IB Global Politics Peace and Conflict Key Definitions

Conflict between parties with significantly unequal military, economic, or political power. Often involves state versus non-state actors, with the weaker party using guerrilla tactics, terrorism, or other unconventional methods to offset the stronger party's conventional military advantage.

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 central theme in global politics, encompassing a wide range of disputes and tensions that arise between individuals, groups, and states. It is essential to understand the different types of conflict to analyze their causes, dynamics, and potential resolutions.

Conflict is a disagreement or clash between individuals, groups, or states over incompatible goals, values, or resources. It can occur at various levels, from personal disputes to international wars.

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.

Conflict prevention involves proactive measures to address the root causes of conflict before they escalate into violence.

Conflict resolution is the process of addressing the underlying causes of conflict and finding mutually acceptable solutions. Common methods include negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and peacekeeping.

Conflict transformation is a broader approach that seeks to change the relationships, structures, and dynamics that sustain conflict. Its focus is on long-term peacebuilding, reconciliation, and social justice.

The emotional, cultural, and political associations that a word carries beyond its literal meaning. In global politics, connotations are strategically deployed by actors to frame issues, influence public opinion, and shape policy responses.

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.

Cultural and ideational factors are the beliefs, values, norms, traditions, and ideas that shape how societies and individuals think and behave. These factors influence political, social, and economic life by framing what people see as acceptable, legitimate, or desirable. For example, religious beliefs shaping laws on marriage, social norms influencing gender roles, or nationalist ideologies driving independence movements are all cultural and ideational factors.

Attitudes, beliefs, and norms used to legitimize direct or structural violence. Includes racism, religious extremism, nationalism, and media propaganda. Cultural violence operates by making other forms of violence appear natural, justified, or inevitable within a society.

Norms, values, and ideologies that justify or legitimize violence such as racism, sexism, religious intolerance.

The literal, dictionary meaning of a word, stripped of emotional or cultural associations. In political analysis, denotation provides the baseline factual meaning before interpretation and framing are applied.

Deterrence focuses on discouraging potential aggressors through the threat of retaliation or punishment.

Physical acts of harm including war, assault, terrorism, and armed conflict. The most visible form in Galtung's violence triangle, direct violence is perpetrated by identifiable actors against specific targets and is the easiest type to document and measure.

Physical harm or force inflicted on individuals or groups, such as war and torture.

Refers to countries with lower levels of economic and industrial development, typically found south of more developed nations.

Process of increasing global interconnectedness through trade, investment, culture, technology, and population movement. Complex interdependence (Nye).

Conflict that blends conventional military operations with cyberattacks, disinformation, economic coercion, and proxy forces. Associated with Russian strategy in Ukraine from 2014 to the present, hybrid warfare exploits the grey zone between peace and war to achieve strategic objectives while avoiding direct military confrontation.

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

International law is a body of rules, norms, and principles that govern the relationships and interactions between states, international organizations, and, in some cases, individuals. It is designed to promote peace, security, cooperation, and justice on a global scale.