International Relations

International relations is the study of the relations of states with each other and with international organizations and certain subnational entities (e.g., bureaucracies, political parties, and interest groups). It is related to a number of other academic disciplines, including political science, geography, history, economics, law, sociology, psychology, and philosophy.

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Christian Democratic Union

Christian Democratic Union (CDU), German centre-right political party that supports a free-market economy and social welfare programs but is conservative on social issues. The CDU has also been a strong...

United Nations Security Council

United Nations Security Council, United Nations (UN) organ whose primary responsibility is the maintenance of international peace and security. The Security Council originally consisted of 11 members—five...

intelligence

Intelligence, in government and military operations, evaluated information concerning the strength, activities, and probable courses of action of foreign countries or nonstate actors that are usually,...

economic development

Economic development, the process whereby simple, low-income national economies are transformed into modern industrial economies. Although the term is sometimes used as a synonym for economic growth, generally...

Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Rosenberg

Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Rosenberg the first American civilians to be executed for conspiracy to commit espionage and the first to suffer that penalty during peacetime. Ethel Greenglass worked as a clerk...

European Union

European Union (EU), international organization comprising 27 European countries and governing common economic, social, and security policies. Originally confined to western Europe, the EU undertook a...

World Trade Organization

World Trade Organization (WTO), international organization established to supervise and liberalize world trade. The WTO is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which was...

Hussein-McMahon correspondence

Hussein-McMahon correspondence, series of letters exchanged in 1915–16, during World War I, between Hussein ibn Ali, emir of Mecca, and Sir Henry McMahon, the British high commissioner in Egypt. In general...

war

War, in the popular sense, a conflict between political groups involving hostilities of considerable duration and magnitude. In the usage of social science, certain qualifications are added. Sociologists...

arms race

Arms race, a pattern of competitive acquisition of military capability between two or more countries. The term is often used quite loosely to refer to any military buildup or spending increases by a group...

Korean War

Korean War, conflict between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) in which at least 2.5 million persons lost their lives. The war reached international...

Paris Agreement

Paris Agreement, international treaty, named for the city of Paris, France, in which it was adopted in December 2015, which aimed to reduce the emission of gases that contribute to global warming. The...

United Nations

United Nations (UN), international organization established on October 24, 1945. The United Nations (UN) was the second multipurpose international organization established in the 20th century that was...

Liberal-Democratic Party of Japan

Liberal-Democratic Party of Japan (LDP), Japan’s largest political party, which has held power almost continuously since its formation in 1955. The party has generally worked closely with business interests...

diplomacy

Diplomacy, the established method of influencing the decisions and behaviour of foreign governments and peoples through dialogue, negotiation, and other measures short of war or violence. Modern diplomatic...

World Bank

World Bank, international organization affiliated with the United Nations (UN) and designed to finance projects that enhance the economic development of member states. Headquartered in Washington, D.C.,...

International Monetary Fund

International Monetary Fund (IMF), United Nations (UN) specialized agency, founded at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944 to secure international monetary cooperation, to stabilize currency exchange rates,...

human rights

Human rights, rights that belong to an individual or group of individuals simply for being human, or as a consequence of inherent human vulnerability, or because they are requisite to the possibility of...

international relations

International relations, the study of the relations of states with each other and with international organizations and certain subnational entities (e.g., bureaucracies, political parties, and interest...

functionalism

Functionalism, an approach to the formation of international organizations that advocates international cooperation on scientific, humanitarian, social, and economic issues. Functionalists argue that mutual...

military intelligence

Military intelligence, in military science, information concerning an enemy or an area. The term is also used for an agency that gathers such information. Military intelligence is as old as warfare itself....

arms control

Arms control, any international control or limitation of the development, testing, production, deployment, or use of weapons based on the premise that the continued existence of certain national military...