Deck 6: Realist Perspectives on Todays World: Unipolarity, Rising Powers, Asymmetric Warfare, and Ethnic Conflicts

Question 1

According to the realist perspective, how does a country undertake soft balancing?

A) by challenging a hegemon through direct military confrontation
B) by pushing back through economic and diplomatic rivalry
C) by asserting its culture as superior to that of the hegemon
D) by gaining political clout through interactions with other states in international institutions

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The slaughter of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995 is an example of which of the following?

A) civil war
B) partition
C) ethnic cleansing
D) asymmetric threat

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The ______ school of realism advocates equilibrium and coexistence and seeks to reduce American hegemony by accommodating rising powers.

A) power balancing
B) power transitioning
C) national
D) traditional

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The military-industrial complex includes which of the following?

A) the Department of Defense
B) government and private research institutes that develop new weapons
C) antiwar lobbying groups
D) major producers of civilian weapons

Question 5

The realist perspective would most likely call attention to which feature of the post-Cold War international system?

A) American dominance or unipolarity
B) fragmentation of international institutions
C) proliferation of new democratic countries
D) an ideological shift toward neoliberalism

Question 6

The ______ was a worldwide military campaign to defeat nonstate terrorist groups and the rogue states that support them.

A) global war on terror
B) coalition of the willing
C) bombs over Baghdad
D) global fight against terrorism

Question 7

A state that seeks systematically to acquire nuclear weapons with the possible intent of passing them on to nonstate terrorists is better known as a ______ state.

A) proliferation
B) rogue
C) failed
D) terrorist

Question 8

Arguing that ethnic conflicts in failed states, such as the Taliban government in Afghanistan, provide fertile conditions for the rise of terrorism is an argument made at the ______ level of analysis.

A) individual
B) domestic
C) systemic structural
D) systemic process

Question 9

The ______ level of analysis highlights the psychological factors that affect foreign policy decision making.

A) individual
B) domestic
C) systemic structural
D) systemic process

Question 10

Which of the following characterizes a failed state?

A) It is seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.
B) It aids nonstate terrorist groups.
C) It is not recognized by other states.
D) Its domestic institutions have collapsed.

Question 11

A war that is launched to neutralize an opponent that is getting ready to attack now is described as ______ war.

A) asymmetric
B) preventive
C) power balancing
D) preemptive

Question 12

U.S. President George H. W. Bush delivered the "______" speech in 1991, warning that the United States would not support independence movements that sought to replace one form of tyranny with another.

A) Chicken Kiev
B) Russian Turkey
C) Ukrainian Chicken
D) American Eagle

Question 13

Why did power transition realists view allies and international institutions as less useful in the global war on terror?

A) NATO and other allies did not believe in the same American ideology of spreading democracy.
B) NATO after the Cold War was largely an American enterprise, and the allies had few military assets to fight conflicts outside Europe.
C) The allies had different domestic political frames and, thus, could not reach a consensus on action in Afghanistan and Iraq.
D) The United States had sufficient military power and did not need any assistance following the 9/11 attacks.

Question 14

According to power transition realists, why is it that the United States could launch a preemptive war unilaterally?

A) because international institutions gave special powers to the United States to act unilaterally
B) because the United States had an internationally mandated mission to protect and promote democracy
C) because the United States had an extraordinary concentration of power in national wealth, military expenditures, and composite measures of power
D) because terrorism as a threat could not be tied to any state actors, so the United States could launch a war to wipe out terrorists preparing to attack

Question 15

Which of the following groups engage in an intergovernmental agency tug-of-war to assert their interests in the decision-making system, which may result in final decisions that are not always rational or definitive?

A) the media
B) the military-industrial complex
C) bureaucratic political groups
D) interest groups

Question 16

Which of the following statements are true about Al Qaeda?

A) It is a full-fledged global IGO with corporate and financial operations all over the world.
B) It focused solely on recruiting members in Afghanistan following its war with the Soviet Union.
C) It only had one affiliate, located in the Arabian Peninsula.
D) It runs several multinational businesses, in the sectors of construction, manufacturing, and banking, among others.

Question 17

Terrorism and cyber warfare are examples of ______, a type of conflict in which the weak exploit technology and psychology to target the peripheral vulnerabilities of the strong.

A) symmetric threat and warfare
B) asymmetric threat and warfare
C) preemptive strikes
D) proactive threat and warfare

Question 18

According to the simplified rational choice model, what does it mean if an actor is considered unitary?

A) It sees the costs and benefits of an action as canceling each other out.
B) It makes decisions as a single actor, rather than a composite of multiple actors.
C) It does not change its goals or preferences.
D) It does not consider the behavior of other actors before making a decision.

Question 19

Which of the following countries were not members of the coalition that invaded Iraq in 2003?

A) Italy
B) Great Britain
C) United States
D) France

Question 20

Instead of accepting European support via Article 5 of the NATO Treaty after the 9/11 attacks, the United States formed the ________ to overthrow the government of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

A) coalition of the willing
B) Allied forces
C) Axis forces
D) Coalition of the abled

Question 21

What is a rogue state?

A) a state that did not participate in the global war on terror
B) a state whose domestic institutions have collapsed
C) a state that systemically seeks to acquire nuclear weapons with the possible intent of passing them on to nonstate terrorists
D) a state that refuses to participate in international institutions and diplomacy

Question 22

The ______ level of analysis describes the realist view of counterbalancing that highlights the use of asymmetric threat and warfare by weak actors to resist powerful actors.

A) individual
B) domestic
C) foreign policy
D) transnational

Question 23

In describing the post-Cold War world, what is meant by the phrase "a holiday from history"?

A) Democracy has sufficiently spread across the world, resulting in the democratic peace.
B) The world has reached a sustainable equilibrium with the United States as hegemon.
C) International institutions have flourished, resulting in many international agreements and progress toward peace.
D) The emergence of unipolarity is a brief break from conflict and the balance of power.

Question 24

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. If decision makers are assumed to be rational actors, which of the following assumptions holds?

A) They have preset goals or preferences.
B) They select the course of action that maximizes their goals and minimizes costs.
C) They calculate costs and benefits mostly in material terms.
D) They act as a composite of multiple actors, engaging in bargaining and trade-offs.

Question 25

Power transition realists in the Pentagon, led by which secretary of defense, drafted a strategy document that called on the United States to forestall the emergence of any challenger to American predominance?

A) Colin Powell
B) George H. W. Bush
C) Dick Cheney
D) Donald Rumsfeld

Question 26

What are the Six-Party Talks?

A) Multilateral discussions to halt proliferation of nuclear weapons via the A.Q. Khan network.
B) A multilateral coalition of key Middle East states to pressure Iran to stop development of nuclear weapons through sanctions.
C) A multilateral coalition of Japan, South Korea, China, Russia, and the United States to pressure North Korea to give up its nuclear program.
D) Multilateral discussions to guide Palestine and Israel toward agreement on a two-state solution.

Question 27

The ______ level of analysis describes the realist argument that American dominance influenced former defense secretary Dick Cheney's prioritization of expanding American power over spreading democracy.

A) individual
B) domestic
C) systemic structural
D) systemic process

Question 28

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are examples of how U.S. President Obama refocused on diplomacy?

A) acting upon a Russian-initiated proposal to destroy chemical weapons in Syria
B) developing a nuclear agreement with Iran
C) devising a road map for peace by strengthening moderate forces within the Palestinian Authority and Israel
D) launching the Six-Party Talks to multilaterally pressure North Korea to halt its nuclear program

Question 29

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. The global war on terror involved which two of the following types of states?

A) rogue states
B) new states
C) communist states
D) failed states

Question 30

Which of the following statements would a power balancing realist agree with as a line of action following the 9/11 attacks?

A) The United States must launch a global war on terror.
B) Regional containment of Iran and Iraq will effectively neutralize threats and maintain stability.
C) A preemptive war to rid Iran of its nuclear weapons is the only way to deal with that threat.
D) Nuclear monopoly, with the United States as hegemon, is more stable than a balance of nuclear power.

Question 31

The phrase, "No borders, no country" is central to the ______ perspective.

A) realist
B) power balancing
C) liberal
D) identity

Question 32

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are examples of interest groups?

A) political parties and legislatures
B) corporate and other for-profit groups
C) the military-industrial complex
D) domestic governmental agencies

Question 33

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following statements are true about Al Qaeda?

A) It is a full-fledged global NGO with corporate and financial operations all over the world.
B) It focused solely on recruiting members in Afghanistan following its war with the Soviet Union.
C) It only had one affiliate, located in the Arabian Peninsula.
D) It runs several multinational businesses, in the sectors of construction, manufacturing, and banking, among others.

Question 34

Populist movements called upon establishment elites to push back against globalization is an example of which perspective?

A) the realist perspective
B) the power balancing perspective
C) the liberal perspective
D) the identity perspective

Question 35

Terrorism is an example of which of the following concepts?

A) balance of power
B) containment
C) asymmetric threat and warfare
D) counterbalancing

Question 36

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. The military-industrial complex includes which of the following?

A) the Department of Defense
B) government and private research institutes that develop new weapons
C) antiwar lobbying groups
D) major producers of military weapons

Question 37

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are critical rising powers that may challenge American hegemony?
a. China
b. Russia
c. Japan
d. European Union

Question 38

The power transition school of realism sees war as most likely when which of the following occurs?

A) Two states balance each other out in a bipolar system.
B) There is a move toward equilibrium in the system.
C) One state is in a clearly hegemonic position in the system.
D) There is a move away from equilibrium in the system.

Question 39

For realists, rising powers constitute the most serious challenge to the distribution of power and hence the stability of the international order. This is an example of which type of system?

A) unipolar
B) bipolar
C) multipolar
D) superpolar

Question 40

Which perspective would most likely argue that the United States suffered a significant loss of prestige as a result of acting unilaterally in Afghanistan?

A) the power transition school of realism
B) the power balancing school of realism
C) the liberal perspective
D) the identity perspective

Question 41

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. The global war on terror involved which two of the following types of states?

A) rogue states
B) new states
C) communist states
D) failed states

Question 42

Realists emphasize the struggle for power at the state level because states remain the most powerful actors in contemporary world affairs.

Question 43

The term BRICS refers to countries that have benefitted from the enormous expansion of the global economy following the end of the Cold War and includes Brazil, Russia, Indonesia, China, and South Korea.

Question 44

Terrorism and piracy are not examples of asymmetric threat or warfare.

Question 45

The U.S.-Japan Security Treaty, established in 1960, guarantees U.S. support for the defense of Japan but does not obligate Japan to support the United States militarily.

Question 46

From a realist perspective, the global war on terror involved only nonstate actors and could be handled through international police and courts.

Question 47

According to the realist perspective, alliances were no longer essential to the balance of power following the end of the Cold War.

Question 48

According to the realist perspective, smaller powers seek responsibility but contribute few capabilities, so they seek to restrain larger powers through multilateralism and international institutions.

Question 49

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following countries were members of the coalition that invaded Iraq in 2003?

A) Italy
B) Great Britain
C) Russia
D) France

Question 50

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are examples of interest groups?

A) political parties and legislatures
B) corporate and other for-profit groups
C) the military-industrial complex
D) domestic governmental agencies

Question 51

Power balancing realists anticipate the return of multipolarity and, therefore, focus on containing, not preempting or preventing, the rise of powers.

Question 52

Soft balancing refers to counterbalancing a dominant power through rivalry, diplomatic disagreement, and economic challenges, rather than force.

Question 53

Power balancing realists view terrorism as a new global threat that cannot be dealt with through NATO.

Question 54

Many realists saw the expansion of NATO as necessary to back up democratic reforms in former communist countries and reassure these countries against domestic extremists who might try to destabilize the new democracies.

Question 55

According to the realist perspective, unless partition is accompanied by an effective balance of power, partition merely stimulates competitive armament and instability.

Question 56

The independence of Kosovo from Serbia is an example of partition.

Question 57

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Key assumptions of the simplified rational choice model include which of the following?

A) the actor is unitary, making decisions as a single actor
B) the actor does not have access to complete information, so it makes decisions based on preferences
C) the actor has preset goals and preferences that it uses to evaluate circumstances
D) the actor selects the courses of actions that maximize its goals and minimize costs

Question 58

The simplified rational choice model does not assume that actors have access to complete information.

Question 59

Modern states emerged in the seventeenth century partly because they performed functions more efficiently than city-states or city-leagues.

Question 60

If economic sanctions against Iran fail, power balancing realists prefer to let Iran acquire nuclear weapons and then contain it thereafter by deterrence, rather than launch a preemptive war against Iran.

Question 61

______ realists focus on containing, not preempting or preventing, rising powers such as China, Russia, and Japan because they view multipolarity as more stable than unipolarity.

Question 62

What are the key assumptions of the simplified rational choice model, which the realist perspective emphasizes as the key foreign policy decision-making process?

Question 63

The global war on terror involved both ______ and failed states.

Question 64

The ______ was a worldwide military campaign to defeat nonstate terrorist groups and the rogue states that support them.

Question 65

What is partition? What is the key disadvantage of partition from the realist perspective?

Question 66

The ______ school of realism advocates equilibrium and coexistence and seeks to reduce American hegemony by accommodating rising powers.

Question 67

According to the realist perspective, what unique feature of the post-Cold War world drives international outcomes? How do the power transition and power balancing schools view and construct international strategies for the United States around this feature?

Question 68

______ are groups of people among whom ethnic and national identities overlap substantially, such as the Arab and Israeli peoples.

Question 69

Instead of accepting European support via Article 5 of the NATO Treaty after the 9/11 attacks, the United States formed the ______ to overthrow the government of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Question 70

How did the shift between U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama both change and perpetuate American foreign policy toward terrorism and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?

Question 71

Terrorism and cyber warfare are examples of ______, a type of conflict in which the weak exploit technology and psychology to target the peripheral vulnerabilities of the strong.

Question 72

Some realists see partition as incentivizing ______, or the systematic persecution, torture, and killing or removal of a religious or ethnic group with the intent to take over the territory of that group.

Question 73

What is asymmetric threat and warfare? Define three forms of asymmetric threat and warfare.

Question 74

U.S. President George H. W. Bush delivered the "______" speech in 1991, warning that the United States would not support independence movements that sought to replace one form of tyranny with another.

Question 75

The power transition school of realists sees wars arising from movement away from ______ and toward ______.

Question 76

What factors accelerated or exacerbated terrorism and other asymmetric threats after the Cold War?

Question 77

As secretary of state, ______, as well as former national security adviser, Brent Scowcroft, opposed the American decision to invade Iraq because in doing so the region would be destabilized and the global war on terror would be jeopardized.

Question 78

______ was a transnational nongovernmental network run by a top Pakistani scientist that sold nuclear technology and equipment to rogue states.

Question 79

______, an example of cyber warfare, was a computer worm that the United States and Israel deployed in 2010 that crippled Iranian nuclear installations by temporarily disabling centrifuges.

Question 80

Analysts sometimes call the struggle among allies for supremacy against the United States following the Cold War the "______."