Balance of Power
a condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries or alliances of countries
Boundary
an invisible line that marks the extent of a state's territory
Colonialism
an attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory
Colony
a territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than completely independent
Compact state
a state in which the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly
Elongated state
a state with a long narrow shape
Fragmented state
a state that includes several discontinuous pieces of territory
Landlocked state
a state that doesn't have direct outlet to the sea
Microstate
a state that encompasses a very small land area
Multiethnic state
a state that contains more than one ethnicity
Perforated state
a state that completely surrounds another one
Prorupted state
an otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension
Terrorism
the systematic use of violence by a group in order to intimidate a population or coerce a government into granting its demands
Unitary state
an internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials
State
an area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government that has control over its internal and foreign affairs
Sovereignty
ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states
Sahrawi Republic
rebel state name for Western Sahara disputed territory
wikipedia: Western Sahara conflict
the United Nations
An international organization formed after WWII to promote international peace, security, and cooperation.
the Polisario Front
A Sahrawi (Western Sahara) rebel national liberation movement working for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco. Since 1979 it has been recognized by the United Nations as the representative of the people of Western Sahara.
Fertile Crescent
an area of rich farmland in Southwest Asia where the first civilizations began
City-states
a sovereign state comprising a city and its immediate surrounding countryside
Empires
large political entities made up of several culturally distinct regions held together by force, under the control of a single, dominant region
Nation-state
a state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular ethnicity
multinational state
a state that contains two or more ethnic groups with traditions of self-determination that agree to coexist peacefully by recognizing each other as distinct nationalities
Russia
Largest multinational state
Self-determination
the concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves
The Antarctic Treaty
an agreement that preserves Antarctica for peaceful and scientific use
Gold, glory, and God
the desire for these three things prompted European exploration
Frontier
a zone separating two states in which neither state exercises political control
physical boundary
Physical features serve as separation-mountain ranges, bodies of water.
geometric boundaries
straight lines drawn on a map
Commonwealth
A self-governing territory associated with another country
Democratic
a country in which the citizens elect leaders
Autocratic
a country that is run according to the interests of the ruler rather than the people
Anocratic
a country that is not fully democratic or fully autocratic but rather displays a mix of the two types
federal state
an internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government
unitary state
an internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials
Gerrymandering
the process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power
European Union
An international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members.
Islamic State (ISIS)
A terrorist organization operating in Southwest Asia. The organization claims it has authority to rule Muslims around the world. They have maintained control of territory through human rights violation such as beheadings, massacres, and torture.
Sanctuary States for Terrorism
Afghanistan, Pakistan
Supplying Terrorists
Iraq and Iran
Saddam Hussein
Iraq longtime president. U.S. had an assertion that Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, and close links to Al-Qaeda
State Terrorist Attacks
A 1986 bombing of a nightclub in Berlin,killed 3, Planting of bombs on Pan Am Flight 103, happened in scotland in 1988, killed 270, and planting of bombs on UTA 772, happened over Niger in 1989, killed 170
Libya
active sponsor of terrorist attacks. Their leader Muammar el-Qaddafi renounced terrorism in 2003 and provided compensation for victims of Pan Am 103. But had brutal attacks on Libyan protesters, which brought most states against him and his regime and he