Deck 8: Military Power and the Use of Force

Question 1

A country's economic strength is an example of hard power.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

A covert operation is an indirect form of military intervention.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Realists view military strength as the primary source of national security and international influence.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

A policy of deterrence requires second-strike capability to ensure a state can inflict an intolerable amount of damage on the state it wishes to deter.

Question 5

Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) describes the strategic nuclear relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1970s.

Question 6

Brinkmanship is a coercive bargaining strategy in which rival states threaten mutual disaster in an effort to make the other side capitulate.

Question 7

Targeting what an adversary values the most, in the case of the Soviet Union their population and industrial centers, is called countervalue-targeting strategy.

Question 8

Arms control agreements is the radical reduction or elimination of nuclear weapons.

Question 9

Nuclear weapons were used as effective tools of compellence between the end of World War II and the Cuban missile crisis in the 1960s.

Question 10

Power only has meaning in relative terms-a state has power only when it has the capacity to control others.

Question 11

The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) was signed in 1945, after the US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Question 12

IR scholars are unanimous in their belief that nuclear proliferation will increase the likelihood of nuclear war.

Question 13

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1962.

Question 14

Jimmy Carter developed the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) in the late 1970s.

Question 15

The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) is an example of a bilateral nuclear arms control treaty.

Question 16

A preemptive attack entails the use of force to eliminate a possible future strike, even if the threat is not imminent.

Question 17

A country's size always determines the outcome of international political conflict.

Question 18

Arms control is a far more common and less ambitious endeavor than disarmament.

Question 19

The Bush Administration's war on Iraq is an example of a preemptive military attack.

Question 20

The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty seeks to prevent horizontal proliferation by prohibiting further states from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Question 21

The tendency for weak states to ally themselves with strong powers is to

A)balance power.
B)bandwagon.
C)concert.
D)create a security dilemma.
E)create an anti-hegemonic alliance.

Question 22

President Eisenhower's defense doctrine that pledged to respond to any act of aggression with the most destructive capabilities available including nuclear weapons was called

A)nuclear deterrence.
B)massive retaliation.
C)compellence.
D)strategic defense.
E)coercive diplomacy.

Question 23

Hard power is usually associated with

A)military capabilities.
B)economic capabilities.
C)cultural influence.
D)military and economic capabilities.
E)cultural influences and economic capabilities.

Question 24

Soft power is

A)the ability to exercise influence through military capabilities.
B)the ability to achieve goals through attraction rather than coercion.
C)using diplomacy at the United Nations.
D)putting economic sanctions on states that are dictatorships.
E)All of the above are true.

Question 25

Which of the following types of weapons were parts of the nuclear triad employed by both superpowers during the Cold War?

A)ICBMs
B)SLBMs
C)Long-range bombers
D)Both a and b were types of weapons.
E)All of the above are true.

Question 26

A deterrence system in which both sides possess the ability to survive a first strike and launch a devastating retaliatory attack is known as

A)nuclear utilization theory (NUTs).
B)second strike activation and defense (SSAD).
C)strategic defense initiative (SDI).
D)second strike capability (SSC)
E)mutual assured destruction (MAD).

Question 27

The nuclear powers of South Asia include

A)India and Pakistan.
B)India and China.
C)Pakistan and China.
D)India and Nepal.
E)Pakistan and Iran.

Question 28

The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty was signed in

A)1948.
B)1958.
C)1968.
D)1978.
E)1998.

Question 29

Preventive strategies designed to dissuade an adversary from doing what it would otherwise do is known as

A)deterrence.
B)coercive diplomacy.
C)compellence.
D)power politics.
E)brinkmanship.

Question 30

President Reagan's defensive shield against ballistic missiles was called

A)Missile Defense System.
B)Peace Through Strength.
C)Strategic Defense Initiative.
D)Satellite Insurance Initiative.
E)Strategic Missile Defense

Question 31

The capabilities or resources held by a state that are considered necessary to its asserting influence over others is known as

A)power potential.
B)power.
C)coercive diplomacy.
D)national security.
E)deterrence.

Question 32

What are the sources of power in world politics? Given the changes occurring in world politics, is the nature of power being transformed? If so, how? Given your interpretation, how might one go about measuring the power of states?

Question 33

The strategic doctrine of nuclear compellence was used by the United States against the Soviet Union during

A)the 1950s.
B)the 1970s.
C)the 1980s.
D)the 1990s.
E)All of the above are true.

Question 34

When describing the trade-off between government expenditures on the military versus social welfare and economic programs, the common adage "guns vs.butter" is used.This situation is referring to which of the following concepts?

A)The peace dividend
B)Opportunity costs
C)Coercive diplomacy
D)Security dilemma
E)Neoliberal theory

Question 35

Intentionally taking enormous risks in bargaining with an adversary in order to compel submission is known as

A)brinkmanship.
B)deterrence.
C)the security dilemma.
D)hegemony.
E)compellence.

Question 36

The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) of 1972 is an example of what type of treaty?

A)Bilateral arms control treaty
B)Multilateral arms control treaty
C)Bilateral disarmament treaty
D)Multilateral arms control treaty
E)None of the above is true.

Question 37

Which of the following is used to describe multiple nuclear warheads that are mounted on a single missile but are capable of striking separate targets independently?

A)ABM
B)Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)
C)Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV)
D)Nuclear Utilization Theory (NUTS)
E)ASAT

Question 38

Which country is the leading global weapons exporter?

A)Russia
B)China
C)The United States
D)The United Kingdom
E)Israel

Question 39

Intimidating an adversary with a show of naval force is known as

A)tomahawk diplomacy.
B)gunboat diplomacy.
C)"big guns" diplomacy.
D)ship-shape diplomacy.
E)cruise missile diplomacy.

Question 40

The condition that results when each state's increase in military capability is matched by the other's capability, resulting in no significant gain in security for any one state is known as

A)the security dilemma.
B)mutually assured destruction.
C)coercive diplomacy.
D)balance of power.
E)power politics.

Question 41

The concept of "balance of power" is an ancient notion in the field of international relations.Throughout history many policy makers have sought to establish a balance of power to prevent disputes from escalating into wars.Write an essay in which you (1) explain in theory how the balance of power is supposed to operate, and (2) evaluate how effective it is in practice in preserving peace.

Question 42

"If you want peace, prepare for war." Do you agree with this statement? Does preparing for war increase a state's security? Give examples to support your argument.

Question 43

There are three criteria for nuclear deterrence to be effective.Define these three criteria and explain how they came to play in American-Soviet relations during the 1960s and 1970s.

Question 44

Explain the difference between compellence, deterrence, and preemption.Under what conditions was each used? Which method provides the greatest security in the twenty-first century?

Question 45

How are military expenditures and economic growth linked? Some people argue that there is a trade-off between "guns and butter," because military expenditures divert resources away from growth-promoting investments.Yet other people claim that military spending stimulates economic growth.Which side of this debate do you support? Why?

Question 46

America has used its power to spread democratic values throughout the world.Is this too idealistic or ambitious? Can or should all countries democratize? What are the political alternatives to democracies?

Question 47

The international system is currently a unipolar one, with America as the sole superpower.Do you believe this system will endure? Explain the factors that could change this.Provide two alternatives to American dominance of the world system.

Question 48

Present four criticisms that IR scholars have made against balance of power theory.Do you think any or all of these criticisms are justified? Explain.

Question 49

The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty seeks to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons.Many countries reject the NPT as hypocritical as it denies them the same rights and capabilities that are afforded to the United States, Russia, China, Britain, and France.Analyze this argument.How can countries justify denying other countries nuclear weapons while they have no intention of giving up their own?