Deck 1: Approaches to International Relations

Question 1

The Correlates of War project in the behavioral tradition has proven all of its hypotheses on the causes of war.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The goals of the United States in the Vietnam War and the 2003 Iraq War were the same,making the analogy between them an accurate one.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Constructivism argues that the key structures of the international system are dependent on

A) history.
B) political parties.
C) ideas.
D) power.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The theoretical perspective most focused on the idea that human nature is basically good is

A) realism.
B) liberalism.
C) constructivism.
D) behavioralism.

Question 5

Theories are developed to help us

A) describe interactions only.
B) explain interactions only.
C) predict interactions only.
D) describe,explain,and predict interactions.

Question 6

Philosophy has made both substantive and methodological contributions to the study of international relations.

Question 7

The postmodern approach to international relations calls for the inclusion of traditionally "voiceless" actors such as the women of the Greenham Common Peace Camp.

Question 8

Understanding behavior between states is the sole focus of the study of international relations.

Question 9

Important questions of international relations today can be answered with exclusive reliance on the behavioral approach.

Question 10

Today's key issues can be easily understood without any reference to history.

Question 11

________ posits that states define their interests in terms of power,while ________ argues that states' interests are malleable and ever-changing.

A) realism; constructivism
B) liberalism; realism
C) constructivism; liberalism
D) realism; liberalism

Question 12

Realist and liberal theories argue that the key structures in the international system are material,while constructivists argue that they are social and dependent on ideas.

Question 13

The three most prominent theoretical approaches used to study international relations are

A) statism,liberalism,and environmentalism.
B) realism,constructivism,and environmentalism.
C) constructivism,realism,and statism.
D) liberalism,realism,and constructivism.

Question 14

One reason political scientists develop theories is to

A) understand the causes of events.
B) give direct advice to the government on policies to follow.
C) justify specific government policies.
D) influence citizens to support government policies.

Question 15

International relations

A) is not an interdisciplinary field.
B) is the study of the behavior and interaction of actors.
C) only uses concepts from political science.
D) does not use concepts from history or philosophy.

Question 16

The realist perspective posits that

A) structures of the international system are social and dependent on ideas.
B) states generally cooperate.
C) human nature is basically good.
D) states exist in an anarchic international system.

Question 17

Realism posits that ________ determines the structure of the international system.

A) the distribution of power among states
B) the distribution of interdependence among states
C) the distribution of identities among states
D) the concept of sovereignty

Question 18

All of the following actors affect international relations in important ways: heads of state,central governments,nongovernmental organizations,international organizations,and individuals.

Question 19

Which theoretical perspective posits that states generally cooperate?

A) realism
B) liberalism
C) constructivism
D) behavioralism

Question 20

The behavioral approach to the study of international relations draws on the scientific method.

Question 21

Using the comparative method,Aristotle concluded that states rise and fall because of

A) anarchy.
B) the "state of nature."
C) natural law.
D) internal factors.

Question 22

The comparative method of analysis

A) involves looking at similarities,but not differences,between states.
B) involves looking at both similarities and differences between states.
C) is not used in the study of contemporary international relations,though it is important in the study of philosophy.
D) is not used in the study of contemporary international relations,though it is important in the study of history.

Question 23

What does Rousseau's story of the stag and the hare illustrate?

A) that the "general will" governs states' behavior
B) that anarchy does not govern the international system
C) that states act based on their long-term interests
D) that states follow their short-term self-interests

Question 24

What was different between the Vietnam War and the war in Iraq that made a comparison between the two NOT a perfect application of history?

A) Unlike in Vietnam,the United States engaged in state building to support the central government in Iraq.
B) Unlike Vietnam,American domestic support never waned in the Iraq War.
C) Unlike Vietnam,Iraq was a state with different ethnic and religious groups seeking different objectives.
D) Unlike Vietnam,the Iraq War was not considered a quagmire.

Question 25

Posing foundational questions and seeking normative answers are characteristic of a ________ approach to the study of international relations.

A) behavioral
B) philosophical
C) Empirical
D) Constructivist

Question 26

Which theoretical perspective might draw the lesson that had the United States used all its military might in Vietnam the outcome may have been different?

A) realism
B) liberalism
C) constructivism
D) behavioralism

Question 27

Thucydides concluded that the underlying cause of the Peloponnesian War was

A) the clash between Athens's democratic society and Sparta's authoritarian government.
B) that Sparta was a sea power seeking new ports.
C) the changing distribution of power between Athens and Sparta.
D) that Spartan culture led to constant war against more civilized city-states.

Question 28

As an approach to the study of international relations,historical analysis

A) is an outdated approach.
B) focuses primarily on the interactions of multinational corporations.
C) provides useful background to many contemporary issues.
D) is very similar to behavioralism.

Question 29

What is a problem that stems from using history to study contemporary state interactions?

A) It does not allow us to test generalizations.
B) It does not provide detailed knowledge of specific events.
C) One's theoretical orientation may determine one's interpretation of history.
D) It does not help highlight patterns.

Question 30

Philosophers help us understand international relations by

A) helping us make and implement policy.
B) not focusing on the relationships between individuals,but instead focusing on the relationship between societies.
C) highlighting relationships between individuals and society as well as between societies.
D) setting aside the need to think about the normative elements in political life.

Question 31

Which approach to the study of international relations involves suggesting hypotheses about patterned interactions and empirically testing them?

A) historical
B) behavioralism
C) philosophical
D) normative theory

Question 32

Which of the following is true of the relationship between philosophy and the study of international relations?

A) Philosophy provides substantive contributions to the study of international relations,but not methodological ones.
B) Philosophy provides methodological contributions to the study of international relations,but not substantive ones.
C) Philosophy provides both substantive and methodological contributions to the study of international relations.
D) Philosophy does not provide ideas that are seminal to the international relations discipline.

Question 33

The ancient Greek historian Thucydides used diplomatic history to

A) launch the behavioral revolution.
B) examine the causes of war.
C) formulate a new philosophy of international relations.
D) describe the "state of nature."

Question 34

The theory that addresses the ethical content of international affairs and explores what "should be" is known as ________ theory.

A) behavioral
B) diplomatic
C) normative
D) historical

Question 35

Which of the following is true of the relationship between international relations and history?

A) The subfield of international relations far preceded the study of history.
B) They are so intertwined that there was no separate international relations subfield until the early twentieth century.
C) Drawing on history prevents international relations scholars from being able to draw generalizations because each case is so specific.
D) There is no connection between international relations and history.The study of international relations has a basis only in philosophy.

Question 36

Saying that the international system is characterized by "anarchy" means

A) it is impossible for states to cooperate.
B) there is chaos in the system.
C) there is no international authority.
D) it is not states that govern the system.

Question 37

Why is competition between theories important?

A) It helps us identify their strengths and weaknesses.
B) It helps us prove which theory is right.
C) It prevents us from drawing incorrect historical analogies.
D) It helps us prove the importance of conventional wisdom.

Question 38

Philosopher Thomas Hobbes described what he calls the "state of nature." What does this concept illustrate?

A) anarchy
B) natural law
C) perpetual peace
D) environmentalism

Question 39

The behavioral revolution in American social sciences was spawned primarily by scholars'

A) belief that there are no underlying patterns in international relations.
B) desire to philosophically support their views of human nature.
C) rejection of the scientific method as a tool for the study of international relations.
D) belief that more scientific study of international relations would find underlying patterns of behavior.

Question 40

Which of the following is true of behavioralism?

A) It proposes that individuals,but not groups,act in patterned ways.
B) It proposes that groups,but not individuals,act in patterned ways.
C) It proposes that neither groups nor individuals act in patterned ways.
D) It proposes that both individuals and groups act in patterned ways.

Question 41

In the twenty-first century,what accurately describes the methods used by scholars of international relations?

A) Scholars focus only on a combination of historical and philosophical approaches.
B) Postmodernism has been rejected as a method for studying international relations.
C) All scholars agree that the postmodern approach is most useful.
D) Scholars use a mixed-methods approach.

Question 42

Understanding history can help us better understand contemporary international events.Yet a perfect comparison can sometimes lead us astray.Choose a contemporary international event and connect it to a historical (it could be a recent historical)event.Discuss: (1)how the historical event could help us better understand the contemporary event,as well as (2)why doing so might lead to problems in understanding and dealing with the new event.

Question 43

Which of the following arguments might a postmodern theorist make about sovereignty?

A) Sovereignty has multiple meanings conditioned by time,place,and historical circumstance.
B) Only strong states are truly sovereign.
C) Sovereignty is a powerful force in behavioral studies of international relations.
D) We can easily measure the concept of sovereignty.

Question 44

Pinker and Dempsey drew different conclusions on whether contemporary international relations is more peaceful than it was in the past because

A) one drew on the philosophical tradition while the other used a historical approach.
B) one was a realist while the other was a constructivist.
C) neither used the behavioral approach,which would have led them to reach the same conclusions because of its focus on empirical data.
D) they were examining different data.

Question 45

Which of the following is true regarding the approaches to the study of international relations?

A) Works in the historical and philosophical tradition come up with the same results
As the behavioral approach in the study of human rights.
B) Using a multi-method approach can help us answer key questions in international
Relations.
C) The key concepts in the study of international relations are all easy to measure.
D) All studies now focus on behavioralism.

Question 46

Which of the following is true of constructivists?

A) They use discourse analysis to answer foundational questions in the study of international relations.
B) They argue that identities are fixed and can be studied as such.
C) They do not focus on cultural or social factors to explain international phenomenon.
D) They do not think ideas shape identities.

Question 47

Postmodernists seek to find the voices of "the others" in international relations.Which of the following is an example of such voices?

A) the voices of political leaders
B) the voices of corporate executives
C) the voices of international organizations
D) the voices of the disenfranchised and marginalized

Question 48

The idea that basic concepts need to be deconstructed to find the hidden meanings underneath the surface in order to understand international relations is a characteristic of ________.

A) behavioralism
B) postmodernism
C) liberalism
D) realism

Question 49

Which approach dominates the study of international relations today?

A) historical
B) philosophical
C) behavioralism
D) postmodernism

Question 50

Critiques of the behavioral approach argue that

A) behavioralism focuses too much on the foundational questions of international relations.
B) behavioralism focuses too much on data,and different data may lead to different conclusions.
C) behavioralism focuses too much attention on the nature of humanity and society.
D) human and state behavior are completely unpredictable.

Question 51

Discuss the pros and cons of using historical,philosophical,and behavioral approaches to the study of international relations,illustrating your points with specific examples from your own original insights.Argue what you think is the best approach,then explain the reasoning of your assertion-both by highlighting the benefits of the one you have chosen and the limitations of the others.

Question 52

Choose a contemporary international event and show how understanding history might be used to help us better understand this event.You do not have to provide all the historical details,but draw at least three important connections between your contemporary and historical events of choice,and show how we can learn about the contemporary one from the other.

Question 53

Which of the following methods are used in the behavioral approach to international relations?

A) the study of individual cases
B) the analysis of core texts
C) the use of empirical methods
D) discourse analysis

Question 54

Which of the following studies is an example of the behavioral approach to the study of international relations?

A) the Correlates of War project
B) the Republic
C) History of the Peloponnesian War
D) the Communist Manifesto

Question 55

The objective of the Correlates of War project was to

A) focus on one "big" war that changed the tide of history.
B) find patterns among a number of different wars.
C) prove that peace could never arise in the international system.
D) prove what factors cause war.

Question 56

Which of the methodological approaches (historical,philosophical,behavioralism,alternative approaches)discussed in the text do you find can help us best understand contemporary international relations,and why? What makes the other approaches less appealing?

Question 57

Theorists who use alternative methods to study international relations contend that

A) it is important to study social and cultural factors.
B) properly conducted research can produce a single unified theory of international relations.
C) social forces with clearly fixed meanings inform all political processes.
D) state behavior can be measured if one uses the right statistical methods.

Question 58

Given the difficulties with measurement and the problem that using different data can lead to different conclusions,how valuable do you think the behavioral approach is to the study of international relations? Explain your answer.

Question 59

When studying international relations,constructivists

A) criticize the use of discourse analysis and multiple sets of data.
B) trace the impact of ideas and cultural factors on shaping identities.
C) exclude the influence of social and cultural factors.
D) use computer models and simulations.

Question 60

Which theoretical perspective focuses on how social and cultural factors shape policy?

A) realism
B) liberalism
C) constructivism
D) behavioralism