International Relations and Diplomacy

Blue Helmets - The U.N Peacekeeping Forces

Strategic Arms Limitation - The set of treaties between the Soviet Union and the U.S were intended to put a break on and probably reverse the dangerous nuclear arms race during the Cold War.

Diplomatic Community refers to diplomatic activities being outside of the jurisdiction of the host countries' national courts.

Diplomatic Recognition - The process by which the status of embassies and that of an ambassador as an official state representative are explicitly defined.

Ethnic Cleansing or Genocide - Forces displacement of an ethnic group or groups from a particular territory, accompanied by massacre and other human rights violations. It has occurred after the breakup of multinational states, notably in the former Yugoslavia.

Persona Non Grata - Diplomatic term in Latin used to describe a foreign diplomat no longer welcomed in the country.

Mutual Assured Destruction - The possession of second-strike nuclear capabilities, which ensures that neither of the two adversaries could prevent the other from destroying it in an all-out war.

Strategic Defense Initiative - A U.S effort, also known as Star Wars, to develop defenses that could shoot down ballistic missiles spurred by President Ronald Reagan in 1983.

Territorial Waters - The water near states' shores generally treated as part of national territory.

Pacta Sunt Servant - The term used in international law which means treaties must be respected.

Terrorism - Refers to political violence that targets civilians deliberately and indiscriminately.

Proliferation - The spread of weapons of mass destruction into the hands of more international actors.

Weapons of Mass Destruction - Chemical and biological weapons, all distinguished from conventional weapons by their enormous potential to kill.

Acid Rain - Rain caused by air pollution that damages trees and often crosses borders.

Biodiversity - The tremendous diversity of plant and animal species making up the earth.