Our Own Glossary for our Partners
Our Own Glossary
for our Partners
The Glossary lists terms, names, and jargon, along with their definitions and relevance to current events, for my political science and media & government courses. Because it was popular, I decided to share it on my social media platforms. To avoid political controversy, I have avoided citing controversial examples for each designation or delineation, using diplomatic language and political correctness.
Mercenaries
professional soldiers or hired guns working only for money. Niccolo Machiavelli described them as disunited and faithless. In his famous treatise, The Prince, he depicted them as cowardly, but mainly as untrustworthy.Martial law
military rule imposed by a government on a city during uncontrollable civil unrest or uprising. It is intended to prevent unauthorized assembly by implementing a curfew.Curfew
a fixed time during the evening, throughout martial law, when civilians are not authorized to be outdoors, particularly during a revolt or insurrection.Insurrection
a period of uprising, rebellion or revolt against civil authority or repressive government that may lead to a revolution.Revolution
a violent overthrow of an established government and its replacement with a radical transformation in the political system sometimes through a coup d’etat.Coup d’etat
a popular French term meaning a sudden overthrow, usually by the military, of a government – also known as a putsch.Putsch
a SwissGerman term for a coup, leading to an administrative council by a junta.Junta
a small group of military or even a civilian group that takes over the affairs of the government, usually as a troika.Troika
from Russian, any threemember group (mostly military) that takes over a nation’s power after a putsch or coup. They exercise dictatorial powers and cultivate a cult of personality.Cult of personality
adulation of a leader to the point of veneration. Such pseudoreligious trappings are most prevalent in theocracies.Theocracy
a system of government in which god or religion is the supreme law of the land, where the ruler is a cleric of the ecclesiastical/spiritual authority. In some cases, the ruler may be sanctimonious.Sanctimonious
a hypocritical display of religiosity for personal gain. Such a ruler may use any tactic to stay in power – any trick or Machiavellian gimmick.Machiavellian
use of any deceitful political expediency or manipulation to attain and keep power at any cost – mainly to avoid a palace coup.Palace coup
overthrow of a government from within an administration or palace; hence, a bloodless coup.Scorchedearth tactic
an army policy to burn and destroy the property and agriculture of its own country in the face of an advancing enemy.Gunboat diplomacy
a tactical form of military bluster to use force to compel an opponent to surrender – similar to big stick diplomacy.Big stick
diplomacy a method of negotiation backed by the threat of force, popularized by President Theodore Roosevelt’s “Speak softly and carry a big stick!” Unlike tincup diplomacy.Tincup diplomacy
a camouflaged form of begging, shrouded as negotiation for cooperation, while, in reality, imploring for charity.De jure
by law, legal rather than de facto.De facto
in reality, in fact, without lawful authority.Armchair critic
journalists who watch from afar, reviewing or criticizing a movie or play – even making judgments on military campaigns.Eminence grise
behindthescenes kingmaker or gray eminence.Persona non grata
a diplomat not welcome or accepted by the accrediting government for political or legal reasons.Pacta sunt servanda
from Latin, meaning any agreement should be kept.Echo chamber
following the people who think like us – generally used in broadcasting.Kakistocracy
a form of government run by the worst kind of people: the unskilled, unvirtuous and unknowledgeable.Dystopic kakistocracy
the worst kind of governance on steroids: the most corrupt and inefficient system to rule a nation.Kleptocracy
a government run by thieves or corrupt people who exploit national resources and do not care for national identity.Dumpster fire
an outofcontrol person, situation, or even a doom cycle on social media.Diplomatic immunity
a privilege accorded to diplomats and their families in order to be exempt from taxation, search and arrest under the laws of a nation to which they are assigned.
