Deck 14: Making Foreign and Military Policy

Question 1

The United States chose to help

A) Hungary when the Soviets attacked.
B) Tibet when China occupied it.
C) Rwanda when a civil war killed thousands.
D) Haiti when a new president could not take office.
E) none of the countries in these situations.

Answer 1

Haiti when a new president could not take office.

Question 2

Critics maintain that it is especially difficult for the United States to develop thoughtful foreign policies because

A) democratic forms of government do not keep secrets well or develop policies with adequate care.
B) the court system too frequently challenges the legislature.
C) the frequency of elections makes it difficult to sustain coherent policy.
D) the foreign-policy advising system is poorly staffed.
E) there was a strong bias against standing armies from the beginning.

Answer 2

democratic forms of government do not keep secrets well or develop policies with adequate care.

Question 3

Supporters maintain that the United States can develop strong foreign policies because

A) democratic nations rarely wage unjustified wars.
B) there is a tolerance for secrecy that gives leaders great discretion.
C) the Congress provides guidance to the president in formulating policy.
D) separation of powers actually increases efficiency in foreign policy making.
E) gun rights were popular from the beginning.

Answer 3

democratic nations rarely wage unjustified wars.

Question 4

An example of client politics in foreign policy is

A) war.
B) trade and tariffs.
C) tax breaks for corporations doing business overseas.
D) military buildup.
E) arms limitation agreements.

Question 5

When foreign and military issues generate majoritarian politics, then

A) the costs and benefits are shared by almost everyone.
B) interest groups are especially likely to mobilize.
C) congressional leadership is likely to be very important.
D) international clients are likely to emerge as the key decision makers.
E) the president is less likely to play a dominant role.

Question 6

When foreign and military issues generate interest-groups politics,

A) there is an incentive for interest groups to turn to the international court.
B) the president is forced to act as a mediator between conflicting groups.
C) Congress is likely to take a leadership role.
D) the states mobilize to protect their interests.
E) international clients are likely to emerge as critical decision makers.

Question 7

American troops have fought abroad over _____ times.

A) 9
B) 12
C) 30
D) 60
E) 125

Question 8

Only _____ of fourteen major wars America has fought in have followed a formal declaration of war.

A) two
B) five
C) eight
D) eleven
E) thirteen

Question 9

Congress has sought to limit presidential power in foreign policy making by

A) passing the War Powers Act.
B) refusing to allocate funds for troops in time of war.
C) refusing to declare war and insisting that troops be brought home.
D) establishing its own staff agencies for intelligence gathering and analysis.
E) limiting the investigative powers of the U. S. intelligence agencies.

Question 10

According to the text, the War Powers Act has

A) enlarged the scope of congressional power.
B) enlarged the scope of presidential power.
C) been declared constitutional by the Supreme Court.
D) restructured the relationship between the military and the chief executive.
E) had little effect.

Question 11

The most significant check on the president's power is

A) Congress.
B) EOP agencies, such as the CIA.
C) the State Department.
D) public opinion.
E) the Defense Department.

Question 12

Before September 11, 2001, U. S. military forces were chiefly organized around principles learned during

A) the Korean War.
B) the Vietnam War.
C) World War II.
D) World War I.
E) the Cold War.

Question 13

One has to say that the United States succeeded in its nation-building efforts in

A) Germany.
B) Haiti.
C) Somalia.
D) Bosnia.
E) Kosovo.

Question 14

The 2007 surge commanded by General Petraeus resulted in

A) a sharp drop in terrorist assaults on Americans and Iraqi civilians.
B) more remote military bases.
C) a rise in the daily attacks by insurgents.
D) multiple fatality bombings.
E) more U. S. troop deaths.

Question 15

The War Powers Act has been acknowledged as being constitutional by

A) President Nixon.
B) Presidents Clinton and Carter.
C) Republican presidents.
D) Democratic presidents.
E) no president.

Question 16

In a military crisis a president's popularity tends to

A) decrease instantly.
B) decrease over time.
C) increase if there are immediate indications of success.
D) decrease dramatically.
E) increase dramatically.

Question 17

President George H. W. Bush did not seek congressional support for military action in

A) Haiti.
B) Bosnia.
C) Somalia.
D) Kuwait.
E) Kosovo.

Question 18

Presidential approval increased after each of the following events except

A) the abortive landing at Bay of Pigs in Cuba.
B) the Cuban missile crisis.
C) when U.S. troops were sent to Bosnia and Kosovo.
D) the invasion of Panama.
E) the invasion of Grenada.

Question 19

All the following are members of the National Security Council except

A) the president and vice president.
B) the secretaries of state and defense.
C) the Director of National Intelligence.
D) the chairs of the House and Senate foreign relations committees.
E) the Joint Chiefs of Staff chair.

Question 20

In 2002 President George W. Bush issued a doctrine of

A) preventive war.
B) retaliatory strikes.
C) preemptive war.
D) first-strike capacity.
E) MADD.

Question 21

The doctrine of preemption concludes that the United States

A) should attack enemies after they take hostile action.
B) should attack its enemies before they can act.
C) should refrain from participating in international organizations such as the United Nations.
D) should assume a peacekeeping role throughout the world to forestall hostilities.
E) should assume that clandestine activities are hostile.

Question 22

The view that partisanship should "stop at the water's edge" can be traced back to

A) popular responses to the German attacks on the Lusitania.
B) congressional responses to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
C) governmental attitudes toward communism during the Cold War.
D) the rise of twentieth-century terrorism.
E) the War of 1812.

Question 23

The United States requested UN support in which of the following actions?

A) North Vietnam in the 1960s
B) Haiti in 1994
C) Bosnia in 1994
D) Iraq in 2003
E) Kosovo in 1999

Question 24

All the following statements concerning the Joint Chiefs of Staff are correct except

A) It is an advisory group.
B) Its members are appointed by the president.
C) Its members are approved by the Senate.
D) It has command authority.
E) It is headed by a chair and a nonvoting vice chair.

Question 25

A key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission was to

A) merge the FBI and the CIA.
B) create the position of National Intelligence Director.
C) encourage the CIA, Defense Department and the FBI to work independently.
D) abolish the FBI.
E) create more detention centers for suspected terrorists.

Question 26

Majoritarian politics typically center around

A) interest groups.
B) political parties.
C) political ideology.
D) issue networks.
E) party leadership.

Question 27

Popular opposition to the Iraq War was __________ popular opposition to the Korean and Vietnam wars.

A) much greater than
B) slightly greater than
C) about the same as
D) less than
E) much less than

Question 28

Opposition to the Iraq War is particularly strong among all the following except

A) conservatives.
B) African Americans.
C) Democrats.
D) individuals with postgraduate degrees.
E) supporters of the Democratic candidate in the 2004 campaign.

Question 29

What agreement created free trade among Canada, Mexico, and the United States?

A) CNMUSAA
B) FTA
C) NWO
D) WWE
E) NAFTA

Question 30

Foreign-policy elites are more likely than members of the general public to support

A) keeping legal immigration at its present level.
B) protecting the jobs of American workers.
C) using torture on terrorist suspects.
D) ending the outsourcing of jobs.
E) decreasing economic aid to foreign countries.

Question 31

There is no doubt that NAFTA

A) will not have some impact on exports, eventually.
B) has had no impact on exports.
C) has had no impact on imports or exports.
D) has decreased exports.
E) has expanded exports considerably.

Question 32

The text suggests that President Bush imposed higher tariffs on imported steel because

A) he wanted to win Ohio and Pennsylvania in the 2004 election.
B) Democratic members of Congress supported the decision.
C) polls suggested that Americans wanted more free trade.
D) American steel workers were threatening to strike.
E) the automobile industry engaged in an intense lobbying effort.

Question 33

The case of military bases is a classic example of __________ politics.

A) interest-group
B) majoritarian
C) client
D) entrepreneurial
E) nonpartisan

Question 34

The case of military modernization often reflects __________ politics.

A) interest-group
B) majoritarian
C) client
D) entrepreneurial
E) nonpartisan

Question 35

When John F. Kennedy argued for the creation of special forces in the military,

A) civilian leaders resigned from key positions in government.
B) interest groups mobilized to block any effort in that direction.
C) the public reaction was instant and violent.
D) Congress rejected the idea despite its popularity with military leaders.
E) the idea was opposed by key military leaders.

Question 36

The United States intervened when Hungary was attacked by the Soviet Union.

Question 37

The United States took military action when Iraq invaded Kuwait.

Question 38

Alexis de Tocqueville believed that democracies had a great advantage in the formulation of foreign policy.

Question 39

United States-Israel relations can be considered a form of client politics because they reflect the political mobilization of Jewish people in the United States.

Question 40

Congressional leadership is likely when foreign policy generates client politics.

Question 41

The president exercises unilateral power over the military.

Question 42

A majority vote in the Senate is required to ratify treaties.

Question 43

U.S. troops cannot be engaged in a war unless Congress formally declares war.

Question 44

Congress has successfully limited presidential authority in foreign policy by exercising its oversight and investigatory powers.

Question 45

Among the agencies and departments engaged in foreign policy making are the departments of agriculture and labor.

Question 46

Public opinion may be more important than the Constitution in establishing the president's powers in foreign and military policy making.

Question 47

The American public was strongly and consistently isolationist throughout the twentieth century.

Question 48

The American public generally has supported the president when military troops have been sent overseas.

Question 49

Prior to the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush expressed little interest in foreign policy.

Question 50

September 11 firmly shifted U.S. foreign policy away from its Cold War focus on the Soviet Union.

Question 51

The United States has a lot of experience with rebuilding nations.

Question 52

The United States failed at nation building in Haiti and Somalia.

Question 53

There is some evidence that the 2007 surge commanded by General David Petraeus was successful.

Question 54

The War Powers Act declares that Congress must support any presidential military action within sixty days.

Question 55

Only Democratic presidents have recognized the constitutionality of the War Powers Act.

Question 56

The rally-around-the-flag effect refers to the public's willingness to support the president in times of peace.

Question 57

Not all presidents have asked for congressional approval of their proposed military actions.

Question 58

President George H. W. Bush received congressional authorization to send troops to fight in the first Gulf War.

Question 59

President Bill Clinton received congressional authorization to send troops to fight in Bosnia and Kosovo.

Question 60

Congress forced President Clinton to withdraw troops from Somalia.

Question 61

The Cold War took place in the context of a bipolar world.

Question 62

Preemption was a policy used by presidents before George W. Bush.

Question 63

The doctrine of preemption had unified the Congress, proving again that partisanship is not a consideration in foreign policy.

Question 64

Most liberal Democrats opposed removing invading Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

Question 65

Many liberal Democrats supported President Clinton's attacks on hostile forces in Kosovo.

Question 66

The United States sought and obtained the support of the UN before going to war in Korea.

Question 67

The United States did not seek UN support in fighting against North Vietnam.

Question 68

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was an arduous advocate of redesigning the military.

Question 69

The Joint Chiefs of Staff, by law, command the armed services.

Question 70

A president can change the military with comparative ease because it is subject to civilian control.

Question 71

Foreign-policy decisions about whether or not to go to war are examples of interest-group politics.

Question 72

Decisions about whether or not to go to war are divorced from ideology.

Question 73

Conservative Republicans are four times more likely to support unilateral military action than liberal Democrats.

Question 74

The so-called gender gap appears to have disappeared on war issues.

Question 75

Elites and average citizens have similar views about foreign policy.

Question 76

Foreign-policy elites are more likely than the average member of the public to think we should expand aid to other countries.

Question 77

Members of the American public are more likely to think we should use torture on suspected terrorists than foreign-policy elites.

Question 78

The opinions of political elites are more likely to be changed by events.

Question 79

Debates about NAFTA exemplified interest-group politics.

Question 80

The American public tends to be skeptical of free trade.