Deck 5: Domestic Politics and War

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a part of a bureaucracy?

A)The leader of a country.
B)The military leadership.
C)An intelligence agency.
D)An interest group.
E)The diplomatic corps.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

What action did the Arbenz government take in 1954 that the United Fruit Company opposed?

A)It took control of lands held by the United Fruit Company.
B)It made business-provided health care mandatory.
C)It disallowed foreign companies from investing in Guatemala.
D)It invited the CIA to partake in domestic operations in Guatemala.
E)It banned the purchase of military weapons from foreign sources.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What is an interest group?

A)A group of academic experts studying a particular issue.
B)A focus group the government creates to test possible policy changes.
C)A group of individuals that pushes for policies that benefit the group's members.
D)A faction of the government that pushes for economic and political changes.
E)A faction of the government that provides information and advice to its leaders.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In 1982,what event changed popular discontent in Argentina into widespread support for the government?

A)Argentina democratized.
B)Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands.
C)The government adopted significant economic reforms.
D)The United States invaded Argentina.
E)Argentina nationalized industries held by multinational corporations.

Question 5

Why did Argentina attack the Falklands/Malvinas Islands?

A)The Argentine government expected that taking control of the islands would improve its ability to stay in power.
B)The Argentine public pressured the government to retake the islands.
C)Argentine business groups pushed for the government to safeguard their economic interests in the islands.
D)Argentine military officers needed combat experience in order to be promoted to the highest ranks.
E)The Argentine government felt it had to launch a preemptive war.

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of a national interest?

A)The desire of important corporations to make a profit.
B)The aspiration of the armed forces to create a larger military organization.
C)The need for a country to maintain economic growth.
D)The need for a company to expand its oil exploration.
E)The expectation of the public that public officials will pay attention to its needs.

Question 7

Why was the war between Argentina and Britain over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands surprising?

A)The Falklands/Malvinas Islands were strategically important for Britain,and Argentina should have known the British would rigorously defend them.
B)The Falklands/Malvinas Islands were densely populated,and Argentina could anticipate a grueling fight to take over the territory.
C)The British had signaled a lack of commitment to the islands shortly before the war,and Argentina did not expect the British to fight over the territory.
D)The Argentine military junta was unpopular at the time and should have known that a war would only decrease its popularity further.
E)Argentina knew Britain's economy was weak and that they could not easily wage a war over islands that were extremely far away.

Question 8

War could further the particularistic interests of all of the following EXCEPT:

A)political leaders.
B)the general public.
C)ethnic lobbies.
D)the military.
E)business lobbies.

Question 9

How does the overthrow of the Arbenz government in Guatemala illustrate the problem of collective action?

A)Large group protests may provoke a backlash by the rich and powerful.
B)The combined effort by domestic actors such as the military can change unpopular governments.
C)Actors who share similar views are usually able to coordinate their efforts and achieve their goals.
D)A small group like United Fruit can obtain large benefits while the costs of intervention would be spread among taxpayers.
E)Expecting other leaders to come to his aid,Arbenz discovered too late that Fidel Castro and others would not act to save him.

Question 10

Kashmir is a contested territory on the border of which two rival states?

A)Argentina and the United Kingdom.
B)France and Germany.
C)India and Pakistan.
D)North Korea and South Korea.
E)Iran and Iraq.

Question 11

Countries that restrict competition in elections such that one party is almost assured of victory are considered:

A)liberal democratic.
B)nondemocratic.
C)free market.
D)bureaucratic.
E)accountable.

Question 12

Which of the following explanations of the United States' wars with Iraq relies on a particularistic interest explanation?

A)The United States government undermines regimes that threaten the profits of U.S.oil companies.
B)Oil is an important component of military power,and the United States must safeguard its supply.
C)Oil is critical for the smooth functioning of the economy,and the United States must avoid abrupt changes in oil supply and price.
D)Stability in the Middle East would make the United States more secure.
E)Spreading democracy in the Middle East would make the threat of war less likely.

Question 13

What is the unitary state assumption?

A)The belief that a state's leaders have the most impact on foreign policy decisions.
B)The examination of states that do not have a federal system of government.
C)The supposition that states act as if they have a unitary,rather than a federal,system of government.
D)The treatment of states as coherent actors with a set of interests that belong to the state.
E)The belief that one domestic actor can control the foreign policy of a state.

Question 14

What is a bureaucracy?

A)Any agency in a government with more than 50 employees.
B)The different organizations that carry out governance in the state.
C)Formal organizations that exist outside of the state.
D)An entrenched interest group.
E)A branch of the government that creates laws or decides what is legal.

Question 15

Which of the following would be considered an interest group in the United States?

A)The National Security Council,which advises the president on security issues.
B)The United States Department of State,which seeks better relations with other countries.
C)The Pentagon,which provides information to the president.
D)The Cuban American National Foundation,a Florida-based group seeking increased democracy in Cuba.
E)The Iraq Study Group,a panel appointed by the government to prepare a report on the 2003 Iraq War.

Question 16

The two largest wars in human history-World War I and World War II-were fought in part between neighboring rivals who have since become close allies,as both countries have also become more democratic.This country pair is:

A)France and the United Kingdom.
B)Germany and Russia.
C)France and Germany.
D)China and Russia.
E)China and India.

Question 17

Why did Britain react so strongly to the Argentine attack on the Falklands/Malvinas Islands?

A)The discovery of oil near the islands made the territory vital to its security.
B)The British public opposed Argentina's attack and supported the prime minister's aggressive response.
C)The British public felt that the Falklands were vital to its economic well-being.
D)The islands' location was strategically important to Britain.
E)Britain's economy was growing rapidly at the time,and it could afford to go to war with a weaker country.

Question 18

Why is it important to examine the interests of state leaders when attempting to explain the likelihood of war?

A)State leaders are usually put in place by the military,thus their interests are crucial to a declaration of war.
B)The public needs to know what those interests are before an election,so they can elect a good leader,since there is no way to influence the leader's decisions after an election.
C)The interests of a leader may not be obvious,since organized interest groups always influence a leader's decisions.
D)The likelihood of war decreases as the age of a leader increases.
E)Leaders have the authority to make foreign policy decisions,even if other actors influence them.

Question 19

Why would Dwight Eisenhower warn the American people about the military-industrial complex?

A)Strong links between the two removed civilian control over the military.
B)Such an alliance would push for a more aggressive foreign policy.
C)Americans would become immune to the rally effect if it was used too often.
D)Interest groups could not have a proper say in policy if the military had that much influence.
E)American manufacturing was harmed by having so much money going to the military.

Question 20

The following statements are all consistent with realism EXCEPT:

A)states recognize that territory is less important in the era of the Internet.
B)a main state interest is to preserve its sovereignty.
C)the external international environment dictates what states' interests are.
D)states seek to expand their own power in order to protect their territories.
E)states' main national interests do not change.

Question 21

Which of the following is an example of how bureaucratic organizations affect decision making?

A)Halliburton and other companies providing information to the U.S.government that increased the pressure on Iraq.
B)United Fruit pushing the U.S.government to overthrow the Arbenz regime in Guatemala.
C)The Iraq Study Group report leading to changes in the Bush administration's strategy in Iraq.
D)The American Israel Public Affairs Committee urging the Bush administration to stand firm in its support of Israel.
E)The United States making mistakes after the 2003 Iraq War because the Defense Department and the State Department fought over strategy.

Question 22

What is a diversionary incentive?

A)A temptation to switch trading partners to get a better deal.
B)An opportunity to change international agreements while other states are preoccupied with a conflict.
C)A payoff for avoiding war.
D)An attempt to avoid war by creating a distraction.
E)A temptation to start a crisis to create public support at home.

Question 23

Why are diversionary incentives less common than once thought?

A)The overall domestic costs of a war can be extremely high.
B)Political leaders are too cynical to think that the public will believe them.
C)There are too many benefits to starting a war.
D)Other states are unlikely to become preoccupied with a war.
E)There is little advantage to switching trading partners.

Question 24

What was the military-industrial complex that U.S.president Dwight Eisenhower warned about?

A)A geographical concentration of weapons productions facilities that made the facilities vulnerable to attack.
B)The collusion between military leaders and weapons builders that promoted a more aggressive foreign policy.
C)The difficulty of demobilizing the military effort at the end of World War II.
D)The superiority of Soviet weapons that put the United States at risk.
E)A secret weapons manufacturing plant in the closed Soviet city of Magadan.

Question 25

If war is costly,why would domestic actors be willing to risk a conflict?

A)They usually expect the war to take place on foreign soil.
B)The compulsory draft has ended in most countries,so only those who want to fight are in the military.
C)No one expects war to become too destructive in the nuclear era.
D)The costs and benefits are not evenly distributed among domestic actors.
E)They can put their assets in Swiss bank accounts before a war begins.

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT something that bureaucracies usually seek?

A)Bigger budgets.
B)More input into policy making.
C)Winning the next election.
D)Opportunities for personal promotion.
E)Increasing their resources.

Question 27

What is the most likely result for a leader after the outcome of a war?

A)An autocratic leader who wins a war is likely to lose power.
B)An autocratic leader who loses a war and loses power will go unpunished.
C)A democratic leader who wins a war is likely to lose power.
D)A democratic leader who loses a war is likely to lose power.
E)A democratic leader who loses a war and loses power is likely to be punished.

Question 28

Which of the following statements about military actors is true?

A)Military officers always advocate military solutions to international conflicts,because they are predisposed to war.
B)Military officers can be reluctant to advocate war,because they are more appreciative of the costs of war than civilian actors.
C)Military officers usually advocate war as a solution to international conflicts,because they always overestimate the strength of their own troops.
D)Military officers are reluctant to advocate war unless their forces are part of larger international coalitions.
E)Military officers tend to advocate war because,as officers,they are usually not in danger during battles.

Question 29

Why does the rally-round-the-flag effect occur?

A)Members of a group feel greater loyalty when they come into conflict with outsiders.
B)Individuals feel a greater sense of community at mass political rallies.
C)Average citizens feel that their leaders in government will finally hear their collective voice.
D)Citizens usually want to help protect people who share ethnic and historical ties with their country.
E)A leader knows starting a war will prove to the public that he or she is a loyal and responsible leader.

Question 30

Which of the following is an example of the rally-round-the-flag effect?

A)A leader begins a war to show how patriotic he or she is.
B)A leader begins a war to reclaim territory that has historically belonged to his or her country.
C)The citizens of a country pressure the government to go to war,even when its leaders are reluctant to do so.
D)The citizens of a country unite to support their country when a dramatic international event occurs.
E)The citizens of a country unite to reduce immigration and foreign involvement.

Question 31

What does the expression "where you stand depends on where you sit" mean?

A)The power of a state depends on its geographic location.
B)An adviser's bias becomes more obvious when the adviser takes a strong position on an issue.
C)The status of a bureaucratic agency depends on the quality of its offices.
D)The power of an adviser is reflected by how close the actor sits to the leader in important meetings.
E)Leaders of bureaucratic agencies often advocate policies that reflect their organizations' needs.

Question 32

Which of the following is most likely to lose office after leading his or her country into war?

A)An autocratic leader whose country wins a war.
B)An autocratic leader whose country loses a war.
C)A democratic leader whose country wins a war.
D)A democratic leader whose country loses a war.
E)Leaders almost never lose office after leading a country into war.

Question 33

All of the following are reasons that members of the military would be predisposed to an aggressive foreign policy EXCEPT:

A)military leaders may be ideologically inclined to prefer military solutions to foreign policy problems.
B)military leaders may overestimate how efficient the use of force will be,compared to other possible solutions to foreign policy problems.
C)military officers do not care if they put their troops into dangerous situations.
D)the military can receive larger budgets when a country is facing the prospect of international conflict.
E)military officers usually need combat experience for promotion.

Question 34

All of the following are examples of when the military can be an important domestic actor EXCEPT when:

A)a group of military officers took direct control of the Brazilian government from 1964 to 1985.
B)a single general was the dictator of Chile from 1973 to 1990.
C)the Argentine military junta was forced from office by popular rebellions in 1983.
D)the civilian president of Ecuador was forced from office with support from the military in 2000.
E)the Mexican government used the military to shoot student protesters in 1968.

Question 35

In which of these cases would the influence of interest groups make conflict LESS likely?

A)A small number of investors want the government to protect its diamond mines in a country with an unfriendly government.
B)A small number of arms manufacturers build weapons that deter other countries from attacking.
C)Immigrants want the government to impose a trade embargo on goods manufactured in their homeland.
D)A group of manufacturers wants the government to increase tariffs on imports.
E)A small group of investors wants to increase trade with another country.

Question 36

Which of the following best describes how the military can influence decision making?

A)Leaders of democratic countries largely ignore the military.
B)The military has the most credible information about a country's own capabilities.
C)The military strongly advocates a policy of "shoot first,gather intelligence later."
D)A military is only influential in democracies and has little influence in other types of regimes.
E)Typically the military keeps its contingency plans secret from the leader,so that the information is not leaked to enemies.

Question 37

Which of the following statements best describes the possible constraints leaders face when considering whether to go to war?

A)Most leaders do not concern themselves with how many resources interest groups have.
B)A leader rarely has to worry about the interests of military officers,since they must be obedient to the chief executive.
C)Most leaders have to consider the response of the public when thinking of going to war.
D)A leader would never risk going to war just to improve the chances of reelection.
E)A leader's options improve when the amount of information given to the public is increased.

Question 38

Which of the following is an example of the rally effect?

A)The leader of a country starts a war to distract attention from his or her government's struggles.
B)After a country declares war,public support for the government rises sharply.
C)The military pushes for more defense funding for troops in the field.
D)The leader of a country that was unsuccessful in war loses the next election.
E)A powerful interest group lobbies on behalf of sending more support to a country it favors.

Question 39

Which of the following best summarizes the likelihood of war if all of the world was democratic?

A)There would likely be fewer wars than there are now.
B)There would likely be as many wars as there are now.
C)There would likely be more wars than there are now.
D)The number of wars would go up in the short run but down in the long run.
E)The number of wars would go down in the short run but up in the long run.

Question 40

Which of the following statements about hawkish narrow-interest groups is true?

A)Their interests are so narrow that their views are drowned out by other voices.
B)They are more likely to influence the government when more domestic actors are participating in public debates.
C)Through their activities they often can single-handedly compel a country to go to war.
D)Their interests usually coincide with the national interest.
E)Their activities create more opportunities for conflict.

Question 41

What effect do influential,dovish interest groups have on the bargaining model of war?

A)They make war between states more likely.
B)They decrease the acceptable bargaining range for the state in which they are located.
C)They increase the acceptable bargaining range for the state in which they are located.
D)They decrease the acceptable bargaining range for the opposing state.
E)They increase the acceptable bargaining range for the opposing state.

Question 42

How does the Kargil War illustrate the influence of the military in foreign policy decision making?

A)The civilian leader of Pakistan did not know that Pakistani troops would be involved in the attack.
B)The autocratic leader of Pakistan at the time was a general.
C)The Pakistani military had to comply with the president's order to support Kashmiri insurgents with training and weapons.
D)The Indian military failed to provide adequate information and was taken by surprise when it discovered Pakistani troops crossing the Line of Control.
E)The Indian military provided biased information to the civilian leader of India to justify its attack on Pakistani forces.

Question 43

It has been said that how much the general public matters in foreign policy decision making is a question of how much democracy matters.Why would this be the case?

Question 44

Why does accountability reduce the likelihood of democracies going to war?

A)Citizens will voice their disapproval of reckless wars during public debates before a war can begin.
B)The responsibility of elected governments to reduce deficit spending will also inhibit their ability to launch costly wars.
C)Democracies face more liability from international organizations for violating the rules of war.
D)Through elections,voters will remove leaders who start wars viewed as wasteful or unwise.
E)Voters are more likely to elect leaders who refuse to participate in conflict.

Question 45

What is the "democratic peace"?

A)Countries with democratic governments are less likely to experience civil unrest than countries with autocratic governments.
B)The increase in international organizations with democratic procedures has decreased the likelihood of war.
C)Autocratic countries avoid going to war with democratic countries.
D)Democratic countries are less likely than autocratic countries to go to war with any country.
E)Countries with democratic governments are less likely to go to war with other democracies.

Question 46

Which of the following is an example of an interest group successfully pushing a state into a conflict?

A)Japan attacking Pearl Harbor because the United States was impeding its supply of oil.
B)The United States sponsoring a failed invasion of Cuba because the Cuban leaders were communists.
C)The United States removing Guatemalan president Arbenz to protect United Fruit's assets.
D)The Soviet Union invading Afghanistan after an anti-Soviet government took power there.
E)India attacking Pakistan because Pakistani military forces crossed the Line of Control in Kashmir.

Question 47

Which of the following countries would be considered a liberal democracy?

A)A country with a democratically elected government that prohibits religious minorities from holding public office.
B)A country with a democratically elected government that gives a particular ethnic minority a preference when hiring public workers.
C)A country with a democratically elected government that creates a media consulting board to ban stories that unfairly criticize public officials.
D)A democracy that limits the number of political parties that can form,in order to reduce confusion for the voters.
E)A democracy that allows newspapers and television news to publish stories that are sometimes inaccurate.

Question 48

How can the level of influence an interest group has had in making a foreign policy decision be determined?

A)Usually policies only happen for one reason,so if it benefits a group then it likely happened because of its influence.
B)One can assume that,since a policy decision benefited a group,the decision must have been made in order to benefit that group.
C)In democracies,interest groups have to make their campaign contributions public,so one can link the amount of money with policy decisions that benefit a group.
D)Measuring the influence of an interest group is difficult,because usually one cannot directly observe the connection between a group and the ultimate decision.
E)Scholars find out how much influence an interest group has had when official records are made public long after the decision has been made.

Question 49

How do democratic institutions help solve commitment problems?

A)Citizens can better scrutinize government actions before a conflict occurs.
B)Citizens can vote directly on whether their country should go to war.
C)Elected leaders face greater costs if they back down from threats.
D)Elected leaders will have to campaign longer and harder if they lose a war.
E)States are more likely to follow through on their obligations if an international organization has fair voting procedures.

Question 50

When is it likely that interest groups will influence foreign policy decisions?

Question 51

Which of the following is an example of a diversionary incentive?

A)The leader of a country starts a war to distract attention from his or her government's struggles.
B)After a country declares war,public support for the government rises sharply.
C)The military pushes for more defense funding for troops in the field.
D)The leader of a country that was unsuccessful in war loses the next election.
E)A powerful interest group lobbies on behalf of sending more support to a country it favors.

Question 52

How do democratic institutions help reduce informational problems?

A)Democratic governments make all information public,so allies and enemies know their capabilities.
B)Policy decisions are usually debated in public,so foreign governments can obtain more information about resolve.
C)Citizens can easily ascertain how well a conflict is handled and can vote a leader out of office at the next election.
D)International organizations with no suppression of information can freely monitor states to make sure they are not cheating on their agreements.
E)Interest groups in democratic countries can provide valuable expert advice on how to deal with possible conflicts.

Question 53

What is the rally effect? What causes it? Do you believe leaders purposefully change their behavior to cause a rally effect? Why might they or might they not do so?

Question 54

What is one reason why there would be a democratic peace?

A)People who want to be leaders of democracies are always more peaceful than leaders of autocracies.
B)Citizens of democracies are able to use a domestic institutions system to resolve their differences.
C)The positions of autocratic leaders are always more tenuous than those of democratic leaders,so autocratic leaders are less likely to go to war.
D)The citizens who bear the costs of war restrain leaders from beginning international conflicts.
E)International organizations have increased the number of opportunities for transparent negotiations between countries.

Question 55

Which of the following definitions best describes the current conception of democracy?

A)A system in which all citizens are free to make their own political decisions.
B)A system in which all citizens meet together to discuss and vote on laws.
C)A system in which candidates compete for political office through frequent,fair elections in which most of the adult population can vote.
D)A system in which representatives are selected in elections.
E)A system in which a few representatives are allowed to make decisions for the many,as long as they preserve basic individual freedoms.

Question 56

Which of these domestic actors is most likely to benefit from a war?

A)Citizens who pay taxes.
B)Companies that manufacture weapons.
C)Male citizens who are over eighteen years old.
D)Businesses that import luxury goods.
E)Organizations pushing for more public services.

Question 57

Why is losing a war more costly for nondemocratic leaders than for democratic leaders?

A)Since nondemocratic leaders are more insulated from public input,they are more surprised by the vehemence of public criticism after the war.
B)Nondemocratic leaders are more likely to overestimate the capabilities of their own military and experience much worse losses than wars begun by democratically elected leaders.
C)Spending money on waging a war but not getting any resources in return means that an undemocratic leader will have less money than democratically elected leaders,who usually have a steady salary.
D)Wars are generally financed personally by nondemocratic leaders.
E)Nondemocratic leaders are more likely to be jailed if they cause a war that their country loses.

Question 58

Domestic actors can affect the likelihood of international conflict in all of the following ways EXCEPT domestic actors:

A)alone determine whether a state will go to war.
B)can widen or narrow the scope of goods over which leaders might wage war.
C)can influence when and how often a state's interests will come into conflict with other states' interests.
D)can determine the size of the demands that states make.
E)can influence how much risk the state is willing to take.

Question 59

All of the following are reasons for doubting the democratic peace EXCEPT:

A)democratic states may not have had a chance to fight with each other in the nineteenth century,because there were few democracies at that time.
B)the major democratic states did not go to war against each other during the nineteenth century,but they did experience many crises that nearly led to war over colonies.
C)too many democracies have actually fought against each other since the end of World War II to find the theory believable.
D)democratic states in the twentieth century may not have fought with each other because they were allied against a more powerful nondemocratic enemy.
E)rather than democracy causing peace,some other factor may cause both democracy and peace.

Question 60

Which of the following is an example of accountability?

A)The leader of a country starts a war to distract attention from his or her government's struggles.
B)After a country declares war,public support for the government rises sharply.
C)The military pushes for more defense funding for troops in the field.
D)The leader of a country that was unsuccessful in war loses the next election.
E)A powerful interest group lobbies on behalf of sending more support to a country it favors.

Question 61

How do interests,institutions,and interactions explain why the Falklands/Malvinas War occurred?

Question 62

Explain how the democratic peace theory encompasses institutions,interactions,and interests.

Question 63

How are leaders' interests and options different in democratic and nondemocratic countries?

Question 64

Explain how and to what extent the military can influence foreign policy decisions.

Question 65

How does the Kargil War between India and Pakistan demonstrate the limitations of democratic peace theory?

Question 66

How do interest groups affect the bargaining range of states? How does this differ if the groups or actors are hawks or doves?

Question 67

Why might the democratic peace simply be a coincidence?

Question 68

Explain why a world full of democracies would not necessarily be a world without war.