Glossary of terms with special meaning in Cascon
- A nation or group that is in some fashion committed to one of the sides, whether by
treaty, ideological affinity or some other tie.
- Buffer Area
- A geographical area outside of the disputed area that separates the two sides from each
other, or separates at least one of the sides from the disputed area, or surrounds the
- A situation short of hostilities in which at least one side considers, threatens or
demonstrates willingness to use military force to deal with the dispute, but has not
actually done so. Phase 2 of the MIT Model.
- A quarrel over a divisive issue such as territory, borders, resources, ideology, etc.
with no military aspect. The sides are in disagreement but force is not being considered.
Phase 1 of the MIT Model.
- Disputed Area
- A geographical location, or locations, in contention between the parties.
- Great Power
- A state which may or may not be considered a world power, but which in relation to a
particular dispute/conflict possesses significant, relevant political, military, and/or
- A conflict in which significant organized military force is being employed. Phase 3 of
the MIT Model.
- Military Force
- Employment of significant force to inflict casualties and/or destroy property in a
- A state or other entity geographically adjacent to one of the sides.
- Non-Status Quo Side
- The party seeking to alter the situation in its favor. See Side.
- An identifiable stage in the course of a local conflict based on the MIT Model. The
three phases coded for CASCON are dispute, conflict, and hostilities -- Phases 1, 2 and 3.
(Phase 4 of the model is post-hostilities with the conflict continuing, Phase 5 is
post-hostilities with only the dispute continuing, and Phase S is settlement, with
the dispute terminated. Phases 4, 5 and S are shown in the Precis and the Case Detail
screens but are not coded.
- Political Group
- A recognizable collection of people who seek to act in a coherent fashion in pursuit of
a political goal.
- Public Opinion/World Opinion
- The reactions or attitudes of individuals or organizations concerning a dispute or
conflict. This can mean opinion within a side, an outside country or the world in general.
- One of the conflicting parties to a dispute or conflict, labeled for convenience
"Status Quo" and "Non Status Quo", not with reference to ideology but
in terms of which party sought to initiate a change to the previously prevailing
- Status Quo Side
- The party wishing to retain the previously prevailing situation with respect to the
dispute. See Side.
- Historically this refers to the US and the USSR. After 1989 superpower refers only to
- A point of demarcation in time to denote passing from one phase to another; which may or
may not be very precise depending on circumstances.
- Movement across a threshold into another phase as the result of the interaction of
relevant factors during the previous phase.
Copyright © 1999 Lincoln P. Bloomfield and Allen Moulton