Deck 8: War and Strife

Question 1

Total wars involve multiple major powers while asymmetric warfare features disputes between actors of unequal strength.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Just war tradition argues that for a war to be a just one it must have a just cause, such as self-defense, and that in the conduct of the war noncombatants must be protected from harm as much as possible.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Following the creation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, several states that previously had nuclear weapons dismantled their programs.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

A defining characteristic of terrorism is that it is designed to be psychological in nature.

Question 5

The debate over whether capitalism leads states to be pacific or warlike is a state-level debate about the causes of war.

Question 6

A war that takes place within a state is called

A) interstate war.
B) intrastate war.
C) limited war.
D) total war.
E) conventional war.

Question 7

Which of the following is True about the frequency of war?

A) The number of interstate wars has decreased since World War II, but the number of intrastate wars has increased during this time.
B) The number of intrastate wars has decreased since World War II, but the number of interstate wars has increased during this time.
C) The number of both interstate and intrastate wars has increased since World War II.
D) The number of both interstate and intrastate wars has decreased since World War II.
E) We still have just as many wars today as before World War II.

Question 8

What is one characteristic necessary for international relations scholars to define something as a war?

A) There is random violence.
B) At least three countries are fighting.
C) A clear victor emerges.
D) At least 1,000 deaths occur in a twelve-month period.
E) Armies used advanced weapons like guns.

Question 9

Using individual-level analysis, liberals argue that wars can be caused by

A) characteristics of the government type.
B) misperceptions on the part of leaders.
C) the greed of capitalist business owners.
D) the country's lack of resources.
E) a shift in an individual country's power.

Question 10

The Syrian war that began in 2012 is an example of

A) an interstate war.
B) an intrastate war with international implications.
C) a battle between communists supported by Russia against rebels.
D) a quick war because the government forces were better armed.
E) a case of early intervention by UN peacekeeping troops.

Question 11

Realists explain the decrease in total interstate wars after World War II by noting

A) the rising number of democracies.
B) U.S. economic and military hegemony.
C) a shift in norms.
D) the effectiveness of the UN.
E) shared cultural ideas.

Question 12

Since research has shown that individuals rarely misperceive events and do not have biological tendencies to aggressive behavior, the individual level of analysis has been unable to explain why wars break out.

Question 13

Since the end of World War II, the number of interstate wars has declined.

Question 14

Security is vital for states because

A) all other jobs of government, such as economic development, human rights, and health care, presuppose a basic level of security.
B) the United Nations has ordered states to focus on security.
C) it is easily attained.
D) they are often led my military leaders.
E) states are constantly fighting each other.

Question 15

Power balancing is only relevant at the international level, not the regional level.

Question 16

"Security dilemma" is the term applied to the vicious cycle involving a state's making itself more secure by arming itself, which then in turn leads other states to arm themselves, making the first state less secure, not more secure.

Question 17

The wars that followed the Arab Spring in 2011 are not categorized as civil wars because the government had significantly more capacity to harm the rebels than the rebels had to harm the government.

Question 18

In order to help prevent war, the liberals emphasize

A) trade openness and the proliferation of democracy.
B) American economic hegemony and the proliferation of democracy.
C) American military hegemony and the proliferation of democracy.
D) American economic hegemony and trade openness.
E) American military hegemony and trade openness.

Question 19

Civil wars between factions within a state

A) have increased during the years 2000-2010.
B) increasingly have had international repercussions.
C) are only fought in Third World countries.
D) are always between two competing ethnic groups.
E) involve only small numbers of deaths.

Question 20

The slogan "fewer weapons means greater security" represents the logic behind deterrence.

Question 21

Why do realists believe that the anarchic international system leads to war?

A) The imperatives of capitalism cause states to expand in search of additional markets.
B) There are few rules about how to decide among contending claims and no effective arbiter to do so.
C) Anarchy encourages nonliberal governments to assume control of states and such states are more aggressive than democracies.
D) Anarchy encourages every country to attempt to become the world's government.
E) Anarchy leads countries to have weak armies, so they are attacked by terrorists.

Question 22

Both realists and radicals assign responsibility for war to

A) ineffective multilateral institutions.
B) the structure of the international system.
C) state decision makers' misperceptions.
D) domestic political systems.
E) the failures of UN interventions.

Question 23

________ is a type of warfare where the two parties are of unequal strength and the weaker party seeks to neutralize its opponent's strength and technological superiority.

A) General warfare
B) Limited warfare
C) Asymmetric warfare
D) Nuclear warfare
E) Civil warfare

Question 24

Just war theory

A) only applies to the question of when going to war is morally acceptable.
B) only applies to the question of acceptable conduct during war.
C) requires that combatants and noncombatants be differentiated.
D) does not address the question of prisoners of war and wounded soldiers.
E) has never been codified into international treaties.

Question 25

The "security dilemma" refers to a situation in which

A) all states can achieve security, but only after making tough choices.
B) one state's becoming more secure diminishes another state's security.
C) states intentionally threaten each other even if they feel secure.
D) each state must rely on security agreements with neighboring states.
E) no state is seen as a threat to another, even after taking security measures.

Question 26

According to international relations scholars, has the spread of nuclear weapons increased the probability that an all-out war will occur someday?

A) Scholars agree that more nuclear weapons mean that deterrence is more effective, making wars less likely to break out.
B) Scholars agree that proliferation makes the world less safe because war could more easily break out accidentally.
C) Scholars disagree on the correct answer to this question.
D) Scholars have not yet addressed this question.
E) Scholars believe all countries will soon disarm their nuclear weapons.

Question 27

A "hearts and minds" strategy is

A) a strategy that can be effectively used to counter well-organized guerilla resistance.
B) never effective.
C) designed to get enemy combatants to defect to your side.
D) only used in conventional warfare.
E) a strategy used by well-organized guerilla resistance groups against their more powerful, technologically advanced adversaries

Question 28

Guerilla warfare and nonviolent resistance are similar in that

A) they both avoid the use of violence.
B) they both deliberately place ordinary people at grave risk of harm.
C) they are not used to pursue political objectives.
D) they are both examples of conventional warfare.
E) they have not been used since World War II.

Question 29

Which theory posits that war is natural, and hence an inevitable feature of international politics?

A) realism
B) liberalism
C) constructivism
D) radicalism
E) None of these theories posits that war is natural and inevitable.

Question 30

The 1949 Geneva Conventions

A) are designed to outlaw total war.
B) state that guerilla warfare is not just.
C) are designed to protect civilians, among others, in times of war.
D) do not include clauses that ban the use of certain types of weapons.
E) were revolutionary, creating new norms about the conduct of war.

Question 31

In contrast to liberals, radicals believe that liberal capitalism

A) inevitably leads to conflict.
B) plays only a small role in causing conflict.
C) can substantially alleviate as well as cause conflict.
D) is one of many equally important factors that cause conflict.
E) pushes states to avoid war and promote peace.

Question 32

A key characteristic of all forms of terrorism is that

A) it is only carried out in the Middle East.
B) it is religious in nature and intent.
C) perpetrators are state actors.
D) it is a very recent form of warfare.
E) its essence is psychological, not physical.

Question 33

What is a drawback to using the individual level of analysis to explain why war breaks out?

A) Some states with multiethnic populations do not go to war.
B) While human nature is constant, warfare does not happen constantly.
C) Capitalist individuals are not always warlike.
D) Not all individuals are persuaded by scapegoating.
E) Power transitions do not always lead to war.

Question 34

Which of the following is True of conventional weapons?

A) Their destructive effects cannot be limited in space and time.
B) Their destructive effects can be limited to only legitimate targets of war.
C) World War I and World War II were fought solely with conventional weapons.
D) Chemical weapons are one important example of conventional weapons.
E) Nuclear weapons are one important example of conventional weapons.

Question 35

Just war tradition helps guide states on

A) when it is morally acceptable to go to war.
B) why moral issues should not be considered in war.
C) why every war produces a just result.
D) why courts should determine when it is justifiable for states to go to war.
E) why it is never just to begin a war.

Question 36

When national leaders resort to external conflict in order to build internal cohesion and to distract citizens from economic problems it is called

A) external balancing.
B) collective security.
C) diversionary war.
D) proliferation.
E) asymmetric warfare.

Question 37

Power transition theory posits that

A) a mismatch in material power tempts states to go to war.
B) the anticipation of shifts in a relative balance of power tempts states to go to war.
C) the existence of a relative balance in power between states tempts them to go to war.
D) hegemonic states never fight weaker states.
E) challenger states never go to war against more powerful states.

Question 38

The Islamic State (IS) is

A) a Shiite terrorist group.
B) a terrorist group that controls territory in Syria and Iraq.
C) a terrorist group that played a key role in the attacks on September 11, 2001.
D) a terrorist group that does not engage in more mainstream terrorist acts such as taking hostages for ransom.
E) not considered a terrorist group.

Question 39

In guerrilla warfare, the weaker party augments its capabilities by relying on the help of

A) nuclear weapons.
B) capitalism.
C) the civilian population.
D) international organizations.
E) collective security agreements.

Question 40

Which of the following is a state-level explanation about the causes of war?

A) Democracies are less likely to start wars against other democracies.
B) Humans have a biological tendency toward aggressive behavior.
C) Multipolar systems are inherently unstable.
D) States have fought lots of wars in history.
E) States are led by aggressive leaders.

Question 41

According to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT),

A) signatory countries that have nuclear weapons agree to disarm within ten years.
B) signatory nuclear states agree not to transfer nuclear weapons technology to non-nuclear states.
C) nuclear facilities in signatory states are subject to periodic inspections by U.S. inspectors.
D) signatory countries that have nuclear weapons agree not to build any new weapons.
E) signatory countries agree not to use their nuclear weapons against non-weapons states.

Question 42

The responsibility to protect (R2P) is the idea that

A) intervention by states in another state is not just because state sovereignty must be protected.
B) intervention in another state must be immediately undertaken in the case of massive violations of human rights.
C) states have the responsibility to intervene in another state in cases of massive human rights violations only after all domestic measures of redress have been exhausted.
D) states must protect themselves from intervention by other states.
E) individuals, not states, have the responsibility to protect human rights.

Question 43

According to balance-of-power theorists,

A) balancing only matters at the international level.
B) alliances are not a tool for enhancing one's own security.
C) states must view the friendships they have established with allies as expendable.
D) the status quo should not be supported.
E) external balancing is not an effective way to manage insecurity.

Question 44

The SALT and NPT treaties are examples of

A) arms control agreements.
B) disarmament agreements.
C) collective security pacts.
D) deterrence regimes.
E) agreements allowing humanitarian intervention.

Question 45

Russia's opposition to NATO since the end of the Cold War

A) has forced NATO to decrease its membership.
B) has spurred military actions by Russia post-2000.
C) has forced NATO to refrain from taking action outside of Europe.
D) has forced NATO to refrain from taking action within Europe.
E) Russia has been indifferent to NATO since the end of the Cold War

Question 46

"Fewer weapons means greater security" is the logic behind

A) deterrence.
B) balance of power.
C) nuclear proliferation.
D) arms control.
E) collective security.

Question 47

Which statement is True about the Responsibility to Protect (R2P)?

A) A Russian leader has never invoked R2P in his/her justification for intervention.
B) This norm has led to more than a dozen humanitarian interventions since 2005.
C) Russia and China have been strong supporters of employing R2P.
D) The UN has opposed R2P as a violation of state sovereignty.
E) R2P is an emergent but still controversial new norm.

Question 48

Power balancing is ________ approach to managing insecurity

A) a realist
B) a liberal
C) a constructivist
D) a radical
E) not a theoretical

Question 49

Deterrence is

A) the antithesis of balance of power theory.
B) a constructivist idea for how to manage insecurity.
C) the mechanism that enables the balance of power to bring about peace.
D) a liberal idea for how to manage insecurity.
E) central to the radical theory of security.

Question 50

Which of the following is among the fundamental assumptions of collective security?

A) It is not always clear who the aggressor is.
B) Only powerful states can respond to aggressors.
C) Threat of military action cannot stop wars.
D) Aggressors are morally wrong and should be stopped.
E) A world army should protect weak states.

Question 51

Realist approaches to managing insecurity place less faith in ________ and more faith in ________ than do liberal approaches.

A) international courts; the international community
B) individual state power; strong leaders
C) the international community; individual state power
D) strong leaders; international institutions
E) individual state power; international courts

Question 52

"One for all and all for one" effectively captures the idea behind

A) disarmament.
B) the self-help system.
C) collective security.
D) balance of power.
E) deterrence.

Question 53

When states seek to prevent war by threatening the use of force, they are practicing

A) deterrence.
B) prevalence.
C) compellence.
D) insurance.
E) collective security.

Question 54

What does external balancing involve?

A) joining with all other states in the international system to build a collective security agreement
B) reducing the number of weapons each side has until power has been balanced
C) obtaining enough nuclear weapons to dissuade an opponent from striking first
D) forming alliances with other states to stop another state from obtaining a dominant position internationally
E) enhancing your state's military and economic capabilities

Question 55

Humanitarian intervention is based on the idea that ________ should be protected, not just ________.

A) individuals; states
B) states; individuals
C) democracies; nondemocracies
D) nondemocracies; democracies
E) liberals; realists

Question 56

A major limitation of the balance-of-power approach is its

A) strong emphasis on economic relationships.
B) inability to manage security during periods of fundamental change.
C) failure to account for leaders' personality characteristics.
D) assumption that individuals naturally cooperate with one another.
E) lack of popularity among international relations theorists.

Question 57

Since the fall of the Soviet Union and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, NATO

A) has not engaged in any military actions.
B) has only acted with UN authorization.
C) joined the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq post-2001.
D) has not acted outside of Europe.
E) has increased its membership.

Question 58

________ theory argues that states seeking power, including economic power, will be led by self-interest into deeper and broader cooperation with other states, even if punctuated by periods of war.

A) Realist
B) Liberal
C) Constructivist
D) Radical
E) Balance-of-power

Question 59

After the fall of the Soviet Union, arms control treaties

A) were no longer relevant.
B) increased in number.
C) decreased in number.
D) failed to stop hostility between Russia and the United States.
E) focused on total disarmament of Russia.

Question 60

What is the key difference between the liberal theory of collective security and the realist idea of deterrence?

A) In liberal theory, states are more likely to calculate their interests as shared interests rather than individually.
B) Collective security requires a balance of power, while realist ideas of deterrence do not.
C) The realist idea of deterrence requires the existence of a hegemon, while liberal ideas of collective security do not.
D) Collective security always works.
E) There are no similarities at all between the liberal theory of collective security and the realist idea of deterrence.

Question 61

Increasingly, governments are outsourcing security tasks to

A) Third World states.
B) the United Nations.
C) private security firms.
D) terrorists.
E) police forces.

Question 62

What are the key characteristics of terrorism, and how does it differ from conventional warfare? Do you think standard approaches to the management of security, including balance of power, deterrence, collective security, and arms control can be effective in fighting terrorists? Discuss each in turn, and use examples to explain why you do/do not think that particular tactic could be effective in fighting terrorists.

Question 63

Can any war be explained without using all three levels of analysis? Why or why not? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using more than one level of analysis to explain a war?

Question 64

Compare and contrast the balance of power and collective security approaches to the management of insecurity. How does deterrence play a role in each of these approaches?

Question 65

Does collective security work? Discuss the gap that exists between the collective security "ideal" and its practical implementation. Is collective security a viable option for managing the security dilemma in the post-Cold War world? Why or why not?

Question 66

What are the most important contributions of realism to our understanding of managing security? Do you think realists actually believe the security dilemma can be managed? Why or why not?