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.
2302 terms across 11 categories
Showing 19 terms matching your filters
A
2 termsAgenda-Setting Power
The ability of an actor to influence the priorities and topics addressed in international forums or negotiations.
Authoritarianism
A governing system characterized by concentrated power, limited political freedoms, and minimal political pluralism.
B
3 termsBalance of Power
A situation where no single state or coalition dominates others, maintaining stability through power equilibrium.
Biopolitics
A concept developed by Michel Foucault describing the governance of populations through the regulation of life processes and bodies.
Biopower
A concept describing how modern states regulate populations through techniques of power focused on bodies and life processes.
F
1 termH
1 termL
1 termM
3 termsMachiavellian Fortuna
The concept of luck or chance in political power, which rulers must skillfully manage alongside virtù (personal ability) to maintain authority.
Machiavellian Virtù
The quality of boldness, pragmatism, and strategic skill that Machiavelli argued rulers must possess to maintain power and order.
Machiavellianism
A political doctrine emphasizing pragmatic, sometimes amoral strategies for acquiring and maintaining power, often associated with cunning and duplicity.
O
1 termP
4 termsPanopticism
Foucault's concept describing modern disciplinary societies' use of surveillance to control behavior.
Political Realism
An international relations theory emphasizing state self-interest, power, and survival over ideology or ethics.
Postcolonial Theory
An intellectual framework analyzing the cultural legacy and power dynamics resulting from colonialism.
Power Transition Theory
Power transition theory explains conflicts as arising when a rising power threatens to surpass the dominant hegemon, leading to potential war.