Deck 18: Making Foreign and Defense Policy

Question 1

Prior to World War I,many Americans believed in a(n)__________ approach to foreign policy.

A)realist
B)diplomatic
C)idealist
D)isolationist

Answer 1

D

Question 2

During the Cold War,the notion of __________ kept both the United States and the Soviet Union from using their nuclear weapons,but also kept each on constant alert in case the other dared to act first.

A)mutual active deterrence
B)multilateral accord doctrine
C)mutual assured destruction
D)military action detonation

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The Bush Doctrine,announced shortly after 9/11,reserved the right of the United States to attack any nation under which of the following circumstances?

A)only with the support of U.S.allies
B)even without the support of U.S.allies
C)even without the support of U.S.allies,but only after all diplomatic attempts had failed
D)only with the support of U.S.allies and only after all diplomatic attempts failed

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Why did the Bush Administration back away from the Bush Doctrine only three years after announcing it?

A)The administration realized that a multilateral approach could reduce tensions with other Middle Eastern nations.
B)The administration bowed to pressure from the United Nations.
C)The administration felt that its objectives under the Bush Doctrine had been achieved.
D)The administration decided a unilateral approach would best serve U.S.national security interests.

Question 5

Who serves on the Joint Chiefs of Staff?

A)the cabinet secretaries
B)the leaders of the armed forces
C)the president's foreign policy advisers
D)the White House military intelligence corps

Question 6

The day-to-day work of organizing for defense is the job of the __________.

A)Department of State
B)Department of Defense
C)Foreign Service
D)president

Question 7

Which of the following statements most accurately reflects Americans' views about foreign aid?

A)The United States spends too much on foreign aid.
B)The United States should spend more on foreign aid.
C)Foreign aid comprises a very small percentage of the federal budget.
D)The United States spends much less on foreign aid than other Western democracies.

Question 8

What is the role of the national security adviser?

A)to provide the president with information that reinforces the president's foreign policy positions
B)to act as a liaison between the Department of Defense and the military
C)to lead the Department of Homeland Security
D)to give the president independent advice about foreign and military policy

Question 9

One of the primary reasons for undertaking the war in Afghanistan was __________.

A)nation building
B)protection of religious freedom
C)retaliation for the bombing of the USS Cole
D)protection of Iraq from Afghan military attacks

Question 10

How are members of the military currently selected?

A)They are all volunteers.
B)They are all conscripted.
C)About half volunteer and half are conscripted.
D)Officers are conscripted and enlisted soldiers are drafted.

Question 11

What role did the United States play in the Libyan civil war in 2011?

A)The United States supplied arms to anti-Gaddafi forces and participated in the air war.
B)The United States committed troops to support Libyans' resistance to Gaddafi.
C)The United States stayed out of the conflict entirely.
D)The United States supplied arms to the Gaddafi regime.

Question 12

Although the Obama administration favors diplomacy in international affairs,it has shown a willingness to use hard power in __________.

A)Afghanistan
B)China
C)North Korea
D)Russia

Question 13

__________ is organized around a series of "desks" representing different parts of the world and foreign policy missions.

A)The Department of Homeland Security
B)The Department of State
C)The Department of Defense
D)The Office of Terrorism and Finance

Question 14

Which international organization was created in 1945 by the victors of World War II?

A)the League of Nations
B)the United Nations
C)the World Trade Organization
D)the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Question 15

College students have used what major strategy in protesting the human rights abuses in the Darfur region of Sudan?

A)testifying before Congress
B)pressuring their colleges and universities to divest from companies that operate in Sudan
C)creating YouTube videos to raise public awareness of the crisis in Darfur
D)sending student ambassadors to the region to engage in talks with government leaders

Question 16

Which of the following is true of the Central Intelligence Agency?

A)Most of the information the CIA gathers comes from open sources,such as the Internet.
B)It is the second most important intelligence agency,behind the National Security Agency.
C)It is headed by the director of National Intelligence.
D)After 9/11,it was merged with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Question 17

Who instituted the Marshall Plan and who benefited directly from it?

A)The Soviet Union instituted the Marshall Plan to benefit Eastern Europe.
B)Germany instituted the Marshall Plan to benefit the United States.
C)Italy instituted the Marshall Plan to benefit Western Europe.
D)The United States instituted the Marshall Plan to benefit Eastern Europe.

Question 18

Which of the following countries is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council?

A)Germany
B)Spain
C)Italy
D)the United States

Question 19

The war in Iraq began under __________ and ended under __________.

A)Bill Clinton;George H.W.Bush
B)Bill Clinton;George W.Bush
C)George H.W.Bush;George W.Bush
D)George W.Bush;Barack Obama

Question 20

The cuts of 100,000 U.S.armed services personnel scheduled to take place between 2013 and 2017 are a reflection not only of efforts to reduce federal spending but also of which of the following?

A)an armed forces reduction agreement
B)cold war
C)the changing nature of war
D)reinstatement of military conscription

Question 21

Congress can exercise influence over foreign policy through its power to __________.

A)command the armed forces
B)ratify treaties
C)recognize the sovereignty of foreign countries
D)receive diplomats

Question 22

__________ is an agency within the intelligence community that specializes in electronic reconnaissance and code breaking.

A)The Secret Service
B)The National Security Agency
C)The Defense Intelligence Agency
D)The Bureau of Intelligence and Research

Question 23

The Obama administration's foreign and defense policy has been largely guided by cold calculations of the costs and benefits of action.It can thus be described as a(n)__________ approach.

A)realist
B)unilateralist
C)isolationist
D)opportunistic

Question 24

Like many federal agencies,the Foreign Service has faced what difficulty in recent years?

A)maintaining the secrecy of its intelligence gathering operations
B)gaining the trust of foreign governments
C)overcoming the lack of coordination within the intelligence community
D)recruiting officers with Arabic-language skills

Question 25

The Obama administration argued that it is in the world's best interests to limit access to nuclear materials,which is an example of which of the following policy approaches?

A)realism
B)idealism
C)isolationism
D)containment

Question 26

Historically,U.S.foreign and defense policy has been based on two competing worldviews known as __________ and __________.

A)isolationism;internationalism
B)realism;idealism
C)unilateralism;multilateralism
D)hard power;soft power

Question 27

Who was President Bush referring to when he asked a joint session of Congress,"Why do they hate us?"

A)the terrorists who attacked the United States on September 11,2001
B)the leaders of Iran,who threatened to launch a nuclear attack against Israel,an American ally
C)the people of Iraq,who opposed the U.S.occupation of their country
D)the leaders of the Taliban in Afghanistan,who vowed to fight the United States

Question 28

Which of the following is most consistent with the concept of diplomacy?

A)counterintelligence
B)military threats
C)negotiation
D)confrontation

Question 29

In what way can Congress check presidential power in foreign policy?

A)Congress can fire ambassadors who are not executing foreign policy according to Congress's wishes.
B)Congress can reduce appropriations for executing the president's foreign policy.
C)Congress can change foreign policy with a joint declaration of two-thirds of each chamber,which does not require the president's signature.
D)Congress can negotiate treaties with other countries,even if the president disagrees with them,as long as they are ratified by a two-thirds vote in the Senate.

Question 30

In striving to deal with the uncertainty of the post-Cold War world,the United States struggles to balance which of the following two things?

A)domestic programs and foreign aid
B)individual liberty and national interest
C)free trade and intellectual property rights
D)the public's right to information and national security

Question 31

Which of the following comprises nearly two-thirds of the U.S.defense budget?

A)salaries
B)health care
C)training
D)private business contracts

Question 32

President Obama's approach to securing peace between Israel and its neighbors is an illustration of __________.

A)the power of deterrence
B)the power of economic sanctions
C)hard power
D)soft power

Question 33

What is the main foreign or defense policy threat posed by Iran?

A)nuclear capabilities
B)economic collapse
C)trade disagreements
D)conventional arms

Question 34

What is the primary responsibility of the secretary of defense?

A)intelligence
B)diplomacy
C)homeland security
D)military policy

Question 35

Which of the following constitutes a significant,contemporary challenge to U.S.foreign policy efforts in nation building?

A)The United States is no longer in a position to provide large amounts of foreign aid to countries because of the current federal deficit.
B)Today many countries led by dictators are deeply divided,and citizens who call for democracy are subjected to military force.
C)There is no clear goal behind helping countries rebuild after a dictator has been removed from control.
D)Most countries needing help today have very negative attitudes toward the United States.

Question 36

What was the main purpose of the Marshall Plan?

A)to protect Eastern Europe from undue influence of the Soviet Union in the wake of World War II
B)to help rebuild Europe after World War II so that it would be less vulnerable to communist influences
C)to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction to unstable governments
D)to repair relations between the United States and the Soviet Union near the end of the Cold War

Question 37

Which of the following was a fundamental part of the George W.Bush administration's case for the 2003 war in Iraq?

A)Iraq attacked Israel in 2002 with SCUD missiles and was threatening to do so again.
B)Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
C)Saddam Hussein had provided Al-Qaeda with military intelligence and training.
D)Saddam Hussein had permitted Osama bin Laden to use Iraq for training terrorists.

Question 38

Which of the following is comprised of a broad array of the president's foreign policy advisers and is housed within the White House?

A)the Department of State
B)the Department of Homeland Security
C)the National Security Council
D)the Central Intelligence Agency

Question 39

According to realism,what is the main driver of foreign policy?

A)protecting natural resources such as timber,oil,and fertile farmland
B)promoting a country's self-interest
C)finding solutions to problems shared by several nations
D)reducing conflict

Question 40

The __________ oversees the Transportation Security Administration,which conducts passenger and baggage screening at airports.

A)Department of Defense
B)Department of State
C)Central Intelligence Agency
D)Department of Homeland Security

Question 41

Which of the following contributed to the intelligence community's failure to prevent the terrorist attacks of September 11,2001?

A)The Office of the Director of National Intelligence failed to coordinate the movement of information within the intelligence community.
B)Each intelligence agency was created to collect unique information for a unique client,so the agencies rarely shared information.
C)The agencies that had primary responsibility for gathering intelligence information were not the same ones that had primary responsibility for acting upon that information.
D)The intelligence agencies had been ordered by the president to work with one another only during times of national crisis so as to keep classified information from getting into too many different hands.

Question 42

When was military conscription established in the United States?

A)during the Revolutionary War
B)during the Civil War
C)during World War I
D)during World War II

Question 43

Which of the following policies is most consistent with a foreign policy approach based on idealism?

A)imposing quotas on imported beef
B)working with the United Nations to reduce AIDS in Africa
C)launching a military strike to ensure access to Middle Eastern oil deposits
D)expelling diplomats from foreign countries under socialist control

Question 44

Given the changing nature of war,which of the following changes to defense policy would best prepare the United States for future conflict?

A)The military should increase the numbers of armed forces personnel and weaponry,since terrorism focuses on military targets and future wars will bring far more casualties and destruction to the military.
B)The military should reduce the number of armed services personnel but increase the number of stealth bomber and fighter pilots,since less face-to-face combat will be required in future wars.
C)The military should increase defense spending to build a stronger arsenal of nuclear weapons,since nuclear war will be inevitable.
D)The military should reduce the number of armed forces personnel and weaponry,given that armed conflict is becoming less of a threat in the twenty-first century.

Question 45

What is the primary factor driving U.S.foreign policy in Iran and North Korea?

A)the goal of developing trade relations
B)retaliation for the September 11 terrorist attacks
C)the goal of promoting democracy
D)the threat the countries pose to the United States

Question 46

Which of the following has contributed to the military's ability to recruit minorities?

A)the military's focus on recruiting high school graduates who are not college bound
B)the economic downturn,which limited other career paths for minorities
C)the fact that more minorities are entering college
D)the fact that minority high school graduation rates have increased

Question 47

Who would the president be most likely to consult to determine the best way to use the military to destroy North Korea's nuclear capabilities?

A)the secretary of defense
B)the secretary of state
C)the Director of National Intelligence
D)the national security adviser

Question 48

If the United States wanted to begin promoting democracy in a country controlled by a dictator who was denying its citizens human rights,which of the following would likely be the first step an internationalist U.S.president would take?

A)stockpile additional nuclear weapons in case the dictator became powerful enough to be a threat to the United States
B)engage in a military conflict to oust the dictator and help the people establish democracy
C)request that the dictator meet with the secretary of state to explore common trade interests between that country and the United States
D)extend diplomatic immunity to any citizen who could manage to leave the country and come to the United States

Question 49

How are normal trade relations typically granted?

A)Trade relations are granted under a "fast track" basis,whereby Congress limits debate and amendments.
B)Trade relations are granted by executive order of the president.
C)Trade relations are granted following a two-thirds vote in each chamber of Congress.
D)Trade relations are granted following a two-thirds vote in the Senate.

Question 50

Under the George W.Bush administration,Congress reorganized the intelligence community and created a new position known as the director of National Intelligence.Why did Congress do this?

A)The director of the Central Intelligence Agency needed additional authority to combat the growing threat posed by weapons of mass destruction.
B)The September 11,2001,terrorist attacks revealed flaws in the way the U.S.intelligence community operated.
C)There was a need for the decentralization of authority within the intelligence community to prevent competition between agencies.
D)Congress wanted the Bush administration to have greater influence over the intelligence community.

Question 51

What is the most serious common threat posed to the United States by both Iran and North Korea?

A)terrorism
B)trade wars
C)nuclear ambitions
D)communism

Question 52

Who is the president most likely to consult for advice about how to best take advantage of the strengths of the various service branches when conducting a military operation?

A)the Central Intelligence Agency
B)the Director of National Intelligence
C)the secretary of homeland security
D)the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Question 53

Which of the following has been a major source of conflict between the United States and China?

A)trade policy
B)antiterrorism policy
C)immigration policy
D)environmental policy

Question 54

The United States' efforts to control global climate change are best described as __________.

A)effective
B)multilateral
C)aggressive
D)mixed

Question 55

Which of the following is considered a major success of the United Nations?

A)the UN peacekeeping mission in Syria
B)the Arab Spring
C)the World Food Program
D)the Peace Corps

Question 56

In signing "The Road Map to Peace," what did Israel agree to do?

A)dismantle settlements of Israeli citizens in the occupied territories
B)dismantle its nuclear weapons facilities
C)stockpile nuclear weapons to deter Iran from launching a nuclear attack
D)arrest and restrain individuals planning to conduct violent attacks in the occupied territories

Question 57

Starting in 2013,the international community forced the Syrian government to take what action?

A)reveal the location of suspected terrorists hiding in the country
B)relinquish control of the national government to the rebel fighters
C)dismantle its nuclear facilities
D)destroy its chemical weapons

Question 58

Why are isolationists dissatisfied with contemporary U.S.foreign policy?

A)because the United States does not do enough to address human rights abuses
B)because the United States has allowed China to catch up economically
C)because the United States has refused to work with its allies to address terrorism
D)because the United States actively inserts itself into international affairs

Question 59

Which of the following would be the type of action taken by a U.S.president who is a realist?

A)asking allies to join the United States in placing economic sanctions on a country that is violating human rights
B)requesting a large increase in defense funding to strengthen the armed forces and build more nuclear weapons to protect and secure the nation
C)sending armed forces into a country to overthrow a dictator and help the citizens establish a democracy
D)seeking arms reduction agreements with countries that are producing nuclear weapons

Question 60

Why did President Bush create the White House Office of Global Communications in 2002?

A)to enhance the United States' reputation abroad and counter the image of the United States as the "Great Satan"
B)to better coordinate communications among the nearly two dozen U.S.intelligence agencies
C)to improve international coordination in counterterrorism efforts
D)to downplay China's human rights abuses and build public support for trade relations with China

Question 61

The use of a blend of propaganda techniques and modern information warfare to cast an enemy into a less favorable light,mold the public image of a conflict,and clarify the goals of U.S.foreign policy is called __________ diplomacy.

Question 62

U.S.involvement in the "Arab Spring" uprisings and U.S.participation with NATO in the air war over Libya are examples of the United States using the theory of deterrence to promote democracy.

Question 63

The __________ was the U.S.effort to help rebuild Western Europe after World War II.

Question 64

The director of National Intelligence was ultimately responsible for the failure of the various U.S.intelligence agencies to coordinate the information about Al-Qaeda before the terrorist attacks on September 11,2001.

Question 65

The secretary of state spearheads U.S.diplomatic efforts on behalf of the president.

Question 66

Congress ended the military draft shortly before the end of the Vietnam War.

Question 67

The Central Intelligence Agency no longer uses spies and undercover agents to monitor foreign threats.

Question 68

The "__________ complex" is a term coined by President Dwight Eisenhower in his Farewell Address when he warned that the United States must be wary of supporting defense spending as a way to protect jobs.

Question 69

The primary role of the Foreign Service is to carry out military policy as directed by the commander in chief.

Question 70

The president does not have absolute authority to act on foreign and defense policy matters,even in troubled times.

Question 71

The George W.Bush administration's stated reason for __________ was the danger posed by weapons of mass destruction.

Question 72

The Bush Doctrine was based on a multilateral approach to foreign policy.

Question 73

The day-to-day work of organizing for defense is the job of the State Department.

Question 74

The United States and the Soviet Union were the main adversaries in the Cold War.

Question 75

The Joint Chiefs of Staff serve as advisers to the president on military policy.

Question 76

The recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were quick and decisive military and diplomatic victories for the United States.

Question 77

Barack Obama's approach to U.S.foreign policy is best described as isolationist.

Question 78

After World War II,the victors of the war established an international arena for exercising traditional diplomacy and promoting world peace,known as the __________,which now has 189 members.

Question 79

The primary responsibility of the National Security Council is to advise Congress about national and defense policy.

Question 80

U.S.foreign policy toward China is largely driven by the fact that China is a large market in an increasingly global economy.