Deck 18: International Relations

Question 1

During the Cold War, most of Eastern Europe remained under Soviet control and many small Central American countries functioned under the "watchful eye" of the United States.What might this suggest about the nature of sovereignty?

A)In the Western World, even small and militarily weak countries maintain sovereignty.
B)Small, weaker countries are routinely influenced by larger and more powerful countries.
C)As a matter of policy, large and powerful countries demonstrate little outside influence on smaller nations.
D)Small nations are almost never dominated by larger, more powerful ones.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following events is an example of an infeasible strategy?

A)Using helicopters and artillery to combat terrorist insurgents
B)Employing stun guns and tear gas to break up a riot
C)Targeting terrorist leaders with remote-controlled drone strikes
D)Hand-to-hand, street-level combat to halt a civil war

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following statements is True regarding Canadian sovereignty?

A)Many Canadians argue that cultural penetration by the United States threatens their claim to sovereignty.
B)Canada unsuccessfully exerts cultural and economic sovereignty over the United States.
C)Canada does not maintain full legal sovereignty from the United States.
D)Few Canadians recognize foreign influence on their country's sovereignty.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which elements of power are tangible or calculable?

A)economic and psychological pressure
B)intellectual and cultural influence
C)geography and natural resources
D)political and military might

Question 5

Few guessed in the 1960s that Communist Vietnam would be friendly to the United States today.What strengthened this bond?

A)The United States paid reparations to families of deceased Vietnamese soldiers.
B)The two countries share a national interest in facing an assertive China.
C)Both nations are working to halt sex trafficking in poverty-stricken Vietnam.
D)Vietnamese immigrants to the United States have strengthened the U.S. economy.

Question 6

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

A)U)S. support for Iraq during its 1980s war with Iran
B)The U.S. keeping hostile powers out of the western hemisphere
C)Chinese export subsidies that cost Americans jobs
D)Russian military force applied in Georgia and Chechnya

Question 7

Two countries, even allies, seldom have identical national interests.The best one can hope for is that their interests will be __________.

A)parallel
B)complementary
C)similar
D)compatible

Question 8

Countries generally sign treaties over which of the following concerns?

A)Economic sanctions, cease-fires and fiscal cliffs
B)Tariffs, infrastructure and drug trafficking
C)Global warming, land mines and germ warfare
D)Trade, energy and education

Question 9

Which of the following statements is generally True of sovereign nations?

A)Laws allow individuals to settle grievances in court.
B)The lack of legal enforcement forces most to settle disputes on their own.
C)The spirit of the law often conflicts with the letter of the law.
D)Written law sometimes conflicts with law as it occurs in practice.

Question 10

Which of the following sanctions prevents North Korea from testing nuclear weapons on its own territory?

A)Economic sanctions are used to prevent North Korea from testing nuclear weapons.
B)The U.N. Committee on Nuclear Disarmament censures North Korea's testing.
C)South Korea keeps its northern neighbor in check.
D)No foreign power can legally prevent North Korea from testing nuclear weapons.

Question 11

Which of the following results from U.S.economic sanctions against Iran?

A)Most countries around the world fall in line.
B)Economic powerhouses like China generally agree.
C)The United Nations issues an embargo.
D)Many countries make oil deals with Tehran anyways.

Question 12

According to Hans Morgenthau, __________ is the basic element of international politics that idealists ignore at their peril.

A)compromise
B)peace
C)debate
D)power

Question 13

Which of the following factors is considered the best kind of power?

A)military force
B)rational persuasion
C)political manipulation
D)economic influence

Question 14

In order to form an economic and political union, members of the European Union must forfeit some of their sovereignty, which could eventually lead to __________.

A)financial collapse
B)civil war
C)cultural hegemony
D)a United States of Europe

Question 15

Evaluate President Nixon's contributions to International Relations.

A)Nixon was very successful internationally, strengthening U.S. relations with China and the Soviet Union.
B)Nixon was an astute domestic legislator, but his international policy was weak.
C)Nixon demonstrated keen acumen in regards to international affairs; however, his hesitancy to deal with Communists precluded strong relations with the U.S.S.R.
D)While the Watergate scandal eventually led to Nixon's downfall, his domestic policy was quite successful.

Question 16

In theory, what is the role of foreign powers in relation to sovereign states?

A)Foreign nations maintain satellite rule.
B)Foreign powers "keep their fingers" in the sovereign's politics.
C)Foreign states have no business intruding on sovereign affairs.
D)Foreign powers provide financial aid in times of crisis.

Question 17

Analyze the shared national interest of the United States and Iraqi Kurds.

A)The Kurdish interest is motivated primarily by volatile regional politics, while the U.S. seeks to protect all Iraqi liberties.
B)The U.S. interest is a general, temporary, and secondary one, while the Kurdish interest is specific and permanent.
C)The U.S. interest encompasses all of Iraq, while the Kurdish one is limited and regional.
D)The Kurdish interest is culturally based, while the U.S. interest is purely economic.

Question 18

Classify most Americans' views on foreign affairs and international policy decisions.

A)Informed
B)Educated
C)Astute
D)Weak

Question 19

Distinguish between President Johnson's ability to govern domestic and foreign affairs.

A)Johnson was a master at generating foreign policy, but could almost never get a bill through congress.
B)Johnson authored a great deal of foreign and domestic legislation, little of which actually became law.
C)Johnson's foreign policy skills were quite keen, though Vietnam is seen as his greatest failure.
D)Johnson successfully implemented domestic policy, but made little headway in terms of foreign affairs.

Question 20

What is a diplomat's primary role?

A)Targeting feasible strategies and finding ways to implement them
B)Persuading foreign powers to comply with domestic interests
C)Utilizing foreign policy to strengthen the nation's power ties
D)Identifying and developing complementary interests between nations

Question 21

Characterize micro theories of war.

A)They view war as the result of history and geography.
B)They think of war as the consequence of the power and ambitions of states.
C)They consider culture the root cause of all war.
D)They explain war in terms of biology and psychology.

Question 22

Which of the following instances constitutes an example of image theory?

A)The United Nations' peaceful removal of nuclear weapons from Iraq
B)The United States' invasion of Iraq to eradicate a nonexistent threat
C)The Japanese surprise bombing of Pearl Harbor
D)Hitler's unprecedented invasion of Czechoslovakia to reclaim the Sudetenland

Question 23

Analyze the condition of countries such as Cuba and North Korea that refuse to play by the motto, "Make money, not war."

A)They exist under oppressive social restrictions.
B)They thrive via socialist policies.
C)They trade within limited circles.
D)They live in isolation and poverty.

Question 24

__________ theory argues that leaders often misinterpret another nation's actions as hostile and threatening, and consider their own actions to be merely defensive.

A)Supervision
B)Misperception
C)Hypertension
D)Home-defense

Question 25

A big war with a definitive outcome often brings peace because __________.

A)relative power is clearly seen
B)power struggles are safely obscured
C)weaker powers are rendered impotent
D)larger powers rest satisfied

Question 26

Identify a major flaw that causes many scholars to reject balance-of-power theory.

A)It is impossible to know what powers will balance each other.
B)In transitional times, shifting powers upset hierarchy.
C)Humans exhibit a wide range of behavior and are thus unpredictable.
D)War is the result of human aggression and genetics.

Question 27

The __________ keeps world trade open by cutting tariffs and other barriers, creating freer trade and settling disputes.

A)North American Free Trade Agreement
B)International Monetary Fund
C)World Trade Organization
D)General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

Question 28

Which theory states that peace results when several states use national power and alliances to stabilize one another, blocking would-be expansionists?

A)Micro theory
B)Balance-of-power theory
C)Macro theory
D)Hierarchy-of-power theory

Question 29

What is considered the largest flaw in the Cold War bipolar model of International Relations?

A)It focused too heavily on trade.
B)It ignored economics.
C)It concentrated on military power.
D)It interpreted power only as political.

Question 30

As China grew in wealth, it sought out oil and mineral deals around the globe and expanded its borders, reaching far out into the South and East China Seas.What does China's example suggest about increased prosperity?

A)Prosperity increases territorial expansion.
B)Prosperity does not necessarily bring peace.
C)International oil and mineral deals increase prosperity.
D)Prosperity is diminished by limited borders.

Question 31

According to macro theorists, __________ are the key factors leading to war.

A)cultures
B)leaders
C)states
D)citizens

Question 32

What phrase did Columbia economist Jeffrey Sachs use to describe the fall of the Soviet Union?

A)"Financial collapse"
B)"Second place"
C)"Markets won"
D)"Failed war"

Question 33

Starting in the 1980s, "Thatcherism" spread to many countries, leading to __________.

A)stricter regulations
B)freer markets
C)revised tax laws
D)socialist expansion

Question 34

Explain George Kennan's comparison of American democracy to a "pea-brained dinosaur sitting contentedly in a swamp of unmindful threats."

A)He rests still for the moment, but may attack any opponent at any time and should not be disturbed.
B)Despite the appearance of contentedness, he as actually quite violent.
C)Threats surround him but he exists in ignorance to them.
D)Once harmed by an adversary, he erupts into a violent rage that destroys the foe and wrecks his own habitat.

Question 35

The recent global contraction brought a new wave of __________, as one country after another worried about keeping jobs at home.

A)isolationism
B)outsourcing
C)offshoring
D)protectionism

Question 36

Analyze trends in violence since the Cold War.

A)The number of conflicts has increased dramatically.
B)While there tend to be fewer conflicts today, many more are injured in them.
C)The mass media shows a lot of violence, but statistics show a less violent world.
D)Though there are more conflicts today, medical advances save many lives.

Question 37

Contrast macro and micro explanations of war.

A)Micro theory sees war as the result of minute concerns, while macro theory focuses on larger-level issues.
B)Micro theory states that war begins at the domestic level, while macro theory suggests it is a strictly international phenomenon.
C)Micro theory understands war as the result of biological and psychological factors, while macro theory focuses on geography and resources.
D)Micro theory argues that war is essentially a conflict between states, while macro theory sees war as a conflict between select individuals.

Question 38

Which of the following countries arguably maintains the largest free-market economy?

A)Japan
B)Australia
C)Great Britain
D)United States

Question 39

Most countries participate in __________, a largely capitalistic competition where goods, money, and ideas flow easily to wherever there are customers.

A)the world market
B)free trade agreements
C)non-tariff barriers
D)plurilateral agreements

Question 40

Characterize the effect of European welfare states on entrepreneurial enterprises.

A)Expensive welfare states control taxes and work against starting new enterprises.
B)Generous welfare states instigate growth through tax incentives.
C)Stimulus packages allow new businesses to finance innovative ideas.
D)Charitable welfare states stunt growth through burdensome tax incentives.

Question 41

Identify one major flaw in the current United Nations.

A)Larger nations maintain greater influence over world financial issues.
B)The organization receives support from the International Monetary Fund with no real way to repay those funds.
C)The U.N. has too much power and thus maintains strict authority over international security matters.
D)Permanent members of the Security Council maintain the right to veto anything they dislike.

Question 42

Some argue that since the 2003 Iraq War, the United States has practiced __________, losing allies and rejecting treaties that most countries desire.

A)unilateralism
B)interventionism
C)isolationism
D)supranationalism

Question 43

In practice, sovereignty is very clear-cut.

Question 44

Evaluate the changing role of sovereignty in today's international relations.

A)International relations has reinforced the notion of sovereignty.
B)Sovereignty is dwindling in the face of international law.
C)Weaker nations are losing sovereignty to larger, more powerful ones.
D)United States sovereignty has weakened due to the threat of terrorism.

Question 45

In East Asia, civilians guide what are deemed key industries, aimed at rapid growth and dominance of certain markets.

Question 46

According to political scientist Frank L.Klingberg, naval expenditures, annexations, armed expeditions and diplomatic pressures reveal alternating phases of __________ in American foreign policy.

A)aggression and passivity
B)introversion and extroversion
C)commerce and stagnation
D)violence and tranquility

Question 47

The oldest approach to preserving peace is through __________, with envoys sent from one state to another.

A)diplomatic contact
B)power displays
C)cease-fire agreements
D)balance of power

Question 48

Third parties can carry messages back and forth, clarify the issues, and suggest compromises, as the UN's Ralph Bunche did between Arabs and Israelis in 1949.

Question 49

What precedent did the 1945-1946 Nuremburg War Crimes Trials set for international law?

A)The Trials reinforced sovereignty as a defense for war crimes.
B)The court discounted sovereignty as a cover for mass murder.
C)Nuremburg outlined international rules of engagement.
D)The Trials stated that no sovereign body could declare another world war.

Question 50

Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) were dismantled under UN supervision in the 1990s, but President Bush, convinced the country had revived its WMD programs, removed Iraq's weapons in 2003.

Question 51

The United Nations' predecessor, the ___________, tried collective security to ensure peace.

A)Geneva Convention
B)Fourteen Points of Peace
C)Court of International Justice
D)League of Nations

Question 52

In 1991, Moscow saw its national interest in using military force to control Czechoslovakia and Georgia even though the outside world protested.

Question 53

The U.S.forces in IFOR (Implementation Force) in Bosnia during the 1990s were adequately equipped and instructed to destroy attackers; these robust rules of engagement incited violent rebellion from Serbian forces.

Question 54

Theoretically, sovereignty means that foreign powers have no business intruding in your country's affairs.

Question 55

According to balance-of-power theorists, the great periods of relative peace in the West have been times when the European powers balanced each other.

Question 56

Describe the shift in American isolationism after 1941.

A)The United States witnessed a strong increase in isolationist tendencies.
B)Congress attempted to block the executive's power to wage war.
C)Most Americans began favoring strong involvement in world affairs.
D)The nation curbed its international reach to pacify East Asian allies.

Question 57

Following 9/11, NATO forces worked to stabilize Afghanistan because many European countries maintained a national interest in fighting al Qaeda.

Question 58

Beijing currently defines its national interest as __________ and will not likely do anything to disrupt that goal.

A)international expansion
B)fiscal superiority
C)economic growth
D)military power

Question 59

Starting in 1949, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) coordinated Western Europe and North America to act as a single defender under unified command in the event of Japanese attack.

Question 60

Assess the effect of misperception on U.S.involvement in World War II and the Cold War.

A)The United States misperceived the importance of regions such as the Sudetenland in World War II, a mistake from which we learned during the Cold War.
B)Misperception led to delayed U.S. involvement in the Cold War, while it led Americans to hastily deploy troops in World War II.
C)Americans in World War II underestimated the reach of foreign powers, later overestimating the importance of small regions during the Cold War.
D)The rampant spread of Nazism led Americans to misperceive Hitler's reach; similarly, we overestimated Soviet influence in Eurasia.

Question 61

Compare micro and macro theories of war.Which do you feel is the better explanation? How can this explanation be used to prevent future wars?

Question 62

Investigate the role of diplomacy in maintaining peace between nations.What actions might a diplomat take to encourage peace? What are some factors that may cause diplomacy to fail? Provide specific examples from your text.

Question 63

A classic example of misperception, JFK portrayed a Soviet __________ over the United States and, in turn, increased the U.S.missile program.

Question 64

International relations differs from __________ politics, as there is no sovereign power over the world's nations forcing them to obey laws and preserving peace.

Question 65

Evaluate the increasing influence of international law over sovereignty.Is this a positive trend?

Question 66

No two democracies have ever gone to war with one another.When Argentina and Britain fought over the Falklands in 1982, Argentina was a __________.

Question 67

A ___________ interest is one that potentially threatens the life of your nation, such as Soviet missiles in Cuba.

Question 68

Predictions that economic interdependency would prevent war have proved false; the British-led globalization of the nineteenth century collapsed with __________.

Question 69

Examine global trends concerning violence and war since 1945.In general, has war increased or decreased? Why might this be the case? Do you foresee the continuation of this trend? Explain.

Question 70

How can globalization sometimes breed resentment?

Question 71

The Cold War created a __________ system that was clear but dangerous: the Western allies against the Soviets.

Question 72

The notion of __________ suggests that countries should work together in specialized areas so they see that they accomplish more by cooperation than by conflict.

Question 73

After a broad, U.S.-led coalition booted Iraq out of __________ in 1991, UN inspectors combed through Iraq looking for the capacity to build weapons of mass destruction.

Question 74

Analyze the effect of misperception on U.S.involvement in the Vietnam War.

Question 75

Examine the extent to which understanding a country's national interest allows one to understand its behavior.

Question 76

If you know a country's __________, from its history, geography, economy, and current politics, you can understand much of its behavior.

Question 77

Identify the role of sovereignty in enforcing domestic policy.

Question 78

Analyze the recent American trend toward unilateralism, evaluating its impact on U.S.foreign relations throughout the last decade.Is this a positive policy? How might the continuation of unilateral policies affect American power?

Question 79

Some countries resist the encroachments of free markets, hiding behind __________, or taxes on imports.

Question 80

Today's world seems to be moving beyond sovereignty and toward supranational leadership to cooperate on issues of global importance.What are some of these issues? How might they be solved through supranational cooperation? Does such cooperation impede the sovereignty of independent nations?