non-governmental
organization (NGO): any private organization involved in activities that
have transnational implications
state: an organized
political entity that occupies a definite territory, has a permanent population,
and enjoys stable government, independence and sovereignty
Theories of
international relations seek to explain what states try to achieve in the
external realm and when they try to achieve it.
Realism
key assumptions: states are the
primary actors, anarchy is the international condition, states behave
rationally, states seek to keep the system in balance (against capability,
threat)
neoclassical realists assume that states respond to the uncertainties of
international anarchy by seeking to control and shape their external
environment.
argues that pragmatism
about power can yield a more peaceful world
highlights the cooperative
potential of mature democracies, especially when working together through
effective institutions
theory of democratic peace holds that democracies never fight wars against each other.