Deck 3: Why War

Question 1

Macro theories of war are rooted in biology and psychology.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Recent research suggests that violence and war come naturally to humans and that their basic instinct is to confront and kill rather than run away.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Micro-level theories are cast at the individual level of analysis.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Macro theories of war assume that states' actions are determined by external forces more than internal forces.

Question 5

State-level theories of war assume that states' actions are the result of the international environment more than domestic factors.

Question 6

The Vietnam War taught the United States a valuable lesson previously expressed by Clausewitz: no war will be successful if it has little public support.

Question 7

Misperception can cause a state to be perceived as overly (and often unnecessarily) aggressive but not under-aggressive.

Question 8

If a state responds to the security dilemma, it will increase its arms and, ultimately, make itself safer.

Question 9

The rising power theory of war is accurate only when there is a territorial dispute involved.

Question 10

History is full of clearly analogous events so it's easy to understand a current situation by comparing it with a previous one.

Question 11

The behavior of soldiers on the battlefield leads us to conclude that ________.

A)war is not a natural human tendency
B) war is a product of human nature
C) most people can easily become natural killing machines
D) aggression in war is just an extension of the aggression exhibited in a number of popular sports
E) war cannot be avoided

Question 12

Which theory or theories of war might offer insight into their underlying causes but not their immediate causes?

A) psychological and macro-level
B) biological and micro-level
C) psychological and biological
D) macro-level and micro-level
E) macro-level and biological

Question 13

Which of the following is a macro theory of war?

A) democratic peace
B) economic interdependence
C) liberal idealist
D) cultural
E) balance of power

Question 14

What are the IR levels of analysis as proposed by Waltz?

A) revolutionary, state, and systemic
B) individual, state, and systemic
C) individual and state
D) state, systemic, and macro
E) individual, state, and revolutionary

Question 15

Which theory of international relations is the macro level of analysis most closely associated with?

A) liberal
B) realist
C) idealist
D) Marxist
E) neorealist

Question 16

Which of the following is a basic tendency of states according to macro-level analyses of war?

A) Attack other states and expand at all costs.
B) Hunker down and agree to be taken over.
C) Defend themselves and not try to expand.
D) Defend themselves when attacked and expand when they can.
E) Attack other states and contract when necessary.

Question 17

Balance-of-power theories of war argue that war is most likely when there is ________.

A) power symmetry
B) power asymmetry
C) no hegemony
D) a bipolar international system
E) a multipolar international system

Question 18

Which of the following is a correct interpretation of the hierarchy-of-power theory?

A)The calculations of power are problematic and it is not possible to know when power balances.
B)Transition times are blurry and cause countries to stay safe and avoid war.
C)Big wars with decisive outcomes lead to immediate retaliatory wars.
D)Periods of peace occurred when power was symmetric.
E)Achieving an accurate balance of power helps prevent obstreperous states from warring.

Question 19

Theories which focus on image and perception as causes of war argue that conflict is the result of ________.

A) one leader's image of another leader, accurate news, and skewed intelligence
B) true understanding of the economic and military prowess of another state
C) misperception, skewed news, and one leader's image of another leader
D) misperception and skewed news and skewed intelligence
E) imbalance of power among states

Question 20

The security dilemma produces at the very least what outcome?

A) increased military spending
B) decreased military spending
C)peace
D)increased social spending
E)war

Question 21

If you were a policymaker and believed the previous-war theory, which of the following would you consider unlikely to cause another war?

A) thirst for revenge
B) regional imbalances
C) obvious and overwhelming defeats
D) elite calculations
E) indecisive victories

Question 22

The 2006 Israeli incursion into Lebanon is an example of which theory of war?

A)previous-war
B)democratic peace
C)balance of power
D)hierarchy of power
E)security dilemma

Question 23

Which of the following is an international system suggested by Henry Kissinger, in which all states accept other states' right to exist?

A) revolutionary
B) peaceful
C) multipolar
D) legitimate
E) sovereign

Question 24

A/An ________ international system is one in which a major state seeks to not recognize the rights of some states to exist and tries to overthrow them.

A)reactionary
B)revolutionary
C)legitimate
D)illegitimate
E)imbalanced

Question 25

According to liberal idealists like Norman Angell, what prevents war?

A) democracy and separation of powers
B) free trade and separation of powers
C) capitalism and democracy
D) Marxism and Communism
E) free trade and capitalism

Question 26

What did American theologian Reinhold Neibuhr call a heresy because it required Christians to do nothing in the face of evil?
a.bellicosity
b.pacifism
c.peace
d.war
e.atheism

Question 27

Who among the following can be considered a leader of a revolutionary world system?

A) Napoleon
B) Woodrow Wilson
C) George H. W. Bush
D) Barack Obama
E) Jimmy Carter

Question 28

Which of the following does Huntington say best explains ongoing conflicts between Islam and Christianity?

A)cultural antipathy
B)revolutionary international system
C)security dilemma
D)balance-of-power theory
E)hierarchy-of-power theory

Question 29

Which level of analysis does Waltz say is the only complete level?

A) individual
B) state
C) international system
D) dyadic
E) micro

Question 30

According to Woodrow Wilson, what causes war?

A)democratic regimes
B)undemocratic regimes
C)arms race
D)imbalance of power
E)nuclear weapons

Question 31

How do micro- and macro-level theories of war differ? What levels of analysis do these correspond to? Which level of analysis do you find best?

Question 32

Are state-level theories of war superior to system-level theories? Is one level adequate to explain war or are both needed? Use examples from specific conflicts to justify your answer.

Question 33

Should U.S. foreign policy be geared toward the spread of democracy and capitalism as a way to decrease the number of wars in the future? Which theories of conflict would support the affirmative position? Which theories of conflict would contend that this is not sufficient to prevent war?

Question 34

Explain the basic tenets of Marxist and liberal idealist theories of war. On what fundamental point do these two theories diverge? Are they in any way complementary? Which do you find best reflects reality? Use real-world examples to support your conclusions.

Question 35

Understanding war means more than just understanding when they start. It also means understanding how they are fought and won, how long they last, and why and when they end. What does Carl Maria von Clausewitz have to say concerning each of these? In your discussion, formulate arguments concerning at least two points that you agree with as well as two points that you disagree with.

Question 36

How might theories of misinformation and theories of democracy and capitalism be related? Is it possible that misinformation can be reduced with the growth of particular institutions, namely democratic government and a free-market economy? Use examples in your answer.

Question 37

Do you find the previous-war theory convincing? Is this theory of war sufficient in and of itself to explain the occurrence of war? Why or why not?

Question 38

Is the current international system legitimate or revolutionary? Provide evidence for whichever position you take. If you choose legitimate, explain why some states that some might perceive as being revolutionary actually may not be; and if you choose revolutionary, provide examples of specific states whose behavior is consistent with that theory.