Deck 5: Power: Interests, Objectives,and Capabilities of States

Question 1

The conceptual framework discussed in Chapter 5 best reflects which perspective on international relations?

A) realist
B) pluralist or liberal
C) economic structuralist
D) social constructivist

Answer 1

realist

Question 2

The term that best refers to the types of resources a state may have in order to serve its interests and achieve its objectives is

A) threats.
B) capabilities or power.
C) opportunities.
D) economic assets.

Answer 2

capabilities or power.

Question 3

John Herz

A) is known for his clear formulation of the security dilemma.
B) identified himself as an idealist.
C) did not think ethics had a place in foreign policy.
D) did most of his important work in the 1990s.

Answer 3

is known for his clear formulation of the security dilemma.

Question 4

A key strategic responsibility of leaders is to make sure that foreign policy objectives are in line with

A) what can assure reelection of political leaders.
B) available capabilities or power.
C) what benefits corporate and other private -sector interests.
D) the preferences of neighboring states.

Question 5

States use power primarily to

A) demonstrate hegemony.
B) achieve objectives and protect national interests.
C) enhance military capabilities through expansion of GNP.
D) achieve domestic economic growth.

Question 6

The right of a state to exercise complete jurisdiction, power or authority internally or within its borders and to act independently or autonomously externally in the conduct of foreign affairs defines its

A) legitimacy.
B) national interest.
C) power.
D) sovereignty.

Question 7

National interests pursued in foreign policy typically include all of the following EXCEPT

A) sovereignty.
B) economic vitality and prosperity.
C) social security and welfare programs.
D) preservation of core values.

Question 8

Compared to national interests, national objectives are

A) more broadly defined.
B) more narrowly defined.
C) always identical with national interests.
D) less important.

Question 9

National objectives relate to of all of the following EXCEPT

A) serving interests.
B) defending against threats.
C) seeking opportunities.
D) reducing capabilities.

Question 10

The primary purpose of the rationality assumption is to

A) help derive testable hypotheses.
B) understand non-state actors.
C) undercut methodology.
D) challenge realism as a perspective on international relations.

Question 11

The term ?empirical? refers to:

A) empire, as in an ?empirical state.?
B) deterrence theory.
C) factual, or known through observation.
D) an abstract conceptualization.

Question 12

Public opinion most likely influences

A) authoritarian regimes.
B) democratic republics.
C) monarchies.
D) dictatorships.

Question 13

Prioritization of objectives often is difficult because

A) leaders of a state tend to disagree on basic goals.
B) objectives may not always be compatible with each other.
C) objectives are rarely if ever clearly defined.
D) there are few financial incentives to inform choice.

Question 14

The objectives of states, international organizations, or transnational actors are

A) often quite broad or extensive.
B) always identical with interests.
C) rarely if ever are complementary or overlapping.
D) rarely if ever conflict with each other.

Question 15

Which of the following is not an indicator of a state?s capabilities?

A) social, cultural, and political arrangements
B) economic and financial strength
C) number of years established as a sovereign state
D) technological and military resources

Question 16

The political capabilities of a state are affected by all of the following EXCEPT

A) the human factor.
B) communications technologies.
C) natural resources.
D) regime type.

Question 17

Rousseau?s fable about deer hunting illustrates

A) the challenge of a state defining its capabilities.
B) the challenge of states collaborating.
C) why cooperation leads to a state?s international downfall.
D) how public opinion can undercut international cooperation.

Question 18

When a state consistently meets its obligations and commitments, it is demonstrating most closely which component of political capability?

A) commitment reflecting clear loyalty
B) diplomacy that improves communications
C) reputation upon which trust is built
D) predictability that comes with consistency

Question 19

The ?right to rule? is referred to as a state?s

A) sovereignty.
B) power.
C) legitimacy.
D) moral base.

Question 20

Democratic regimes tend to

A) have greater popular support than authoritarian regimes.
B) reflect less popular support than authoritarian regimes.
C) have foreign policy that directly reflects the will of the people.
D) be less responsive to public opinion than authoritarian regimes in the making of foreign policy.

Question 21

States that concentrate all political authority or power in one government in its capital city are

A) unitary states.
B) federal states.
C) totalitarian states.
D) authoritarian states.

Question 22

Germany is an example of a

A) federal state with a presidential government.
B) federal state with a parliamentary government.
C) unitary state with a presidential government.
D) unitary state with a parliamentary government.

Question 23

The United Kingdom is an example of a

A) federal state with a presidential government.
B) federal state with a parliamentary government.
C) unitary state with a presidential government.
D) unitary state with a parliamentary government.

Question 24

A state?s political culture is its

A) tradition of patronage of the arts.
B) specific social and cultural heritage which support the identity of the nation-state.
C) norms, values and orientations that are politically relevant.
D) all of the above

Question 25

All of the following are true concerning the geographic location of a state EXCEPT

A) location has been important historically, but has diminished somewhat as a factor due to the development of technology.
B) location remains an important indicator of state capabilities.
C) location has little to do with the ability of a state to engage in international commerce by land, sea or air.
D) location may provide insulation or protection against invasion.

Question 26

Countries belonging to the Group of Seven include all EXCEPT

A) the United States.
B) Italy.
C) Canada.
D) China.

Question 27

Outside the Group of Seven, the country with the largest Gross National Product (GNP) is

A) China.
B) United States.
C) France.
D) Mexico.

Question 28

The measurement commonly used for comparing the level of living in various countries is the

A) Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
B) Gross National Produce (GNP).
C) Per Capita Income (PCI).
D) Purchasing Power Parity (PPP).

Question 29

OPEC is associated with which commodity?

A) oil
B) ore
C) cadium
D) copper

Question 30

The Downing Street Memo and Minutes are associated with the government of which country?

A) France
B) Italy
C) United Kingdom
D) Iraq

Question 31

A perceived need for security was an important reason for the writing of the U.S. Constitution.

Question 32

Realists are most closely associated with the concept of the unitary, rational actors.

Question 33

One distinguishing characteristic of an authoritarian system is that it is not influenced by public opinion.

Question 34

Canada, Germany, and Russia are classified as federal states.

Question 35

A state?s domestic objectives can conflict with its foreign objectives.

Question 36

Reputation usually does not have a significant impact upon a state?s power or capabilities.

Question 37

Nelson Mandela was harshly critical of the influence of foreign values on the college he attended in South Africa.

Question 38

Machiavelli believed it was it was important for regimes to maintain legitimacy.

Question 39

The Downing Street Memo concerned the possibility of military action in Iraq.

Question 40

One has to rely on such indirect indicators of national power such as GNP or GDP since there still is no agreed single measure of power, particularly since the capabilities that constitute power are non-additive.

Question 41

How does the discussion of state capabilities reflect the realist image of international relations?

Question 42

Discuss a recent example of a situation where short-term, middle-term, and long-term foreign policy objectives differed.

Question 43

To what extent should Western states criticize Chinaʹs human rights abuses, given the objective of wishing to maintain good relations with an economic dynamo and growing military power? How does this question illustrate the difficulty of prioritization of foreign policy objectives given incompatible goals?

Question 44

How are even the most powerful of states constrained in their pursuit of national interests and objectives? Give a current example involving the United States.

Question 45

What is the relation between the strength of the economy and military capabilities? Give an example.

Question 46

Write a one- to two-sentence description of each of the various components of national power, indicating how you might try to measure them.

Question 47

What important contributions did John Herz and Hans Morgenthau make to the study and practice of international relations? In what ways did they agree or disagree? What is your view on the matters they debated? Why?

Question 48

Discuss the rationality and unitary actor assumptions often made by realists, assessing how well they hold in international relations and world politics.

Question 49

Discuss the insights we gain from the analyses of international relations in deterrence theory and game theory, underscoring how the rational and unitary state assumptions relate to such theories or approaches.

Question 50

Discuss how realists, liberals, economic structuralists, social constructivists, and feminists likely would accept, reject, or modify the rational framework outlined in this chapter that relates interests and capabilities to objectives framed in terms of threats and opportunities facing states as principal actors in the making of foreign policy.