Deck 17: Foreign Policy: Protecting the American Way

Question 1

Which of the following is true about the trade imbalance in the United States?

A)The United States has not had a trade surplus since 1975.
B)Over the past decade,the U.S.trade deficit has exceeded $300 billion every year.
C)The United States has the largest trade deficit of the top three economic centers.
D)All of these are true: The United States has not had a trade surplus since 1975;over the past decade,the U.S.trade deficit has exceeded $300 billion every year;and the United States has the largest trade deficit of the top three economic centers.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

There are roughly ________ countries in the world.

A)50
B)100
C)200
D)300
E)500

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The policy of deterrence is based on the idea that

A)when threatened,a nation should strike first so that its enemy is deprived of the option of a surprise attack.
B)economic links with another country will deter it from aggression.
C)modern warfare requires a flexible response policy.
D)any nation would be deterred from launching a full-scale nuclear attack by the knowledge that,even if it destroyed the country,it too would be obliterated.
E)preemptive strikes are preferable to passive behavior.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What has been the U.S.policy toward the World Trade Organization (WTO)?

A)It has generally tried to convince the WTO to support a more protectionist stance in world trade.
B)It has neither supported nor attempted to block the work of the WTO.
C)It has been a member of the WTO but refuses to abide by most WTO rulings.
D)It has refused to participate in the WTO.
E)It has attempted to strengthen the WTO.

Question 5

The broad goals of the United States in the global economy include

A)maintaining access to world energy and other vital resources.
B)sustaining an open system of trade that will promote domestic prosperity.
C)keeping the widening gap between rich and poor countries from destabilizing the global economy.
D)all of these: maintaining access to world energy and other vital resources;sustaining an open system of trade that will promote domestic prosperity;and keeping the widening gap between rich and poor countries from destabilizing the global economy.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 6

The United States produces about ________ percent of the world's goods and services.

A)5
B)25
C)50
D)66
E)75

Question 7

In 2002,President George W.Bush labeled ________ "the axis of evil".

A)Cuba,China,and Vietnam
B)Ethiopia,Somalia,and Libya
C)Russia,China,and North Korea
D)Saudi Arabia,Syria,and Jordan
E)Iraq,Iran,and North Korea

Question 8

The basis for containment policy was the assumption that

A)the Soviet Union could be stopped from achieving its global ambitions only by the forceful use of American power.
B)the spread of nuclear weapons is a danger to the world and must be prevented.
C)economic trade should be tailored to benefit the fully industrialized nations through the formation of economic communities.
D)an arms race between the Soviet Union and the U.S.would inevitably escalate and therefore must be prevented through negotiations at an early stage.
E)terrorism can be identified and isolated in specific countries.

Question 9

________ described the Soviet Union as the "evil empire".

A)Richard Nixon
B)Ronald Reagan
C)Bill Clinton
D)Jimmy Carter
E)Gerald Ford

Question 10

Regarding assistance to developing nations,which of the following countries ranks lowest in terms of per capita expenditures?

A)Canada
B)Germany
C)France
D)the United States
E)Great Britain

Question 11

The idea that major nations should act together in response to problems and crises is called

A)the one-world concept.
B)détente.
C)multilateralism.
D)internationalism.
E)containment.

Question 12

The military-industrial complex

A)consists of an alliance of the military and industry that is pitted against officials in Congress and the executive branch.
B)suffered a rare defeat in 2009 when funding for additional F-22 fighter jets was rejected by Congress and the president.
C)was specifically mentioned and condemned in Harry S.Truman's farewell address.
D)both consists of an alliance of the military and industry pitted against officials in Congress and the executive branch;and is blamed for high levels of defense spending.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 13

Since the cold war ended,U.S.policy makers' chief concern with nuclear weaponry has been

A)the possibility of a computer error in the U.S.or former Soviet weapons systems that could mistakenly launch a nuclear missile.
B)the spread of nuclear technology to rogue nations or terrorist groups.
C)the use of a tactical nuclear weapon in ethnic conflicts in Eastern Europe.
D)the possibility that,in the process of dismantling the U.S.and former Soviet arsenals,a nuclear warhead could be accidentally detonated.
E)the spread of nuclear technology to NATO forces.

Question 14

The communists took over China in ________.

A)1917
B)1929
C)1935
D)1949
E)1962

Question 15

Regarding the position of the United States in world trade,it can be said that

A)the United States has never had a trade surplus.
B)in recent years,the United States has had trade surpluses more than deficits.
C)the United States has the most favorable balance of trade in the world.
D)the United States is a larger market than the European Union and the Pacific Rim combined.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 16

On what grounds did President Barack Obama place a 35 percent tariff on the import of Chinese tires in 2009?

A)The tariff was part of the stimulus package designed to save the American auto manufacturing industry.
B)U.S.tire-makers needed the protection because they were forced to buy their raw materials from Chinese exporters.
C)The tariff was in retaliation to Chinese military exercises in the Yellow Sea.
D)U.S.tire-makers were less efficient than Chinese companies and needed government assistance.
E)Chinese tires were being subsidized by the Chinese government.

Question 17

The foundation of U.S.policy toward the Soviet Union after World War II was

A)détente.
B)unilateralism.
C)containment.
D)internationalism.
E)isolationism.

Question 18

The U.S.lesson learned from the Vietnam War was that

A)public opinion could be ignored by leaders during wartime.
B)nuclear weapons had utility in a war of insurgency.
C)there were limits on America's ability to get its own way in the world.
D)the national interest of the United States required a total disengagement from Asian affairs.
E)constant bombing will force the enemy to concede defeat.

Question 19

Which of the following is the measure of success in an unconventional war?

A)winning the support of the people
B)territory gained
C)enemy soldiers killed
D)combat units destroyed
E)regime change

Question 20

The United States pursues its economic policy goals through which of the following international organizations?

A)World Bank
B)World Trade Organization (WTO)
C)International Monetary Fund (IMF)
D)all of these: the World Bank,the World Trade Organization (WTO),and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 21

Which president called for a new world order?

A)Bill Clinton
B)Ronald Reagan
C)George H.W.Bush
D)Dwight Eisenhower
E)George W.Bush

Question 22

The nuclear triad consists of

A)land-based missiles,bombers,and tactical nuclear weapons.
B)bombers,jet fighters,and submarine-based missiles.
C)land-based missiles,submarine-based missiles,and bombers.
D)bombers,land-based missiles,and cruise missiles.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 23

Regarding Soviet foreign policy,President Harry Truman believed that the Soviet Union was

A)an implacable foe that required direct opposition.
B)a regional threat.
C)not a threat to its neighbors,Europe,or the United States.
D)likely to evolve into a true democracy within a decade.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 24

Roughly how many American soldiers lost their lives in the Vietnam War?

A)35,000
B)58,000
C)123,000
D)427,000
E)650,000

Question 25

The term that most accurately describes the international economy today is

A)unilateralism.
B)isolationism.
C)interdependence.
D)protectionism.
E)insurgency.

Question 26

The three major economic centers of the world are the

A)United States,Canada,and Mexico.
B)Pacific Rim,China,and the United States.
C)United States,the Pacific Rim,and the European Union.
D)United States,Russia,and Brazil.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 27

Which of the following events in American foreign policy occurred first?

A)Korean War
B)war in Kosovo
C)Vietnam War
D)fall of the Soviet Union
E)Persian Gulf War

Question 28

Which of the following is a true statement regarding the cold war?

A)It never became an actual shooting war between the United States and the Soviet Union.
B)The U.S.pursued a policy of containment.
C)It included U.S.support for governments being threatened by communism.
D)The global power structure was bipolar.
E)All these answers are correct.

Question 29

Excluding the U.S. ,which of the following countries accounts for the highest portion of worldwide military spending?

A)Russia
B)Britain
C)China
D)France
E)Germany

Question 30

________,the former president of Yugoslavia,was tried for war crimes.

A)Slobodan Milosevic
B)Mikhail Gorbachev
C)Saddam Hussein
D)Lech Walesa
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 31

Defense spending per capita is highest in

A)Japan.
B)the United States.
C)France.
D)Great Britain.
E)Germany.

Question 32

The ________ was created to coordinate domestic efforts to protect the United States against terrorist attacks and threats.

A)Department of Homeland Security
B)CIA
C)FBI
D)National Security Council
E)State Department

Question 33

________ took a historic journey to the People's Republic of China in 1972.

A)Lyndon Johnson
B)Hubert Humphrey
C)George McGovern
D)Richard Nixon
E)Cyrus Vance

Question 34

Which of the following is a true statement about the 1990-1991 Gulf War?

A)It was a successful military operation.
B)It resolved the regional conflicts that prompted the original aggression by Iraq.
C)It was waged entirely by U.S.military forces.
D)It created a fiscal crisis because of the financial burden it placed on the United States.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 35

Regarding approaches to Iraq taken by the United States and the United Nations,what was the two-track policy that ensued in late 2002?

A)UN weapons inspectors entered Iraq in search of WMDs,while the United States attempted to convince allies to impose sanctions against Iraq.
B)UN weapons inspectors entered Iraq in search of WMDs,while the United States deployed combat units to Iraq's borders.
C)The United States attempted to convince allies to impose sanctions against Iraq while deploying combat units to Iraq's borders.
D)The United States imposed economic sanctions against Iraq while convincing Iraq's neighbors to blockade Iraq's borders.
E)The United States imposed a blockade of Iraq's borders while convincing Iraq's neighbors to cease trading with Iraq.

Question 36

All of the following EXCEPT ________ refused to participate in America's war in Iraq in 2003.

A)Great Britain
B)Germany
C)France
D)Belgium
E)Russia

Question 37

One reason the Soviet Union eventually collapsed was

A)its heavy defense expenditures.
B)its isolation from Western technology and markets.
C)its inefficient centralized command economy.
D)all of these: heavy defense expenditures;isolation from Western technology and markets;and its inefficient centralized command economy.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 38

Roughly how many American soldiers lost their lives in the Korean War?

A)1,000
B)5,000
C)35,000
D)155,000
E)500,000

Question 39

________ together account for roughly half of the economy of the European Union.

A)Scotland,Ireland,and Great Britain
B)Italy,Spain,and Russia
C)Sweden,Denmark,and Finland
D)Great Britain,France,and Germany
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 40

The phrase that best describes the shift in America's world position from the pre- to the post-World War II eras is

A)internationalism to isolationism.
B)isolationism to internationalism.
C)containment to isolationism.
D)interventionism to isolationism.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 41

The Dayton Accords

A)brought the deployment of peacekeeping troops to Bosnia.
B)ended the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
C)ended the placement of Soviet missiles on Cuban soil.
D)established the coalition that attacked Iraq in the Persian Gulf War in 1990.
E)brought a peaceful dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Question 42

Which of the following is true about the Vietnam War?

A)U.S.combat forces left Vietnam in 1973.
B)North Vietnamese forces took over the country in 1975.
C)It was the most painful and costly application of the containment doctrine.
D)U.S.forces were technically superior in combat to the communist fighters,although the war had no front lines and few set battles.
E)All these answers are correct.

Question 43

Describe the military-industrial complex and discuss its influence on defense spending.

Question 44

Define the term containment policy.What was the basis for this policy?

Question 45

The SALT treaty

A)brought a settlement to the Korean War.
B)ended the Vietnam War.
C)reduced the nuclear weapons arsenals of the U.S.and Soviet Union.
D)established zones of control in postwar Germany between the U.S.and Soviet Union.
E)limited the amount of standing forces that the Soviet Union could keep in Western Europe.

Question 46

America's trade deficit with China surpasses more than ________ annually.

A)$250 billion
B)$2 billion
C)$22 billion
D)$48 billion
E)$712 billion

Question 47

Which of the following is NOT an economic element of the United States in relation to its position in the world economy?

A)Although it has a trade deficit with most competitors,it exports more goods than it imports.
B)It has a wide base of natural resources.
C)It has the most diversified economy among its major competitors.
D)It is the most economically competitive of its major competitors.
E)All these answers are correct.

Question 48

The primary ethnic factional groups in Iraq are

A)Sunnis,Saudis,and Kurds.
B)Sunnis,Shiites,and Kurds.
C)Kurds,al Qaeda,and Saudis.
D)Arabs,Shiites,and Sunnis.
E)Kurds,Shiites,and Saudis.

Question 49

Discuss the relative strengths and weaknesses of the U.S.economy relative to those of leading competitor nations.

Question 50

The United States

A)spends the most on foreign aid in dollar terms,but several countries spend more on a per capita basis.
B)spends the most on a per capita basis,but several countries spend more in dollar terms.
C)spends the most on foreign aid both in dollar terms and on a per capita basis.
D)spends less on foreign aid both in dollar terms and on a per capita basis than several other countries.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 51

Upon assuming the presidency in 2001,George W.Bush

A)declared that he would reduce America's military presence abroad.
B)embraced his father's multilateral approach to world affairs.
C)declared the United States would participate in the International Criminal Court.
D)declared the United States would participate in the Kyoto Protocol.
E)All these answers are correct.

Question 52

The European Recovery Plan is better known as the

A)Truman Doctrine.
B)Marshall Plan.
C)Carter Doctrine.
D)Clinton Manifesto.
E)Reagan Decree.

Question 53

How does public opinion exhibit varying levels of importance in defense policy?

Question 54

Identify the three broad goals of the United States in the global economy.