Glossary of Scenario Terms

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 Browse or search for a term alphabetically by clicking the appropriate letter above, or enter the term below to search all the pages in the glossary.

 

______________N_______________

NAFTA: see North American Free Trade Agreement.

 

NATO: see North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

 

nationalism: excessive, narrow patriotism. Nationalism is the belief that the promotion of national culture and power is more important than any international considerations. Since the demise of communism, which held national identities in check, nationalism has again become one of the chief driving forces in world affairs. It is at the root of many wars.

 

nationalization: a process in which government takes over a business enterprise or service that has formerly been privately owned, often without compensation. Opponents of nationalization say it leads to overly large industries, and inefficiency. Supporters say that nationalized industries are easier to coordinate and can be expanded more easily and efficiently. For an example of a nationalized industry, see Mexico’s Current Issues and Priorities section. 

 

natural rights: rights believed to be given to all peoples, which are above those assigned by a government. 

 

negative economic growth: a period of time when economic activity slows significantly, contracting or producing fewer goods and services than in earlier periods. 

 

neocolonialism: the idea that developed countries continue to economically and politically exploit the developing world despite the end of formal colonialism. For example, Shell has taken oil from Nigeria while failing to observe the environmental standards it would have to in most developed countries. Critics charge that this situation duplicates the system under which the colonial powers used their colonies as a source of raw materials. 

 

NEPAD (New Partnership for African Development):  an African-led strategy aimed at achieving sustainable development and poverty reduction in Africa. NEPAD offers a political and economic blueprint for growth across the continent. It is notable for being the first large-scale program for growth that will be managed by African nations themselves, rather than being funded and monitored by outside organizations such as the IMF. 

 

NGO: see Non-Governmental Organization  

 

non-alignment: when a nation refuses affiliation with either a communist block or a western block and acts as a mediator between, or a beneficiary of, both. 

 

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO): an international or transnational organization with private memberships. Examples include religious and humanitarian organizations. 

 

normalization: the process by which a country brings its relations with another country back to normal after a period of rupture. Currently South and North Korea are moving toward establishing normal relations. 

 

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): negotiated, signed, and ratified by the governments of the United States, Mexico, and Canada to foster greater trade among the three countries. In addition to addressing trade, the Agreement has provisions to deal with environmental, labor, and immigration issues that affect the three countries. If successful, NAFTA could become a model for a Western Hemisphere Free Trade Agreement that would link the countries of North and South America. 

 

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): a collective defense agreement established in 1949 to link the countries of Western Europe with the United States and Canada. Originally designed to prevent the Soviet Union from expanding into Western Europe, NATO has not yet redefined its mission since the Cold War ended. 

 

nuclear non-proliferation: the goal of restricting the spread of nuclear weapons and limiting their possession to countries that already hold them. Since 1970, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), signed by 187 countries, has been the cornerstone of international non-proliferation efforts. The NPT established five nations (the US, Russia, the UK, China, and France) as Nuclear Weapons States. The other signatories agreed to refrain from acquiring nuclear weapons. Since then, however, India and Pakistan have declared themselves nuclear powers and North Korea has at least temporarily restarted its nuclear weapons program. There is concern that the NPT may have outlived its usefulness and that new methods of preventing proliferation must be developed.