Deck 18: Politics and National Security

Question 1

According to the "A Constitutional Note" feature box,for which of the following did Congress issue an official declaration of war?

A)the war in Iraq
B)the war in Afghanistan
C)the Vietnam War
D)World War II

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which international organization was created after World War II?

A)the League of Nations
B)the United Nations
C)the Warsaw Pact
D)the World Trade Organization

Answer 2

B

Question 3

One of the primary purposes of the war in Afghanistan was to __________.

A)prevent the spread of communism
B)remove the Taliban-led government
C)protect religious freedom
D)retaliate for the bombing of the USS Cole

Answer 3

B

Question 4

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 5

Which of the following countries is a member of NATO?

A)Russia
B)China
C)Japan
D)United States

Question 6

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

A)Germany
B)India
C)Spain
D)United States

Question 7

Which of the following tactics has al-Qaeda used effectively?

A)détente
B)mutually assured destruction
C)cold war
D)terrorism

Question 8

Which of the following is one of the three reasons President George W.Bush gave for Operation Iraqi Freedom?

A)to make sure Iraq would not be able to acquire weapons of mass destruction from Iran
B)to help the government of Iraq fight the terrorist insurgents who were trying to take over
C)to provide aid to Prime Minister Tony Blair,who was prepared to lead the war against Saddam
D)to help change the current regime so the Iraqi people would be free and the threat to Iraq's neighbors would be reduced

Question 9

What was the foreign policy of containment designed to prevent?

A)nuclear proliferation
B)the spread of communism
C)terrorism
D)epidemics and pandemics

Question 10

Why was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization formed?

A)to provide peacetime collective security for the United States and Western Europe
B)to promote free trade between the United States and Western Europe
C)to help rebuild war-torn Europe after World War II
D)to enhance democratic government in newly industrializing countries

Question 11

What is meant by the term Vietnam syndrome?

A)Many veterans of the Vietnam War suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder.
B)American leaders exaggerated the importance of Vietnam,so afterward the American public did not believe their warnings of other dangers.
C)The Vietnam War was the first of a long line of wars in which U.S.leaders lied to the American public about the reasons for military intervention.
D)The Vietnam War was the closest the world has ever come to nuclear holocaust,which prompted U.S.leaders to take nuclear disarmament more seriously.

Question 12

The 1960s were a turning point in nuclear arms talks for what reason?

A)The resources being poured into the Vietnam War made it necessary for both the United States and the Soviet Union to reduce their nuclear stockpiles,so no talks were necessary.
B)Reconnaissance satellites made it possible for nations to monitor the weapons possessed by other nations,which made cheating on agreements more difficult.
C)The SALT talks between Henry Kissinger and the Soviet Union fell through when Kissinger was unable to reach any kind of agreement with the Soviets.
D)Both the United States and the Soviets had sufficient weaponry to ensure second-strike capability,which meant deterrence was successful and talks were unnecessary.

Question 13

Poland,Hungary,and the Czech Republic were admitted to NATO in 1998,which was notable for which of the following reasons?

A)Other NATO countries objected strongly,since the democracies were so new.
B)They presented a huge security risk to NATO.
C)NATO usually did not accept Western European countries that were so poor.
D)They were the first Eastern European countries to be admitted to NATO.

Question 14

Who won the Vietnam War?

A)the Warsaw Pact
B)NATO
C)communists
D)South Korea

Question 15

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 rebuild Western Europe.

Question 16

The military phase of the war on terrorism began in 2001 with Operation Enduring Freedom,which was the name given to the invasion of which of the following countries?

A)Iraq
B)Afghanistan
C)Vietnam
D)Libya

Question 17

What role did Afghanistan play in the September 11,2001,terrorist attacks?

A)Most of the terrorists were from Afghanistan.
B)Osama bin Laden trained some of the terrorists in Afghanistan.
C)The al-Qaeda-led government of Afghanistan funded Osama bin Laden.
D)The 9/11 terrorists hijacked airplanes originating from Afghanistan.

Question 18

What event marked the end of the Cold War?

A)détente
B)the collapse of the Soviet Union
C)the signing of the SALT II Treaty
D)the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan

Question 19

The Truman Doctrine was a pledge by President Harry S.Truman to do which of the following?

A)support countries that are essential to U.S.economic interests even if they violate human rights
B)aid people around the world who are hungry or need medical care
C)support free people who are fighting to help neighboring countries become free
D)support free people who are resisting subjugation attempts

Question 20

The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the world came during the Cold War to which of the following?

A)destruction of the U.S.Navy
B)nuclear holocaust
C)stopping nuclear proliferation
D)world peace

Question 21

The notion of "collective security" was behind the idea of which of the following?

A)the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
B)the Cold War
C)the Warsaw Pact
D)the League of Nations

Question 22

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 root out and eliminate potential terrorist threats before they are fully formed

Question 23

The Pew Research Center surveyed 38 nations to determine world opinion about the United States (see the box feature "Compared to What?").In which of the following nations were ratings of the United States particularly high?

A)Argentina
B)China
C)Egypt
D)Israel

Question 24

Which of the following describes U.S.intervention in Uganda?

A)occupation of the country to help the government build a democracy
B)use of special operations forces to aid the Ugandan military in fighting terrorism
C)airstrikes to assist the Ugandan military in fighting communist insurgents
D)occupation of the country to help the government build a democracy and reduce terrorism

Question 25

Which of the following represents a preemptive military attack by the United States?

A)the 1941 bombing at Pearl Harbor
B)the 2003 invasion of Iraq
C)the 1972 air attack on Hanoi
D)the 1986 air attack on Libya

Question 26

Which of the following best describes the world's superpowers since the end of World War II?

A)The United States has been the sole superpower since the end of World War II.
B)The United States and the Soviet Union were rival superpowers until the end of the Cold War,when the United States became the sole superpower.
C)The United States and the Soviet Union were rival superpowers until the Cuban Missile Crisis,when the United States and Russia became rival superpowers.
D)The United States,the United Kingdom,Germany,and the Soviet Union have been rival superpowers since the end of World War II.

Question 27

What does terrere,the Latin root of the word terrorism,mean?

A)"to inspire"
B)"to gather together"
C)"to intimidate"
D)"to frighten"

Question 28

Which of the following is most consistent with the foreign policy of isolationism?

A)a country's refusal to intervene in an armed conflict between two other countries
B)a country's willingness to use diplomatic sanctions to pressure another country to address human rights violations
C)the George W.Bush administration's policy of actively rooting out terrorism before a threat has fully developed
D)the United States' involvement in World War II

Question 29

What was the primary purpose of the Antiballistic Missile (ABM)Treaty?

A)to promote collective security
B)to promote regional security
C)to eliminate most antiballistic missiles
D)to reduce the threat posed by nuclear weapons

Question 30

Why are terrorist threats "nondeterrable"?

A)because nuclear weapons are too powerful to be deterred
B)because cutbacks were made to the SDI program that could have provided deterrence
C)because partisanship has clouded the debate over BMDs
D)because the threat of retaliation is meaningless to terrorists

Question 31

What wars led the U.S.military to institute changes based on a counterinsurgency emphasis?

A)Korea and Vietnam
B)the Cold War and the war on terrorism
C)the two Gulf Wars
D)Afghanistan and Iraq

Question 32

Which of the following was part of President Bush's broad "response to terrorism"?

A)the START II agreement
B)the Strategic Defense Initiative
C)the USA PATRIOT Act
D)the Marshall Plan

Question 33

How might the premise of the Marshall Plan be translated into the language of the war on terror?

A)The United States should focus on humanitarian concerns first,and worry about the war on terror second.
B)The United States should provide only humanitarian aid,not military intervention,as that is the best way to build allies in the fight against terrorism.
C)The United States should aid economically weak nations,as they are more susceptible to terrorism.
D)Rebuilding infrastructure helps trade and increases U.S.economic power in the world,which discourages terrorist attacks on America.

Question 34

Which of the following is most consistent with the new counterinsurgency emphasis of the U.S.military?

A)expansion of the U.S.Navy
B)increased use of traditional combat aircraft
C)an "enemy-centric" approach to armed conflict
D)heavy reliance on reserve units

Question 35

Deterrence is which kind of defense against attack?

A)physical
B)covert
C)psychological
D)asymmetrical

Question 36

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 considerable funding to Osama bin Laden.
D)Saddam Hussein had provided al-Qaeda with military intelligence and training.

Question 37

What is one lesson that some military leaders have taken away from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq?

A)Peacekeeping and nation building are important and should be planned for in advance of any invasion into a country.
B)Quick,decisive military actions are not possible,so any military action should be planned with that in mind.
C)Protracted commitments involving peacekeeping and nation building are best avoided in favor of quick,decisive military actions.
D)The United States should always act in its own best interests,regardless of whether it has support from other countries.

Question 38

The United States engaged in which of the following military conflicts in order to prevent the spread of communism?

A)World War I
B)World War II
C)the Vietnam War
D)the Persian Gulf War

Question 39

What change did Ronald Reagan advocate in how the United States should protect itself from nuclear weapons?

A)creating a ballistic missile defense system
B)shifting from technological solutions to deterrence through strength
C)relying on mutually assured destruction instead of deterrence
D)withdrawing from various treaties in order to demonstrate U.S.dominance

Question 40

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

A)civil unrest
B)nuclear capabilities
C)economic collapse
D)trade disagreements

Question 41

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

A)because the United States has not done enough to address human rights abuses in countries in which terrorists operate
B)because the United States has ignored atrocities in Africa and other developing countries while dealing with the occupation in Iraq
C)because the war in Afghanistan has demonstrated the importance of American involvement in Pakistan,but the United States hesitates to become involved
D)because the occupation of Iraq proved that the United States did not learn the lessons of Vietnam

Question 42

Which of the following best describes the relationship between international politics and power?

A)Although the aims of international politics may be identified as freedom,security,prosperity,and the like,the immediate goal is always the struggle for power.
B)The primary goal of international politics is achieving cooperation and a balance of power between democratic countries.
C)The aim of international politics is always a struggle for power so as to control as many people and countries as possible.
D)The immediate goal of international politics is to slow down the pace of globalization so power can be redistributed between democracies.

Question 43

Disappointment with the United Nations gave rise to a regional security approach illustrated in the creation of which of the following?

A)the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
B)the Truman Doctrine
C)the Bretton Woods System
D)the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Question 44

During the height of the Cold War,what would the United States likely have done if it had discovered that the Soviet Union was secretly installing nuclear missiles in another country close to the United States?

A)allowed the missiles to be delivered and then sent in military forces to confiscate them
B)engaged in a direct military conflict with the Soviet Union
C)blocked the transport of the missiles while finding a way to negotiate an agreement with the Soviet Union
D)withdrawn from NATO and unilaterally attacked the Soviet Union

Question 45

Why was Operation Desert Storm considered a success by the American people,while Operation Iraqi Freedom was not?

A)Although President George H.W.Bush and President George W.Bush both acted unilaterally,the quick,decisive victory in Desert Storm brought approval from the American people,while the drawn-out occupation in Iraq brought disapproval.
B)President George H.W.Bush acted multilaterally and carried out the operation quickly and with few casualties,while President George W.Bush acted unilaterally and the operation became drawn out,resulting in many casualties.
C)Although far more people died during Desert Storm,most of them were Iraqi people,not U.S.military personnel,so Americans considered the operation successful.
D)President George H.W.Bush acted unilaterally in Desert Storm and the operation was quick and decisive,which made the American people feel safe,while President George W.Bush wasted time trying to secure approval,which made Americans feel their president was not a good decision maker.

Question 46

What was the most significant difference between the SALT agreements and the START agreements?

A)The SALT agreements set limits on future weapons but did not reduce existing stockpiles,while the START agreements stressed reduction of weapons.
B)The SALT agreements were negotiated through Secretary of State Henry Kissinger,while the START agreements were negotiated directly by President George H.W.Bush himself.
C)The SALT agreements resulted in the ABM Treaty,while the SMART agreements were never ratified as a treaty.
D)The SALT agreements were negotiated in the 1970s,and so the weapons addressed in them are irrelevant today,whereas the START agreements were negotiated in the 1990s and contain much more relevant information.

Question 47

Which of the following best describes why the United States has been reshaping its military planning in recent years?

A)because the war on terror will require increased engagement in more countries of the type seen during the occupation of Iraq
B)because the war on terror requires the United States to be prepared for a nuclear holocaust
C)because the United States has to deal with terrorists,who are all suicide bombers who care nothing for life
D)because the war on terror requires the military to confront unconventional tactics such as ambushes and hostage taking

Question 48

Which of the following supports the claim that the president has more influence over defense policy than Congress does?

A)Presidents have sent U.S.troops into military actions more than 200 times,but Congress has formally declared war only five times.
B)The Supreme Court has consistently ruled that the president should have unlimited appropriations for military actions when needed.
C)Presidents have sent U.S.troops into military actions more than 200 times,and Congress has always rubber-stamped those decisions and declared war each time.
D)The president has the power to declare war,whether or not Congress agrees.

Question 49

Which of the following is necessary for deterrence to work?

A)second-strike capacity
B)preemptive attacks
C)counterinsurgency operations
D)collective security

Question 50

When military combat is necessary,what is required for the American people to be willing to send their sons and daughters into danger?

A)The president must convince them that the war can be won.
B)The American people must have the same political views as the president.
C)The president must convince them that all alternatives to war have been explored first.
D)The president must convince them that the outcome is worth dying for.

Question 51

Which of the following was created primarily to promote regional security?

A)NAFTA
B)the United Nations
C)the League of Nations
D)the Warsaw Pact

Question 52

Which of the following would be most consistent with use of the U.S.military under the Powell Doctrine?

A)the war in Iraq
B)the Gulf War
C)the Vietnam War
D)the Cold War

Question 53

How successful was deterrence during the Cold War and how well does it work in the war on terror?

A)It worked in the Cold War because it helped wipe out communism; it is working just as well in the war on terror by helping wipe out terrorism.
B)It hindered the spread of democracy in Western Europe during the Cold War; today it hinders the spread of democracy in the Middle East.
C)It worked in the Cold War because the nuclear threat made leaders on both sides cautious; it does not work in the war on terror because terrorists ignore retaliatory threats.
D)It did not work in the Cold War,as demonstrated by U.S.involvement in Korea and Vietnam; it is working well in the war on terror,as shown by the lack of military conflict with North Korea and Iran.

Question 54

Terrorists deliberately target __________as part of their attempts to inflict widespread destruction and instill fear in people.

A)elected officials
B)members of the military
C)civilians
D)bureaucrats

Question 55

How is terrorism different from traditional military force?

A)Terrorism usually involves military targets.
B)Terrorism is typically designed to instill fear in the general public.
C)Terrorism is typically better financed.
D)Only governments engage in terrorism.

Question 56

Around the time of the 9/11 attacks,where was the principal base of support for al-Qaeda?

A)Afghanistan
B)Egypt
C)Iran
D)Lebanon

Question 57

Which of the following possible outcomes of the war in Afghanistan would suggest that America had met its U.S.policy goal to "disrupt,dismantle,and defeat"?

A)Afghanistan is no longer providing any safe haven for al-Qaeda.
B)Democracy has been established in Afghanistan.
C)The infrastructure of Afghanistan has been rebuilt by U.S.contractors.
D)The tariffs on oil imports and exports are at an all-time low.

Question 58

How has U.S.foreign policy in Iran and North Korea been similar for much of the past decade?

A)It has been largely focused on economic development.
B)It has been largely driven by the September 11,2001,terrorist attacks.
C)It has been largely determined by the wealth of natural resources the countries possess.
D)It has been driven by the threat the countries pose to the United States.

Question 59

Which of the following would the president be most likely to rely on for defense if North Korea were to launch a missile at the United States today?

A)the ballistic missile defense (BMD)system
B)stealth bombers to fly airstrikes into North Korea
C)special forces units to perform covert operations in Korea
D)SCUD missiles

Question 60

How does the justification for creating the Marshall Plan relate to current U.S.foreign policy toward other countries in the war on terror?

A)The Marshall Plan was focused on rebuilding after a war,as was the occupation in Iraq.
B)The reasoning behind the Marshall Plan was that the United States should help less fortunate countries,which is why today America helps countries at the mercy of terrorists.
C)The Marshall Plan was based on the idea that economically weak nations were susceptible to communism,and today it is believed that social and cultural factors as well as political ones make countries susceptible to terrorism.
D)The Marshall Plan was an implementation of the policy of containment,which is the same policy the United States is using to deal with terrorists.

Question 61

What is a system of weapons capable of detecting,intercepting,and destroying ballistic missiles while they are in flight?

A)strategic nuclear bomber force
B)ballistic missile defense (BMD)system
C)strategic nuclear launch vehicles
D)strategic defense initiative (SDI)

Question 62

After World War II,the United States,Canada,and Western Europe formed a peacetime alliance known as the __________.

A)the Warsaw Pact
B)North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
C)Strategic Partnership Agreement
D)Strategic Arms Limitation Talk

Question 63

What is the situation where an entity has clear military superiority and is fighting an enemy that uses unconventional tactics such as ambushes,kidnappings,suicide bombings,and so on?

A)symmetrical warfare
B)terrorism
C)asymmetrical warfare
D)conventional military action

Question 64

The war on terrorism has created new conditions for the use of military force.What kind of attack was the 2011 raid by Special Forces in Pakistan that resulted in the killing of Osama bin Laden?

A)attack on a nation harboring terrorists
B)attack on a nation supporting terrorists
C)direct attack against terrorists forces
D)preemptive attack on a regime that threatens to use weapons of mass destruction

Question 65

Terrorism is a nonpolitical act that is designed to recruit people to the terrorists' religion through striking fear in people who do not believe the same things.

Question 66

What is an attempt to bring order to international relations by all nations joining together to guarantee each other's territorial integrity and independence against external aggression?

A)regional security
B)preemptive attacks
C)counterinsurgency operations
D)collective security

Question 67

The danger posed by ballistic missiles is their ability to carry __________.

A)biological weapons
B)suicide bombers
C)nuclear warheads or weapons
D)psychological threats

Question 68

Doctrine that provides guidelines for the use of military force based on the lessons learned from Vietnam; widely supported by U.S.military leaders because they do not like to see their troops put in danger to advance diplomatic goals or risk their soldiers' lives in situations that limit their ability to defend themselves.

A)Containment
B)Marshall Plan
C)Truman Doctrine
D)Powell Doctrine

Question 69

What was a Cold War strategy to prevent the spread of communism?

A)containment
B)multilateralism
C)deterrence
D)regional security

Question 70

Referring to Figure 18.2,the START agreements are an important step toward reaching President Barack Obama's goal of reducing __________ by 87 percent from Cold War levels.

A)biological weapons
B)suicide bombers
C)nuclear arms
D)psychological weapons

Question 71

__________ received the Nobel Peace Prize when he announced that the Soviet Union would no longer use its military forces to keep communist governments in power in Eastern Europe.

A)President Ronald Reagan
B)Chancellor Helmut Kohl
C)President Mikhail Gorbachev
D)Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

Question 72

One of the reasons President George W.Bush provided for Operation Iraqi Freedom was to eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.Why did the United States fail to meet this goal?

A)because they did not have enough troops on the ground to achieve this goal
B)because they could not obtain accurate information on their location
C)because the Iraq military surrounded the weapons with civilians
D)because Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction

Question 73

The United States and NATO created an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)to provide a secure environment for the development of a legitimate government in Afghanistan.

Question 74

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

Question 75

The objective of U.S.foreign policy in Afghanistan is not to bring Western-style democracy to Afghanistan,but to ensure that the country does not become a safe haven for terrorists.

Question 76

__________ is used by governments and is designed to effect change through the use of force.

A)Traditional military action
B)Terrorism
C)Non-traditional military action
D)Psychological warfare

Question 77

What happened two years after the peace agreement between the North Vietnamese and South Vietnamese?

A)The North Vietnamese invaded South Vietnam.
B)After 25 years of fighting,peace was finally achieved and the borders were opened to free trade.
C)The South Vietnamese invaded North Vietnam.
D)The United States pulled out of North Vietnam,abandoning all of the loyal North Vietnamese that had fought with the Americans during the war.

Question 78

During the Cold War,the term "Iron Curtain" was used to refer to the way the Soviets divided Europe into Eastern and Western portions,with Eastern Europe under communist rule.

Question 79

The __________ is the international organization created after World War II to promote global peace and security.

A)NAFTA
B)United Nations
C)League of Nations
D)Warsaw Pact

Question 80

One of the reasons stated by President George W.Bush for the __________ was the danger posed by weapons of mass destruction.

A)Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
B)war in Afghanistan
C)Strategic Arms Reduction Talks
D)war in Iraq