This glossary aims to help our readers understand terms and concepts frequently used in international news.
A
- African Union (AU): An organization that seeks to promote unity and solidarity among African states, defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity, and accelerate the political and socioeconomic integration of the continent.
- Amnesty: An act of official pardon granted to a group of people, usually for political crimes, extinguishing their culpability or the consequences of their actions.
- Amnesty International: A global human rights NGO that campaigns to end grave human rights abuses.
- Arab League: A regional organization of Arab states in Southwest Asia and North Africa that seeks to strengthen ties and coordinate policies.
- Asymmetric Conflict: A conflict between actors with drastically different military capabilities, resources, and strategies (e.g., a state against a terrorist group).
- Autocracy: A system of government in which supreme power is concentrated in the hands of one person, whose decisions are subject to neither external legal restraints nor regularized mechanisms of popular control.
B
- Balance of Trade: The difference between the total value of a country’s exports and the total value of its imports during a given period.
- Basic Sanitation: The set of services, infrastructures, and operational facilities for potable water supply, sanitary sewage, urban cleaning, solid waste management, and urban stormwater drainage.
- Bilateral: Relating to, or involving, two parties, countries, or organizations. Ex: “bilateral agreement.”
- Biodiversity: The variety of life on Earth, including genetic diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems.
- BRICS: An acronym for a group of major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
- Bureaucracy: A system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.
C
- Ceasefire: A temporary and usually agreed-upon suspension of hostilities in an armed conflict.
- Central Bank: A governmental financial institution responsible for managing a country’s monetary policy, controlling the money supply, and overseeing the banking system.
- Civil Society: The aggregate of non-governmental organizations and institutions that manifest interests and will of citizens, distinct from government and businesses.
- Climate Change: Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, but since the 19th century, human activities have been the main driver of climate change.
- Climate Summit (COP): Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), annual meetings to assess progress in the fight against climate change.
- Coalition: A temporary alliance of political parties, groups, or states for a specific purpose, often to form a government or for military ends.
- Cold War: A state of political and military tension after World War II between powers in the Western Bloc (the United States, its NATO allies and others) and powers in the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union and its allies in the Warsaw Pact).
- Counter-terrorism: Measures and policies taken by governments to combat terrorism.
- Coup d’état: The illegal and usually violent seizure of political power by a group of people, usually military personnel or dissident government factions.
- Crimes Against Humanity: Widespread or systematic acts of violence and cruelty committed against the civilian population, such as murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, torture, and persecution.
D
- De-escalation: The decrease in the intensity of a conflict or crisis.
- Deforestation: The removal or clearing of forests for other land uses, resulting in the loss of trees and habitats.
- Democracy: A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
- Detente: The easing of strained relations, especially in political situations, typically through verbal communication.
- Diplomacy: The art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states.
- Disarmament: The reduction or withdrawal of military forces and weapons.
E
- Embargo: An official ban on trade or other commercial activity with a particular country.
- European Union (EU): A political and economic union of 27 member states located primarily in Europe.
- Exchange Rate: The rate at which one currency can be exchanged for another.
- Export: The sale of domestically produced goods and services to other countries.
F
- Failed State: A state whose central authority has become so weak or ineffective that it is unable to exercise control over its territory or provide basic public services.
- Federalism: A system of government in which power is divided between a central authority (federal government) and constituent political units (states or provinces).
- Free Trade: An economic policy that aims to eliminate trade barriers, such as tariffs and quotas, between countries.
- Free Trade Zone: A region where groups of countries have agreed to reduce or eliminate tariffs and other trade barriers among themselves.
G
- G7: Group of seven countries with the world’s most advanced economies (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, and United States).
- G20: An international forum that brings together the 19 largest economies in the world plus the European Union, seeking to promote economic cooperation.
- Genocide: Acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.
- Geopolitics: The study of the influence of geographical factors (such as location, natural resources, topography) on international relations and foreign policy.
- Global Warming: The gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s surface, mainly due to the emission of greenhouse gases by human activity.
- Globalization: The process of increasing interconnectedness and interdependence among the world’s countries in economic, social, cultural, and technological terms.
- Greenhouse Gases (GHGs): Gases in the atmosphere that absorb and emit infrared radiation, contributing to the greenhouse effect and global warming.
- Gross Domestic Product (GDP): The total monetary value of all final goods and services produced within a country’s borders in a specific period.
H
- Humanitarian Crisis: An emergency situation that threatens the health, safety, or well-being of a large group of people, usually caused by conflict, natural disasters, or economic crises.
- Humanitarian Intervention: The use of military force by a state or group of states in another state, without the latter’s consent, with the stated objective of preventing or stopping grave and widespread violations of human rights.
- Human Rights: Rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status.
- Hybrid Warfare: A military strategy that combines conventional, irregular, and cyber tactics, as well as disinformation campaigns and other non-military means.
I
- IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency): An autonomous organization under the auspices of the UN that promotes the peaceful use of nuclear energy and seeks to prevent its use for military purposes.
- ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross): An independent and neutral humanitarian organization that ensures protection and assistance for victims of armed conflicts and other situations of violence.
- ILO (International Labour Organization): A UN agency that promotes opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security, and human dignity.
- Import: The purchase of goods and services from other countries.
- Inflation: A generalized and sustained increase in the prices of goods and services in an economy, resulting in a decrease in the purchasing power of money.
- Interest Rate: The cost of borrowed money, usually expressed as a percentage of the principal amount.
- Internally Displaced Person (IDP): A person forced to flee their home but who remains within the borders of their own country.
- International Criminal Court (ICC): An international tribunal that prosecutes individuals accused of the most serious crimes of international concern: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.
- International Law: A body of rules and principles that govern the relations between states and other internationally recognized entities.
- International Monetary Fund (IMF): An international organization that aims to promote global monetary cooperation, ensure financial stability, facilitate international trade, and reduce poverty.
- Interpol: An international criminal police organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation.
- Insurrection: A rebellion or uprising against a constituted authority.
M
- Mercosur: A South American economic bloc that aims to promote free trade and the free movement of goods, services, and factors of production among member countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay).
- Multilateral: Relating to, or involving, three or more parties, countries, or organizations. Ex: “multilateral negotiations.”
N
- Nationalism: An ideology and movement that seeks to promote the interests of a particular nation, especially with the aim of gaining and maintaining the country’s sovereignty over its homeland.
- NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization): A political-military alliance for mutual defense between countries in North America and Europe.
- NGO (Non-Governmental Organization): A non-profit organization, independent of governments, that operates in various areas, such as human rights, environment, development, and humanitarian assistance.
O
- OAS (Organization of American States): A regional organization that aims to strengthen peace, security, consolidate democracy, promote human rights, support social and economic development, and promote sustainable development in the Americas.
- OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development): A forum of 38 market democracies that work together to promote economic growth and global trade.
- Oligarchy: A form of government in which power is concentrated in the hands of a small group of people.
P
- Pandemic: An epidemic of disease that has spread over a vast region, continents, or globally.
- Paris Agreement: A binding international treaty on climate change, adopted in 2015, that aims to limit global warming.
- Peace Agreement: A formal treaty between two or more conflicting parties, usually states or armed groups, to end a war or hostility and establish conditions for peace.
- Peacekeeping Mission: Military or civilian operations carried out by international organizations (such as the UN) with the aim of maintaining peace and security in conflict areas.
- Polarization: The division of a group or society into two opposing extremes, with little or no overlap in opinions.
- Primary Elections: Internal votes within a political party to choose their candidates for general elections.
- Protectionism: Economic policies designed to protect domestic industries from foreign competition, usually through tariffs, quotas, and other regulations.
- Proxy War: An armed conflict in which the directly involved powers avoid direct confrontation but support opposing factions in other countries.
- Public Debt: The total amount of money borrowed by a government from domestic and foreign creditors.
- Public Health: The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through organized efforts of society.
R
- Recession: A period of significant and widespread economic decline, characterized by a fall in GDP, increased unemployment, and reduced consumption.
- Refugee: A person who has fled their country of origin and cannot return due to a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.
- Renewable Energy: Energy sources that regenerate naturally on a human timescale, such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal.
- Representative Democracy: A system of government in which citizens elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf.
S
- Sanctions: Punitive measures imposed by one or more states against another state, group, or individual, usually to force a change in political behavior.
- Self-Determination of Peoples: A principle of international law that grants a people the right to freely decide their own political status and to pursue their economic, social, and cultural development.
- Sovereignty: The supreme power or authority of an independent state to govern itself, without external interference.
- Statelessness: The condition of a person who is not considered a national by any state under its law, meaning they do not possess citizenship of any country.
- Summit: A high-level meeting between heads of state or government, or other important leaders, to discuss matters of common interest.
- Sustainability: The ability to maintain a certain standard of living or activity in the long term, without depleting natural resources or causing irreversible environmental damage.
T
- Tariff: A tax levied on imported or exported goods.
- Terrorism: The calculated use of violence or the threat of violence to instill fear, with the aim of coercing governments or societies to achieve political, religious, or ideological objectives.
- Theocracy: A form of government in which political power is exercised by religious leaders, based on religious principles.
- Treaty: A formal and binding agreement between two or more subjects of international law (usually states), regulated by international law.
U
- UN (United Nations): An international organization founded in 1945 with the objective of promoting international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, and promoting social progress, better living standards, and human rights.
- Urban Combat: Military operations that occur in built-up urban areas, involving house-to-house, street-by-street battles.
W
WHO (World Health Organization): A specialized agency of the UN responsible for international health.
War Crimes: Grave violations of international humanitarian law (laws of war) committed during an armed conflict, such as the killing of civilians, torture, and destruction of property without military necessity.