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Condition of rougly equal strength between opposing countries or alliances of countries.
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Until the atomic bomb was developed, the Allies and the Axis powers were at a relative balance of power. |
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A conference regulating European colonization and trade in Africa, held in Berlin, Germany in 1884. It resulted in the "Scramble for Africa," and the subjugation of African nations.
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An invisible line that marks the extent of a state's boundary.
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The boundary between the U.S. and Mexico is not invisible, thanks to the elaborate border patrol system. |
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A town or city that is the official seat of government in a political entity, such as a state or nation.
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Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States. |
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A sovereign state comprising a city and its immediate hinterland.
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Ancient Greece was really an alliance of many rival city-states, the most militaristic being Sparta. |
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Divisions that separate citizens.
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The partitioning of India into Pakistan and India is a civil division. |
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An attempt by one country to establish settlements and impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory.
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Colonialism created arbitrary civil divisions in Africa, resulting in widespread ethnic conflict. |
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A territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than completely independent.
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The territory of Puerto Rico is one of the few colonies existing in the modern day. |
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A state in which the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly.
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Monaco is a compact state, both in size and regarding its boundaries. |
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The process where a nation's government becomes democratic.
Ex:
The U.S's occupation of Iraq has catalyzed Iraq's democratization considerably. |
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The delegation of authority from a central to a regional government.
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Federalists advocated devolution in the early years of the United States. |
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A state with a long, narrow shape.
Ex:
Chile is a notable elongated state. |
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A state that includes several discontinuous pieces of territory.
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Indonesia may be the most notable fragmented state. |
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An internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government.
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The U.S. is somewhat of a federal state, but the central government maintains superior power. |
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A zone separating two states in which neither state exercises political control.
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One of the last frontiers in the modern world is the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. |
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The open waters of an ocean or a sea beyond the limits of the territorial jurisdiction of a country.
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The high seas are legally neutral territory, inviting piracy. |
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The process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.
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After Elbridge Gerry's inadvertent indirect coining of the term "Gerrymandering," it was illegalized in the U.S. |
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Control of territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous group.
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This was exactly what the British Empire did to expand their lands. |
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Any position advocating annexation of territories administered by another state on the grounds of common ethnicity or prior historical possession, actual or alleged.
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The conflict between Israel and Palestine is rooted in Judeo-Christian irredentism. |
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The UN-sanctioned international agreement primarily cementing the ocean as neutral territory.
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n/a |
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A state surrounded on all sides by land.
Ex:
Lesotho is a landlocked state, very dependent on its larger neighbor of South Africa. |
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A state that encompasses a miniscule land area.
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Vatican City is a microstate within Italy. |
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A sovereign state considered to comprise two or more nationalities.
Ex:
Soviet Union |
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A state that completely surrounds another one.
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One of the few modern-day perforated states is South Africa. |
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An otherwise compact state with a long, projecting region.
Ex:
Afghanistan is a notable prorupted state. |
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Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states.
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States in the EU may have renounced their sovereignty. |
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An area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government with control over its internal and foreign affairs.
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The U.S.A. |
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A nationality without a state to call its own.
Ex:
Palestine lost its statehood tens of years ago, but is still a major nationality, so Palestine is a stateless nation. |
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The calculated use or threatening of violence against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature.
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Al Qaida is the most infamous terrorist organization in the world. |
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An internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials.
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The United Kingdom has most of its power concentrated in the central Parliament, making it unitary. |
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| Supranational Organizations |
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A political entity comprised of many nations cooperating together.
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The European Union |
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The world's pre-eminent supranational organization, a world governing body enforcing the upkeep of peace and basic human rights worldwide.
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n/a |
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