Deck 15: Conclusion: Power and Purpose in a Changing World

Question 1

As recently as the 1990s, what was the predominant belief regarding the sources of the primary threat in international politics?

A)That major threats to international peace stem from competing regional alliances
B)That major threats to international peace stem from terrorist groups
C)That major threats to international peace stem from states
D)That major threats to international peace are rooted in greed

Answer 1

C

Question 2

According to hegemonic stability theory, what is likely to happen when a dominant state loses its hegemonic position?

A)A more equitable balance of power in the international system is likely to emerge.
B)New balance of power will be peacefully negotiated.
C)Major powers will renew their focus on economic development and capitalist expansion.
D)A hegemonic war between the declining hegemon and the challenging country will take place.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The sources of power are changing nowadays. Whom does terrorism and technology empower?

A)Great powers
B)Weak actors
C)The Global South
D)The Global North

Answer 3

B

Question 4

In addition to the march of progress and the ever-changing environment in which states operate, what additional characteristic defines international politics today?

A)Continuity
B)Populism
C)Integrity
D)Equality

Question 5

Which recent trend among new and established democracies alike has led to increasing scrutiny of the beliefs that democracy would naturally spread and bring peace along with it?

A)Bandwagoning
B)Backsliding
C)Degeneration
D)Obfuscation

Question 6

In addition to being deemed a different type of war, we can also think of terrorism as which of the following?

A)A different type of communication
B)A different type of weapon
C)A different type of diplomacy
D)A different type of politics

Question 7

What term did the George W. Bush administration use for the U.S. response to the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center?

A)Hegemonic war
B)Patriot Act
C)Global war on terror
D)Iraq War

Question 8

Which centuries-old norm of international relations is currently being challenged by newly emergent trends?

A)Power
B)Globalization
C)Sovereignty
D)Interdependence

Question 9

What do most analysts assume about the prospective Chinese hegemony?

A)That it will be characterized by cooperation
B)That it will be better for the third world
C)That it will be helpful in the creation of agreements aimed at the protection of the environment
D)That it will be much less benevolent

Question 10

As a result of the blurring between international and domestic security, many countries have responded by passing controversial laws that have done which of the following?

A)They delegated efforts to combat terrorism to international police forces.
B)They encouraged negotiated settlements with terrorist organizations.
C)They eroded civil liberties and human rights.
D)They eliminated all barriers to the flow of trade and finance across states.

Question 11

Of the six emergent changes in the international system, which is the most far-reaching?

A)Rise of nonstate actors
B)Globalization of trade and finance
C)Widespread acceptance of democracy
D)Erosion of control of the sovereign state

Question 12

Who argued that the horrors of war and the spread of liberal democracy would compel humankind to develop less violent ways of resolving their disputes?

A)Woodrow Wilson
B)Immanuel Kant
C)Norman Ornstein
D)Adam Smith

Question 13

Which country appears most likely to replace the United States as the next hegemon?

A)Brazil
B)China
C)Russia
D)South Africa

Question 14

What triggered the third wave of democratization?

A)The end of colonialism in Africa
B)The collapse of communism in Eastern Europe
C)The rise of global terrorism following the September 11 attacks
D)The growing democratic tendencies in China

Question 15

Which country is closing the wealth gap with developed states?

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

Question 16

Which author predicted a new world politics based upon economic globalization?

A)Thomas Friedman
B)Norman Ornstein
C)Francis Fukuyama
D)Bernard Brodie

Question 17

The United States retains a dominant position in international politics with regards to which aspect of power?

A)Moral
B)Multilateral
C)Military
D)Judicial

Question 18

What is the primary reason that some use to argue the importance of who the hegemon is?

A)The purpose to which power is used is important.
B)Some hegemons are more effective than others.
C)Not all hegemons want to cooperate with everyone.
D)Some hegemons are not capitalist countries.

Question 19

What defines the contemporary era of international politics?

A)Power
B)Cooperation
C)Stability
D)Change

Question 20

What would likely emerge if the U.S. lost its hegemonic position without a corresponding increase in the power of China?

A)Bipolarity
B)Unipolarity
C)Multipolarity
D)Chaos

Question 21

Discuss some common career patterns for those interested in an international career? What skills are particularly prized by government, business, and nongovernmental organizations?

Question 22

What were the outcomes of the anti-government protests in North Africa and the Middle East known as the Arab Spring?

A)Democracy was reinstated in Egypt and Tunisia.
B)Local monarchies were replaced with parliamentary democracies.
C)Democracy was brought to the Arab world.
D)Most of the countries involved readopted authoritarianism.

Question 23

Discuss the two kinds of gaps in wealth. How have the trends shifted and what are the consequences? Use examples of countries bridging these gaps in wealth.

Question 24

Besides democracy, examine other forms of government in the world today. Will democracy survive as the only legitimate form of government? How might authoritarian governments persist and/or compete with democracy as alternative paths to governance?

Question 25

Many predict that the US hegemony will come to an end in the decades to come. What are the likely consequences of American decline? What role may China take in these scenarios?

Question 26

Many experts argue that the change in the sovereignty of states is the most pressing and important of all emergent changes. What is the argument that supports this view, and what is the countering argument?

Question 27

What did a recent study sponsored by the U.S.US National Intelligence Council predict regarding peace and security in the years to come?

A)Conflicts between countries will increase.
B)Conflicts between nonstate actors will increase.
C)Artificial intelligence is a threat to humankind.
D)North Africa is the most dangerous region for global security.

Question 28

According to the latest research, which countries are especially vulnerable to becoming aggressive?

A)New democracies
B)Established democracies
C)Minority-majority countries
D)Oligarchies

Question 29

Which term refers to a country that is ruled by religious leaders?

A)Autocracy
B)Theocracy
C)Plutocracy
D)Dogmatic regime

Question 30

As recently as the 1990s, international security was almost exclusively about the dangers states posed to other states. Why is this no longer the case?

Question 31

Do you agree or disagree with the assertion that globalization is revolutionary? If globalization is revolutionary, is it inevitable?

Question 32

Discuss several of the emergent changes that may indeed be revolutionary for the current structure of international politics. To what extent do you accept the analysis that these changes are revolutionary?

Question 33

Which concept describes states that will almost certainly not go to war with one another?

A)Sovereign states
B)Integrated countries
C)Zone of peace
D)Zone of benevolence

Question 34

If American power declines so much so that the US loses its hegemonic position, what kind of systemic polarity is likely to emerge?

Question 35

What is the purpose of scenario generation?

A)To predict the future
B)To combine different assessments of a situation without determining which is correct
C)To provide support to justify the government's position on an issue
D)To select a single assumption to simplify policy options

Question 36

What are some of the ways in which power and purpose are changing? Assuming that the answers regarding the future are not predetermined, what variables will determine the evolution of the system?

Question 37

Why has the support for state regulation of the economy made a comeback in recent years?

A)Because of terrorism
B)Because of the challenges of currency exchange
C)Because of the global financial crisis
D)Because of the need to end floating exchange rates