Deck 4: States and Foreign Policy Decision Making

Question 1

Game theory is the use of hypothetical situations to help determine standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The close relationship between the United States and Western Europe since World War II reflects which of the following?

A)Balance of power
B)Post-modern theory
C)Polarization
D)Liberalism
E)Globalization

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is not an example of a country in which geography had an impact on its foreign policy?

A)The United States
B)Great Britain
C)Switzerland
D)Germany
E)Geography has had an impact on all these nations.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Which of the following is not one of the steps of the decision-making process under rational choice?

A)Identification of alternatives
B)Problem recognition and definition
C)Choice
D)Goal selection
E)All of the above are steps in the decision-making process.

Question 5

The degree with which nations cluster around the powerful nations is known as polarization.

Question 6

Public opinion, interest groups, and mass media are visible parts of foreign policy decision making in democratic societies.

Question 7

The less developed countries along the equator and the southern hemisphere are known as the Global East.

Question 8

Robert Putnam's analogy of two-level games state that policy makers must consider both the domestic factors in formulating foreign policy and the impact of foreign policy on domestic constituencies.

Question 9

The hypothesis that leaders may initiate conflict as a way of increasing public support at home or diverting attention away from negative issues is known as diversionary theory of war.

Question 10

Complete information regarding the nature of the problem, solutions, and goals is an essential component of rational decision making.

Question 11

In most countries, foreign policy is made by a central decision maker and a cohesive set of advisors.

Question 12

Political efficacy refers to a person's belief in his or her own ability to make effective rational choices.

Question 13

National leaders often describe their foreign policy-making process as neat, orderly, and rational.

Question 14

Polarization refers to

A)distribution of power among states.
B)the degree to which states cluster around powerful states.
C)the degree to which states avoid relations with powerful states.
D)the disparity in wealth between the Global North and the Global South.
E)the tension between great powers.

Question 15

The bureaucratic decision-making process increases efficiency and rationality by assigning responsibility for different tasks to different people.

Question 16

Foreign policy making is more rapid and efficient in democratic than authoritarian regimes.

Question 17

Polarity refers to

A)the North-South pole.
B)the distribution of power among states.
C)the disparity in wealth between the Global North and the Global South.
D)the competitive nature between two major powers such as between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
E)All of the above are true.

Question 18

A crisis can liberate a leader from the normal constraints of foreign policy decision making.

Question 19

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are an impediment to rational decision making.

Question 20

The more economically developed a state is, the more likely it is to remain an isolationist and to seek to avoid getting involved in disputes outside of its borders.

Question 21

A policy maker's belief in his or her own ability to control political events is known as

A)satisficing.
B)pluralism.
C)chauvinism.
D)political efficacy.
E)individual level of analysis.

Question 22

Which of the following is a state attribute that can shape its foreign policy?

A)Size of its army
B)Gross national product
C)Location and physical terrain
D)Both a and b are state attributes that can shape its foreign policy.
E)All of the above are state attributes that can shape its foreign policy.

Question 23

Which of the following was an important geopolitical thinker in the study of international relations?

A)Halford Mackinder
B)Nicholas Spykman
C)Alfred Thayer Mahan
D)Options a, b, and c were important geopolitical thinkers.
E)None of the above is true.

Question 24

Which of the following is not true of democratic societies and foreign policy decision making?

A)Public opinion and interest groups matter.
B)They are slow to move on foreign policy issues.
C)They overreact to perceived threats once they are recognized.
D)They make decisions rapidly when considering foreign policy options.
E)Bureaucracies may propose solutions that reflect their bureaucracy's interests but not be the most optimal solution.

Question 25

The concept that decision makers need to make decisions that will meet both domestic and foreign goals is called

A)game theory.
B)rational decision making.
C)satisficing.
D)two-level game.
E)None of the above is true.

Question 26

Which of the following is true of bureaucracies?

A)They increase efficiency.
B)They define rules and establish operating procedures.
C)They divide authority.
D)They move plans forward.
E)All of the above are true about bureaucracies.

Question 27

One of the criticisms of the bureaucratic politics model (BPM) is that

A)bureaucracies tend to suggest policies that reflect their own interests.
B)too many bureaucracies lack the expertise necessary to carry out policies once a decision is made.
C)the cacophony of differing opinions creates an atmosphere of confusion.
D)bureaucrats are not elected and not accountable to the citizenry.
E)All of the above are true.

Question 28

The idea that people are "risk adverse"-that is, they are more concerned with potential loss than gain is associated with

A)game theory.
B)prospect theory.
C)two-level game theory.
D)bureaucratic politics model.
E)None of the above is true.

Question 29

Which of the following impacts a leader's ability to shape foreign policy?

A)Whether a leader is early or late in their tenure
B)When a dramatic event precedes his/her election
C)A leader's belief in his/her own ability to effectively make rational choices
D)A national crisis
E)All of the above are true.

Question 30

When were the terms First World, Second World, and Third World first used?

A)Before World War I
B)Between World War I and World War II
C)During World War II
D)During the Cold War
E)After the Cold War

Question 31

Who first developed the idea of Democratic Peace Theory?

A)Immanuel Kant
B)Immanuel Wallerstein
C)Woodrow Wilson
D)Samuel Huntington
E)Karl Marx

Question 32

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) help make bureaucracies more efficient by

A)facilitating groupthink.
B)providing methods to be followed in carrying out tasks once a decision is made.
C)preventing rivalries among bureaucratic agencies.
D)Both options a and c are true.
E)All of the above are true.

Question 33

Which of the following factors shapes foreign policy behavior at the systemic level?

A)Military might
B)Levels of economic development
C)Type of government
D)Personality of leaders
E)Geostrategic position

Question 34

Which of the following are visible parts of foreign policy in autocratic societies?

A)Public opinion
B)Interest Groups
C)Mass media
D)Options a, b, and c are true.
E)None of the above is true.

Question 35

Which of the following would be considered a middle power in the international system?

A)United States
B)Russia
C)Australia
D)Guatemala
E)Kuwait

Question 36

Groupthink is

A)when all members of the group provide the decision maker with many different options.
B)part of the rational actor model.
C)the propensity for members of a group to accept and agree with the group's prevailing attitudes.
D)Both options a and b are true.
E)All of the above are true.

Question 37

In Perpetual Peace, Immanuel Kant outlined the basis of the theory of democratic peace, which states that

A)democratic leaders are constrained by the public from initiating foreign wars.
B)democratic leaders initiate conflict abroad to divert the public's attention from domestic problems.
C)democratic leaders can act more quickly to prevent wars from erupting.
D)democracies are more likely to go to war against other democracies.
E)democracies are more likely to end up on opposite sides in a war.

Question 38

A unitary actor in world politics usually refers to

A)a national leader.
B)a foreign policy making bureaucracy.
C)a sovereign state.
D)global hegemon.
E)None of the above is true.

Question 39

__________ are agencies, regulatory commissions, and departments that conduct the functions of a central government.

A)Democracies
B)Republics
C)Bureaucracies
D)Interagency commissions
E)Actors

Question 40

Which of the following is an important domestic source of foreign policy?

A)Personality of leaders
B)Type of government
C)Level of economic development
D)Both options a and c are true.
E)Both options b and c are true.

Question 41

Decision making according to rational choice theory follows four steps.Choose an international problem and discuss how foreign policy makers would make a decision by following these four steps.

Question 42

According to the "geopolitical" school of thought, location, size, climate, and topography affect the goals a country's leadership pursues and the options available for attaining these goals.Take the case of the Unites States and discuss how geography has influenced American foreign policy in the twentieth century.

Question 43

Democratic and autocratic countries develop types of foreign polices.Discuss the differences in foreign policy making in democratic and autocratic societies.Explain the policy making constraints and policy priorities found in each country.

Question 44

Explain how the decision was made by the Bush administration to go to war against Iraq in 2003, given the rational choice model.Were there any obstacles to the implementation of this model?

Question 45

Write an essay in which you describe the bureaucratic politics model and discuss how it can help us understand some of the sources of foreign policy fiascoes.

Question 46

Write an essay in which you compare the different influences that systemic, state, and individual sources of foreign policy have on decision making in a crisis versus non-crisis situation.

Question 47

How important are individual leaders in determining the content and direction of U.S.foreign policy? What factors limit the influence of individuals? Cite specific examples where leaders were influential and specific examples of constraints on leaders' decisions.

Question 48

Explain the meaning of Putnam's two-level game and how this explains why policy decisions sometimes appear irrational.Are U.S.presidents generally most concerned with the international level or domestic level? Why? Give examples that support your opinion.

Question 49

There are numerous constraints on the foreign policy making process.What are they? Which are the most important? Give an example of when they adversely affect foreign policy.

Question 50

Describe the pros and cons of the bureaucratic politics model.Be sure to include discussions of standard operating procedures and multiple advocacy.