The Cambridge Dictionary defines a “word” as “a single unit of a language that has meaning and can be spoken or written”, an “Idea” as “an understanding, thought or picture in your mind” and a “concept” as “a principle or idea”.
Balance-of-power --- Frequently used and frequently insufficiently defined concept central to IR theory. Amongst other things, it can refer to (1) an equal distribution of power, (2) an action by a state to prevent other states from becoming too strong, (3) a mechanism that brings about (1), and (4) an actual, whether equal or not, distribution of power (Sheehan 1996).
Cauchemar des coalitions --- The kind of thing one is worried about as a child, in the playground. Everybody ganging up against you. Bismarck lost sleep over it.
Domino effect --- An analogy or metaphor. Led to the costly US involvement in Vietnam. Should be used judiciously and cautiously by foreign policy makers.
L’état, c’est moi – Quote attributed to Louis XVI. Useful reminder that analysts often imbue states with person-like qualities. Again, anthropomorphising the state should only be done in a very judicious and self-conscious manner.
Guns or butter – Given a fixed production possibility frontier, governments face a choice between producing consumer goods or military equipment. History suggests that the constraint on producing more military goods is primarily political, not economic.
Festlandsdegen --- German historiography feeling cross about Prussia being employed as Britain’s ‘continental dagger’. Off-shore balancers like Britain find it easier to switch alliances (see also cauchemar des coalitions); related to “perfidious Albion” = hegemonic powers are typically disliked.
Fog of war --- Of Clausewitzian origin. War is the realm of passions, chance and reason. The chance and uncertainty aspect requires sensitive and discriminating judgment and skilled intelligence to scent the truth, according to Clausewitz. Arguably, these are useful cognitive skills to have in all areas of life. Also: A 2007 documentary about Robert MacNamara (worth watching).
Great power, superpower, hyperpower --- Closely mirror to multi-, bi- and unipolarity
Grossraumwirtschaft --- Concept of a German-dominated European-wide autarkic economic sphere. Some have argued the after two failed attempts in the 20th century, Germany finally succeeded in establishing it (Berghahn 1996). Margaret Thatcher would agree.
Hegemony --- Leadership or dominance. Central concept in IR. To be distinguished from Latin auctoritas, potestas and imperium.
Level of analysis --- Level at which the explanation of international political events is to be found. Waltz (1959) remains obligatory reading for graduate students. So is, or should be, Giddens (1986) and the concept of structuration.
“Life is nasty, brutish and short” --- In Hobbes’ Leviathan, it actually reads as “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short”. Shows that people prefer triads. Similarly, Churchill did not actually say “blood, sweat and tears”, but “blood, toil, tears and sweat”. Also: Point of intellectual departure for (classical) Realists like Morgenthau (1948).
Pax Romana, Pax Britannica, Pax Americana, Pax Sinica --- It probably didn’t feel like much pax to some of the states/ people living under it.
Power --- Central to thinking about international politics; very multi-dimensional concept. Distinction between relational and structural power is epistemically very valuable (Strange 1987).
Renversement des alliances --- Related to cauchemar des coalitions
Rise and fall --- Often just refers to something that has a beginning, a middle and an end with a however defined peak somewhere near the middle. In an IR context, it often refers to hegemony or empires. The doomsday argument can be useful to estimate how far the end is off.
Rule the waves --- British maritime dominance during the 19th century. Dominant powers also tend to “waive the rules” (James 2006)
Soft power versus hard power --- How many divisions does the pope have? (Stalin’s response to his foreign minister suggesting that a recent Kremlin decision had stoked opposition from the Vatican)
Splendid isolation --- British policy towards continental Europe; forced to abandon it in 1914 in order to prevent the emergence of German hegemony; why did Britain not intervene in continental affairs in 1864, 1866 or 1871?
State --- Various meanings depending on whether one is a scholar of international law, a sociologist, a Marxist, a Liberal, an International Relations theorist or a Hegelian (Cooper 2000).
Strategy --- Derived from Greek strategos or military general; or elected general in ancient Athens; process by which political purpose is translated into military action; differs from grand strategy
Theory --- Intellectual framework consisting of interlinked concepts that helps generate explanations and/ or predictions. At a minimum, theories must be logically consistent. They should be rich in their implications. Ideally, they are empirically valid.
War & Peace --- Title of famous Russian novel; wars should only be pursued to bring about a better peace (Liddell Hart 1954); cold war = hot peace?