ostrich Effect
Ignoring or avoiding information perceived as unpleasant or threatening to…
Overcoming Confirmation Bias
Overcoming Confirmation Bias requires actively seeking and considering…
Overfitting
A statistical modeling error where a model describes random noise instead of…
Overgeneralization
Drawing a broad conclusion from limited or insufficient evidence.
Oversight Committee
A Legislative Committee responsible for monitoring and supervising government…
Oversight Hearing
A formal meeting held by a Legislative Committee to review and monitor…
Overton Window
The range of ideas tolerated in public discourse at a given time, influencing…