IB Global Politics Nature, Practice and Study of Conflict Key Definitions

Catalysts are factors or events that accelerate or trigger change, often speeding up existing processes or tensions without necessarily being the root cause. In politics, catalysts can intensify conflicts, reforms, or social movements.

Civil disobedience is the deliberate, public, and usually non-violent breaking of a law to protest an injustice. Participants typically accept the legal consequences in order to draw attention to the cause and pressure authorities to change.

Conflict is a fundamental aspect of global politics, arising when two or more parties perceive their goals, values, or interests as incompatible. It can occur at various levels, from interpersonal disputes to international wars.

Conflict dynamics refer to the patterns and processes that shape how conflicts emerge, escalate, and resolve. These dynamics are influenced by a complex interplay of factors at local, national, and global levels.

A critical theory that challenges realism and liberalism. Argues that global politics is socially constructed through norms, beliefs, identities, and discourse. Rejects the idea of a single objective reality, what matters is how we interpret and give meaning to things.

Political mobilisation centred on shared group identity, such as race, gender, religion, or ethnicity, in pursuit of recognition, rights, or representation for that group.

Interstate conflict is armed conflict between two or more sovereign states. It is often driven by territorial disputes, competition over resources, or wider struggles for power and influence.

Intrastate conflict is armed conflict that takes place within a single state, usually between a government and one or more non-state actors. It includes civil wars, insurgencies, and conflicts organised around ethnic or political identity.

Just war theory is the ethical framework used to judge whether resorting to war is justified and whether the conduct of war meets moral limits. It has two parts: jus ad bellum (the right to go to war) and jus in bello (the right conduct within war).

Legitimacy refers to the perceived justification or acceptability of an action, decision, or institution.

Non-state actors (NSAs) are entities that operate independently of state control.

Non-violent conflict refers to disputes and struggles where parties seek to achieve their goals without using physical force.

Power asymmetry refers to a situation where power, resources, or influence are distributed unequally between actors, giving one side a significant advantage over the other. This imbalance can shape relationships, negotiations, and conflicts. For example, developed countries dominating trade rules over developing countries, employers holding more bargaining power than workers, or a majority group controlling political institutions over minorities are all cases of power asymmetry.

A major theory in global politics focused on power and the idea that international relations are shaped by conflict and self-interest.

Triggers are specific events or actions that ignite or escalate conflicts, while catalysts are factors that accelerate these processes.