Deck 9: Oil and Turmoil: The Persian Gulf

Question 1

The United States strongly supported the shah's rise to power in Iran through CIA-sponsored dissident activity.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

In the early twentieth century, the British, who supported the rulers of Tehran, became popular among the Persians.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Sunni is the mainstream branch of Islam and the state religion of Iran.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The country known as Iraq did not exist until the British created it in 1922.

Question 5

The United States contributed to Iraq's defeat of Iran in their 1980-1988 war.

Question 6

Afghanistan is called a failed state by many because it lacks a strong central government.

Question 7

Al Qaeda was the ruling governing power in Afghanistan after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989.

Question 8

The 1991 war revealed that Iraq did not have a substantial nuclear program.

Question 9

The United States found weapons of mass destruction after its war with Iraq in 2003.

Question 10

Al Qaeda is a salafi movement that seeks to overthrow existing Arab regimes not liked by them.

Question 11

A white revolution is ________.

A) a revolution that is less violent
B) a revolution from the masses up
C) a revolution from the top down
D) a revolution initiated by the military
E) a revolution to generate peace

Question 12

The Persian Gulf is a geopolitically strategic region because it contains ________ percent of the globe's proven petroleum reserves.

A) twenty
B) twenty-five
C) fifty
D) seventy
E) eighty

Question 13

Iran is a unique Middle Eastern country because it is ________.

A) Shia Muslim and Arab
B) Shia Muslim but not Arab
C) Sunni Muslim and Arab
D) Sunni Muslim and not Arab
E) non-Muslim and Arab

Question 14

What group was not in the Ayatollah's coalition when he came to power?

A)shah's supporters
B) Islamic fundamentalists
C) secular intellectuals
D) Communists
E) proponents of democracy

Question 15

Ancient Mesopotamia, which for centuries comprised three provinces of the Ottoman Empire, is today the country of ________.

A) Iran
B) Syria
C) Lebanon
D) Iraq
E) Jordan

Question 16

Political scientist Samuel Huntington makes the argument that post-Cold War, the greatest conflict is where ________ civilization meets other civilizations. .

A) Muslim
B) Western
C) Slavic/Orthodox
D) Confucian
E) Hindu

Question 17

One of the greatest civilizational conflicts of the post-Cold War era was between ________.

A) South Korea and North Korea
B) China and Taiwan
C) Iraq and the United States
D) Iraq and Iran
E) Iran and Turkey

Question 18

Why did Iraq think it could easily beat Iran when it initiated the 1980 war?

A) Iran had a weak, old leadership.
B) Iranians lacked courage.
C) Iran lacked U.S. protection.
D) Iraq had Russian protection and aid.
E) Iranians were not nationalist enough.

Question 19

Given what we learned from the Iran-Iraq war, one might conclude that wars in general end when ________.

A) both sides are evenly matched in terms of weapons and troops
B) one side gains a clear weapons advantage
C) one side has a weapons advantage that is counteracted by the other's troop (number) advantage
D) one side's will to fight is depleted
E) both sides abandon conventional warfare

Question 20

Which was the longest war for the Americans in the Gulf region, with the conflict still not totally resolved?

A) the Iran-Iraq War
B) the Afghan War
C) the Gulf War
D) the Iraq War
E) the Vietnam War

Question 21

________, a jumble of tribes, languages, and clans, was considered the "tomb of invaders."

A) Afghanistan
B) Saudi Arabia
C) Kuwait
D) Iran
E) Turkey

Question 22

In their bitter struggle with Baghdad for their own nation, the ________ were betrayed time and again by Tehran and the United States.

A) the Taliban
B) the Afghans
C) the Kurds
D) the Pashtuns
E) the Shia militia

Question 23

As a result of the Afghan War, the Taliban and Al Qaeda have sought refuge in which part or parts of Pakistan?

A) Islamabad
B) Balochistan and Federally Administered Tribal Areas
C) North-West Frontier Province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas
D) Kashmir and the North-West Frontier Province
E) Balochistan and Sindh

Question 24

Analysts of the Persian Gulf conflicts cite as lessons all of the following statements EXCEPT which?

A) Deterrence works, as fear of nuclear retaliation deterred Saddam from using chemical weapons on Americans or Israelis.
B) You have to be a major power to have a major war.
C) War is increasingly electronic, as drones and smart bombs can give an edge.
D) Arms sellers are happy to supply arms to aggressors.
E) Governments control media coverage of wars.

Question 25

There were many reasons, but the underlying issue behind the Gulf War was ________.

A) Saddam Hussein's desire to prevent the spread of an Islamic Revolution
B) Saddam Hussein's desire to become the regional superpower
C) Kuwait's desire to separate from Iraq's Basra province
D) Kuwait and Saudi Arabia's insistence that Iraq pay back loans taken out to defeat Iran
E) Kuwait pumping too much oil from the Rumaila oilfield and driving down world oil prices

Question 26

The United States did not warn the shah of an impending revolution (1979) because ________.

A) the U.S. did not view the shah as a friend
B) the shah did not view the U.S. as a friend
C) the U.S. did not know due to the CIA's failure to do their job
D) the U.S. did not know because SAVAK did not pass crucial information to the CIA
E) U.S. diplomats in Iran chose to ignore the information they were gathering

Question 27

In order to avoid the perception of imperialism, the United States assembled a coalition of ________ for the Gulf War.

A)Europeans, Asians, and Arabs
B) Arabs, Russians, and Latin Americans
C) Europeans, Central Americans, and Arabs
D) Europeans, Asians, and Central Americans
E) Europeans, Latin Americans, and Chinese

Question 28

Iraq's actions in the Gulf War showed that ________.

A) chemical warfare is superior
B) poison gas is a deterrent
C) nuclear powers are inferior
D) threat of nukes deterred use of gas
E) it was a nuclear power

Question 29

Iraq refused U.S. demands for full access for weapons inspectors in 2002 because ________.

A) they were hiding biological weapons
B) they had weapons of mass destruction
C) they wanted Tehran to think they had weapons of mass destruction
D) they wanted Washington to think they had weapons of mass destruction
E) they wanted Saudi Arabia to think they had weapons of mass destruction

Question 30

What were the main groups in politically fragmented Iraq post the U.S. conquest?

A) Shias in the south, Sunni Arabs in the center, and Kurds in the north
B) Shias in the north, Sunni Arabs in the center, and Kurds in the south
C) Sunni Arabs in the north and Shias in the center
D) Sunni Arabs in the center and Shias in the south
E) Shias in the south and Kurds in the north

Question 31

Which of the following keep conservative Gulf monarchies and unpopular authoritarian regimes in power?

A) oil subsidies, strong parliaments, and high degrees of legitimacy
B) strong security forces, strong parliaments, and weak executives
C) democratic elections, strong executives, and free-market economies
D) strong security forces, high unemployment, and democratic elections
E) strong security forces, rigged elections, and lavish oil subsidies

Question 32

Does Iran's adherence to Shia rather than Sunni Islam help preserve U.S. interest in the Middle East? Consider the traditional divide-and-rule strategy of the British and apply the same logic to this situation. Define U.S. national interests, particularly in relation to the Middle East, in your answer.

Question 33

Discuss the geopolitical interests of the Middle East for Europe, China, and the United States. Which Middle Eastern countries are most advantaged and why? Why has the U.S. made some of these countries allies while others are far from it?

Question 34

Discuss some of the shah's tactics to stay in power that likely led to mass discontent and, ultimately, his removal from power. How might these tactics have generated such popular outrage? Why did the U.S. stand by as he engaged in these activities? Which of the tactics are you most surprised that the U.S. ignored?

Question 35

How did the combination of industrialization, increased public demands on the government, and a religious community more committed to fulfilling the needs of the population contribute to the fall of the shah? Discuss the role of immigration into urban areas for work opportunities and appeals from the exiled Khomeini as well.

Question 36

Is there hope for change in the Middle East? Discuss the roles of education, fertility rates, democracy, and globalization (particularly communication) in your answer.

Question 37

Why did the Taliban come to power in Afghanistan? Have the Taliban and Al Qaeda been destroyed or have they moved elsewhere? If it is the latter, where are they and why there?

Question 38

Why is the Persian Gulf such an unstable region? Is the American plan for Iraq (democracy) really the only way to bring peace to the region? Or are there alternative ways to achieve the same end in a region that has been said to be naturally resistant to democracy?

Question 39

Can Iraq become a stable democracy as long as it holds onto the region occupied by the Kurds? What are the arguments for and against allowing Kurdish independence? Would this decision affect only Iraq?

Question 40

What must be done before Afghanistan can become a stable, functioning government? What is necessary to make Afghanistan a democracy? Is this likely? Explain why or why not and provide examples.