POSC 230 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: International Humanitarian Law, Warsaw Pact, System Analysis
Document Summary
Countries" external behavior/goals towards world around them. Modernly: other types of threats not military threats. Ex: un, international criminal court, humanitarian law, basic rights. States: a governmental entity that controls a population/territory. A state is sovereign(country can make own decisions w/boarders. Another country can"t tell another what to do) The major actors in international relations (states, igos, ngos, etc. ) The 3 goals of political science/ir and how they differ. The difference between correlation and causation (and what is meant by a spurious relationship) What types of causes/explanations belong at each level of analysis: system, state, and individual. Nations and states do not perfectly overlap w/each other. (non- state- when they do overlap) Ex: wwii- not just describe events, but why things happened. Ex: if you have good understanding of war, you can predict when it will break out. Don"t always have to predict what will happen to have good understanding. Ex: why war breaks out at certain times/places.
