This document provides definitions and explanations of common terminology used in international relations and global trade. It includes definitions for organizations like the Arab League, ASEAN, African Union, European Union, United Nations, as well as terms like Brexit, BRIC, EEZ, FTZ, IMF, NAFTA, NATO, TPP, WTO and more. The glossary was created by journalist Bianna Golodryga to help ordinary citizens better understand conversations related to geopolitics and the global economy.

1. By Bianna Golodryga
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
TERMINOLOGY CHEAT SHEET

2. Do recent economic developments
and Brexit-speak confuse you?

3. These days,
news broadcasts
and articles are
peppered with
geopolitical
jargon.

4. For ordinary
citizens unsteeped
in geopolitics, the
jargon can make
economic
diplomacy sound
alien, making the
subject difficult to
understand.

5. This glossary,
created by Bianna
Golodryga, serves to
demystify recent
conversations related
to the EU, and help
people enrich their
understanding of
current events on a
global scale.

6. Here is a Cheat Sheet to
Common International Relations
& GlobalTradeTerminology:

7. Arab League
✤ The League of Arab States, or
LAS, is a voluntary association
of countries whose populations
are mainly Arabic speaking, or
where Arabic is an official
language. The Arab League has
22 members (including
Palestine) and aims to
strengthen ties among member
states, coordinate their policies,
and direct their regional efforts
toward a common good.

8. ASEAN (Association of
Southeast Asian Nations)
✤ The Association of Southeast
Asian Nations was officially
formed in 1967 when Indonesia,
Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore,
and Thailand signed the
Bangkok Declaration. Since its
formation, ASEAN has grown its
membership to include other
countries in southeast Asia.
ASEAN promotes cultural,
economic and political
development in its geographic
region.

9. AU (African
Union)
✤ Comprised of all 53 African
countries in Africa, created for
political and socio-economic
integration and cooperation.

10. BREXIT
✤ Portmanteau of “Britain” and
“Exit.” Brexit refers to the
United Kingdom (UK) vote to
withdraw from the European
Union (EU).

11. BRIC is a grouping acronym that refers to the countries of Brazil,
Russia, India and China, which are all deemed to be at a similar stage of
newly advanced economic development.
BRIC

12. CARICOM (Caribbean
Community)
✤ The Caribbean Community,
comprised of Central American
countries for economic
integration and cooperation.

13. ECB (European
Central Bank)
✤ Based in Frankfurt; responsible
for implementing European
monetary policy.

14. is a sea zone prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the
Sea over which a state has special rights regarding the exploration and use of
marine resources.
EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone)

15. An economic and political partnership of 28 European countries. The EU
formed in the wake of WWII for purposes of promoting trade and economic
cooperation.
EU

16. Eurozone
✤ The monetary union of 19
European Union (EU) member
states that have adopted the
Euro (€) as their common
currency.

17. A free trade zone is a geographic area where goods may be landed, handled, or
manufactured without the intervention of the customs authorities.
FTZ (FreeTrade Zone)

18. FONOP (Freedom of
Navigation Operations)
✤ The U.S. Freedom of
Navigation Operations
program uses diplomatic
protests to challenge territorial
claims on the world's oceans
and airspace. The U.S. insists
that all nations must obey the
international law of the sea, as
it is defined by the UN Law of
the Sea Convention
(UNCLOS).

19. G77 (The Group
of 77)
✤ G77 is the largest
intergovernmental organization
of developing nations in the
United Nations. The
organization, established in
1964, currently includes 130
member nations. G77 functions
like a union or sorts with the UN
and allows developing nations
to leverage their negotiating
power on issues of international
commerce and development.

20. IMF (International
Monetary Fund)
✤ The IMF was created after
World War II, in order to
prevent economic crises like
the Great Depression. The IMF
is a specialized agency run by
the 186 member countries of
the United Nations and its aim
is to facilitate foreign exchange
transactions, and thereby foster
investment and promote
balanced global economic
trade.

21. The OAS is a group of 35 independent countries in North and South America
and constitutes the main political, juridical, and social governmental forum in
the Hemisphere.
OAS (Organization of American States)

22. OPEC (Organization of
Petroleum Exporting
Countries)
✤ OPEC coordinates the petroleum
policies of its member nations
and provides them with technical
and economic aid.
✤ OPEC functions as a cartel and
attempts to limit price
fluctuations in crude oil. OPEC
was established in 1960. As of
2016, OPEC has 12 members: Iran,
Iraq, Kuwait, Venezuela, Algeria,
Angola, Ecuador, Libya, Nigeria,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.

23. NAFTA (North American
Free-Trade Agreement)
✤ Agreement between Canada, USA, and
Mexico to promote free trade. Eliminates
tariffs on imports and exports to and
from among these nations. A regulation
implemented January 1, 1994 in Mexico,
Canada and the United States to
eliminate most tariffs on trade between
these nations. The three countries
phased out numerous tariffs, (with a
particular focus on those related to
agriculture, textiles and automobiles),
between the agreement’s
implementation and January 1, 2008.
NAFTA’s purpose is to encourage
economic activity between the United
States, Mexico and Canada.

24. NATO (North Atlantic
Treaty Organization)
✤ Intergovernmental military
alliance created in 1949 by the
United States, Canada, and
several Western European
nations to provide collective
security against the Soviet
Union. Currently consists of 28
member nations.

25. TPP (Trans-Pacific
Partnership)
✤ Ten years in the making, the Trans-
Pacific Partnership is a trade
agreement among 12 countries that
geographically located around the
Pacific Rim. In addition to the U.S.,
TPP member nations include:
Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam,
Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New
Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Chile,
and Peru. The TPP aims to open
new markets, and address 21st
century issues in the global
economy, such as the free flow of
electronic data across borders.

27. UN (United
Nations)
✤ International peacekeeping
body. Oversees International
Criminal Court (a.k.a. “The
Hague”) and has power to pass
economic sanctions).

28. U.N. LAW OFTHE
SEAS (UNCLOS)
✤ Negotiated in the 1970s at the
U.N. Conference on Trade and
Development is a treaty that sets
forth regulations and economic
provisions to control pollution of
oceans and other marine
environments. UNCLOS also
establishes specific jurisdictional
limits on coastline and ocean
areas that countries may claim.
Of late, UNCLOS has been
discussed in relation to the South
China Sea dispute.

29. WTO (WorldTrade
Organization)
✤ The World Trade Organization
(WTO) is an international
organization that deals with the
rules and laws governing trade
between world nations. The WTO
agreements have been signed by
most of the world's trading
nations; its main function is to help
producers of goods and services
protect and manage their import-
export businesses. The WTO has
become the driving force
underlying globalization during
the past few decades.

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✤ Bianna Golodryga is the News
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