Deck 16: Comparative Politics and International Relations

Question 1

What event spurred the process of unification in Europe that led to the formation of the European Union?

A) World War I
B) World War II
C) The Cold War
D) The Franco-Prussian War

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following is not true of the European Union as of 2015?

A) There are 28 nations in the European Union
B) All EU nations use the Euro
C) EU nations maintain sovereignty
D) Germany is the largest economy

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following countries is not a member of the European Union?

A) Portugal
B) Greece
C) Turkey
D) Austria

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What is the common currency of the majority of member states of the European Union?

A) Pound
B) Lira
C) Euro
D) Dollar

Question 5

What is the study of how the economic relations between countries affect politics and how political relations affect economies?

A) International Political Economy
B) Free Trade
C) International Monetary Fund
D) Foreign Policy

Question 6

What term refers to the increasing action, both economic and cultural, between peoples and societies across national borders?

A) Free trade
B) Modernization
C) Immigration
D) Globalization

Question 7

What is outsourcing?

A) The practice of an economic actor contracting out to other actors, often abroad
B) The practice of an economic actor selling some of its services or processes abroad rather than in its domestic market
C) The practice of skilled and educated members of a population emigrating
D) The practice of sending cash or resources to a home country

Question 8

What does comparative advantage allow for between two or more different economies?

A) Protectionism
B) Transnational associationism
C) Specialization
D) None of the above

Question 9

What is the logic behind comparative advantage?

A) Through specialization and trade, one country will always prevail.
B) Through specialization and trade, two or more countries are made better off.
C) Through specialization and trade, global resources are preserved.
D) Through specialization and trade, technological advances are promoted.

Question 10

What is the practice of a country giving favor to its own domestic producers?

A) Neoliberalism
B) Protectionism
C) Neoclassicism
D) Privatization

Question 11

How many countries are necessary (as a minimum) for multilateral cooperation?

A) One
B) Two
C) Three
D) Four

Question 12

Among the following, what is the most comprehensive major global institution, with the most country members and widest scope of action?

A) The World Bank
B) The World Trade Organization
C) The International Monetary Fund
D) The United Nations

Question 13

What type of organization is the United Nations?

A) Intergovernmental organization
B) Civil society organization
C) Multinational corporation
D) Global association

Question 14

Which of the following was not a recommendation of the Washington Consensus?

A) Free markets
B) Protectionist policies
C) Low state intervention
D) Privately owned enterprise

Question 15

Which of the following is not a characteristic that helps to endow the United States with the title of the "indispensable nation"?

A) Historical origins
B) Economic Significance
C) Cultural Power
D) Dominant military

Question 16

In what way do nations in the European Union maintain sovereignty?

A) All nations retain their own currencies
B) Major decisions require unanimous consent
C) Nations can choose not to adopt policies and still be EU members
D) They do not

Question 17

What is a political attitude that seeks to protect established groups of residents in a given country against the interest of more recent immigrants?

A) Assimilation
B) Regionalism
C) Nativism
D) Naturalism

Question 18

The emigration of doctors is most clearly an example of what phenomenon?

A) Free Rider
B) Brain Drain
C) Gravy Train
D) None of the above

Question 19

What aspect of international relations does the tragedy of the commons deal with?

A) Sustainability
B) Immigration
C) Nuclear Threats
D) Transnational Networks

Question 20

Which of the following is not one of Moisés Naím's five "wars" of globalization?

A) Arms trafficking
B) Piracy
C) Property theft
D) Drug trafficking

Question 21

Which of the following countries does not have confirmed nuclear weapons as of 2012?

A) United States
B) Iran
C) France
D) India

Question 22

The expansion of the number of actors possessing nuclear technology is known as what?

A) Radiation
B) Proliferation
C) Expansion
D) Chaos

Question 23

Which of the following statements is not true of terrorism?

A) Terrorism is always transnational
B) Terrorism can be committed by state or non-state actors
C) Terrorism involves the use or threat of violence
D) Conventional war is distinct from terrorism

Question 24

Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, and Kenneth Waltz were all proponents of what theoretical approach to international relations?

A) Realism
B) Liberalism
C) Constructivism
D) Marxism

Question 25

What is the Prisoner's Dilemma an example of??

A) A distribution of power model
B) An offensive realist model
C) A game theoretic model
D) None of the above

Question 26

What is the situation called when the distribution of power in the international system results in one dominant state?

A) Anarchy
B) Bipolar distribution of power
C) Multipolar distribution of power
D) Unipolar distribution of power

Question 27

The concept of democratic peace, where countries will rarely if ever go to war with one another, is generally associated with which theoretical approach to international relations?

A) Realism
B) Liberalism
C) Constructivism
D) Marxism

Question 28

Which theoretical approach to international relations holds that decisions made by states need to be understood in the broad context of social and political interactions?

A) Realism
B) Liberalism
C) Constructivism
D) Marxism

Question 29

Which school of thought was seen as the primary alternative to realism and liberalism in international relations before the emergence of constructivism?

A) Capitalism
B) Marxism
C) Communism
D) All of the above

Question 30

Which theory of international relations argues that states almost always rationally pursue their own interests?

A) Constructivism
B) Social construction
C) Realism
D) Pragmatism

Question 31

Which theory of international relations holds that the international arena is fundamentally about capitalist economic exploitation?

A) Constructivism
B) Social construction
C) Realism
D) Marxism

Question 32

Which of the following theorists of international relations is considered a constructivist?

A) Otto von Bismarck
B) Alexander Wendt
C) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
D) Daniel Libeskind

Question 33

What is the name that many social scientists give to a situation in which it is difficult to achieve collective action to preserve some shared good (including environmental goods)?

A) The Prisoner's Dilemma
B) The Rebel's Dilemma
C) The Tragedy of the Commons
D) The Tragedy of Sharing

Question 34

Which of the following is least likely to be described as a transnational network?

A) al Qaeda
B) ISIS
C) The Red Cross
D) The U.S. State Department

Question 35

Which scholar formulated the Democratic Peace Theory, which, based on Kant, says that "'perpetual peace' will emerge between liberal republics."

A) Wendt
B) Waltz
C) Doyle
D) Naim

Question 36

Do all social scientists agree that preserving the global environment poses an unsolvable collective action problem? Why or why not?

Question 37

Give at least two examples of transnational issues that may generate either more conflict or cooperation between countries. Say whether you expect these issues to generate more international cooperation, conflict, or both, and why.

Question 38

In what ways is contemporary terrorism different from traditional conflicts studied in international relations, and in what ways is it similar?

Question 39

Describe how realist theorists of international relations view the behavior of states. What are the preferences of states, and how do states behave, according to realist theory?

Question 40

Articulate the key differences between realism and liberalism.

Question 41

Articulate the key differences between realism and constructivism.

Question 42

Are there certain sorts of events and circumstances in international relations that realism might be better prepared to explain than liberalism, or that liberalism is better prepared to explain than liberalism? If so, what are these?

Question 43

Identify any key similarities you see between liberalism and constructivism as theories of international relations.

Question 44

To what extent is Marxism still a useful theory for international relations after the fall of the Soviet Union? What outcomes or trends, if any, might Marxist theories still be able to explain?

Question 45

Name three of the most important transnational phenomena in the contemporary world.

Question 46

Does globalization mean that states no longer matter? Why or why not?

Question 47

Are there any solutions to the "tragedy of the commons"? If so, what are the possible solutions?

Question 48

Describe the levels of analysis and provide an example of how they are used as an analytical tool.

Question 49

Articulate a constructivist critique of realist and/or liberal theories of international relations. Make the strongest possible case.

Question 50

Articulate a realist or liberal critique of constructivist theories of international relations. Make the strongest possible case.

Question 51

The rise of transnational issues and transnational networks has led some to conclude that the power of nation-states is on the decline. Identify some major transnational issues and actors that might demonstrate the limitations of state power. Considering these issues, would you argue that the twenty-first century will be an era in which nation-states become less powerful? Why or why not?

Question 52

Can international relations be studied without taking comparative politics into account? What would representatives of each of the international relations theories discussed in this chapter say in response to this question?