Deck 9: The Use of Force

Question 1

Strategic implications of drones are especially important

A) for deterrence possibilities.
B) in counterinsurgency operations.
C) for profit maximization in various military industries.
D) in coercive diplomacy applications.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

According to the "Defense/Deterrence Continuum," which of the following falls under the pure defensive use category?

A) Most insurgent strategies
B) Ground troops and tanks
C) Walls, fortifications
D) Strategic nuclear weaponry

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which concept fits this statement: "Safety from the threat of physical destruction"?

A) Balance of power
B) Deterrence
C) Traditional security
D) Hegemonic stability

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In order for a threat to be convincing and provide benefits, it must be

A) mutual.
B) ignored.
C) theoretical.
D) credible.

Question 5

The policy that convinces an opponent that the costs of attacking would be higher than the perceived benefits is known as

A) defense.
B) retaliation.
C) bluffing.
D) deterrence.

Question 6

The U.S. military

A) spends a small fraction of money on the military compared to any other country.
B) struggles to have advanced weaponry.
C) cannot sustain a military deployment for an extended time.
D) is the only country that can deploy its military around the world for sustained periods.

Question 7

Which concept best reflects this statement: "The more powerful a state becomes, the more other states will perceive it as a threat, and begin to treat it accordingly?"

A) Coercive diplomacy
B) Security dilemma
C) Deterrence
D) Traditional security

Question 8

The most striking difference in the contemporary global military environment compared to previous periods is the

A) extreme disparity in conventional weaponry between the United States and other states.
B) significant reduction in conventional weapons in the world.
C) declining probability of war breaking out between rival countries.
D) development of military alliances among countries.

Question 9

Every threat

A) is credible.
B) is an offer to negotiate.
C) will lead to the use of force.
D) comes from a state with a greater expected utility than the state being threatened.

Question 10

According to the text, the phrase, "war is the continuation of policy by other means," implies that war

A) must have purpose.
B) is necessary.
C) is not much different from diplomacy.
D) cannot be avoided.

Question 11

The definition of force contains two important components. Which ones are they?

A) Power and violence
B) Threats and power
C) Weapons and money
D) Violence and threat of violence

Question 12

Drones have become popular weapons for the United States for all of the following reasons except

A) their ability to hover in outer space allows for limited detection by most opposing forces.
B) they are fairly inexpensive to build.
C) the absence of a pilot eliminates the risk to military personnel.
D) they have less political costs for countries that are sensitive to military casualties.

Question 13

The United States leads most other countries in every category of weaponry except

A) nuclear weapons.
B) military technology.
C) number of soldiers.
D) military budget.

Question 14

In order to demonstrate credibility in making a threat against another country, a country must have two characteristics. They are

A) willingness and capability to carry out the threat.
B) strong rhetoric and political will.
C) military power and purpose.
D) hope and optimism.

Question 15

The famous Prussian strategist who asserted that "…war is the continuation of policy by other means" was

A) Herman Goehring
B) Otto von Bismarck
C) Carl von Clausewitz
D) Rolf Dahrendorf

Question 16

Who wrote Art of War?

A) Sun Tzu
B) Carl von Clausewitz
C) Thucydides
D) Plato

Question 17

How is credibility defined?

A) Credibility is defined by perception.
B) Credibility can be defined as the extent to which an actor making a threat has both the will and the capability to carry out the threat if concessions are not forthcoming.
C) Credibility can be defined by the military size and power of the state making the threat.
D) Credibility can be understood by examining the past behavior of the state making the threat.

Question 18

All of the following are examples of traditional means of providing defense and repelling attack except

A) the Great Wall of China.
B) the Kremlin in Moscow.
C) the London Tower.
D) castles in medieval Europe.

Question 19

Low tech weapons and acts of terrorism have shifted the security focus back to

A) deterrence.
B) defense.
C) a mixture of deterrence and defense.
D) coercive diplomacy.

Question 20

When an explicit or implicit threat is used to persuade another actor to make a concession, it is referred to as

A) diplomacy.
B) coercion.
C) negotiation.
D) force.

Question 21

Chemical and biological weapons are

A) much easier to deploy with massive effect.
B) do not have to be delivered in mass quantities to have mass effects.
C) are easily distributed.
D) are much cheaper and easier to produce than nuclear weapons.

Question 22

Which of the following agents is not a type that can be used in a biological weapon?

A) Anthrax
B) Sarin
C) Smallpox
D) Botulism

Question 23

The killing of innocent civilians as a result of a military strike is known as

A) collateral damage.
B) a surgical strike.
C) an important component of deterrence.
D) the fog of war.

Question 24

Precision-guided munitions are important because they

A) are able to send powerful bombs over a large area.
B) can destroy the target with a high degree of reliability.
C) less expensive than other types of munitions.
D) are mainly under the control of the United States.

Question 25

The Japanese surrender in World War II highlights a primary lesson concerning the role of nuclear weapons. That lesson was that

A) nuclear weapons were extremely destructive.
B) the United States showed its willingness to use nuclear weapons to destroy Japan.
C) nuclear weapons were used as a deterrent to coerce Japan from further resistance.
D) nuclear weapons were simply another form of war.

Question 26

Chemical weapons can include all of the following except

A) blistering agents.
B) riot control agents.
C) choking agents.
D) nerve agents.

Question 27

During the Cold War, stability emerged from a condition in which both countries would be destroyed following a first and second strike using nuclear weapons. This situation is known as

A) proliferation.
B) mutual assured destruction (MAD).
C) crisis stability.
D) military preponderance.

Question 28

The risk that developed during the Cold War in which the existence of nuclear weapons would serve as an incentive to strike first is referred to as

A) crisis stability.
B) nuclear deterrence.
C) nuclear defense.
D) security dilemma.

Question 29

After the United States and Russia, which power has the next largest nuclear weapon stockpile?

A) France
B) China
C) Germany
D) United Kingdom

Question 30

All of the following are considered low-tech weapons except

A) improvised explosive devices.
B) assault rifles.
C) precision-guided munitions.
D) grenade launchers.

Question 31

The potential spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) to other states and terrorist groups is primarily a result of

A) the fascination with such deadly means of destruction.
B) the low cost of production of WMD.
C) the technological information that can be found on the Internet in order to produce WMD.
D) the inability of these groups to fight the United States using conventional weapons.

Question 32

__________ weapons use a powerful burst of energy to damage electronic circuits.

A) Radiological
B) Electroencephalogram
C) Chemical
D) Electromagnetic pulse

Question 33

In which of the following countries in 1994 were approximately 800,000 people killed with low-tech weapons like rifles, machetes, and other improvised weapons?

A) Rwanda
B) Sudan
C) Ethiopia
D) Afghanistan

Question 34

An example of a conflict in which low-tech weapons were the primary weapons that killed people is

A) World War I.
B) World War II.
C) the Vietnam War.
D) the Sudan.

Question 35

The comparison between North Vietnam, which lost a million people during the war, versus the United States, which lost 58,000 people, represents the

A) relative sensitivity to casualties.
B) value placed on human life in Vietnam.
C) changing nature of collateral damage.
D) different views of deterrence.

Question 36

Which of the following Asian countries does not have a nuclear weapon?

A) India
B) Pakistan
C) China
D) Iran

Question 37

Low-tech weapons have proliferated in recent years because of falling prices. The prices have fallen as a result of

A) new ways to produce these weapons.
B) intense competition in the global arms industry.
C) a reduction in the need for such weapons.
D) too few conflicts that require these weapons.

Question 38

Chemical and biological weapons may become an acceptable choice by some countries for all of the following reasons except

A) ease of development.
B) ability to produce in normal industrial facilities.
C) less expensive to produce compared to nuclear weapons.
D) capability of creating more fear than nuclear weapons.

Question 39

What was the name of the computer worm that disrupted the control software in Iranian centrifuges in 2010?

A) Flame
B) PyroWorm
C) Stuxnet
D) Kinderglow

Question 40

Which of the following is not a problem with regard to chemical or biological weapons?

A) Shifts in wind currents sometimes expose your own troops to the agents.
B) Such weapons are expensive to build.
C) They have to be delivered in mass quantities to have mass effects.
D) They can be difficult to produce in a form that will have the desired effect.

Question 41

The definition of terrorism contains three points. Which one of the following is not included in the definition?

A) Terrorism is a method, not a goal.
B) Terrorism is simply senseless violence.
C) Terrorism is violence committed by a nongovernmental actor.
D) The target of terrorism is not the direct victims but broader society.

Question 42

Who are terrorists targeting?

A) Family members
B) Immediate victims of the attack
C) Anyone
D) Broader society and government

Question 43

Insurgents especially need the support of the civilian population because they

A) receive tax support from the noncombatants.
B) draft civilians into their insurgency.
C) are able to freely move behind enemy lines and live among civilians.
D) provide leadership, build schools, and create economic opportunities for civilians.

Question 44

Which of the following insurgent leaders established a set of rules intended to ensure that his forces did not alienate the population among whom they operated?

A) Ho Chi Minh
B) Francisco Franco
C) Mao Zedong
D) Fidel Castro

Question 45

Which prominent realist theorist argues that the proliferation of nuclear weapons will likely make the world more, rather than less, safe?

A) Henry Kissinger
B) Carl von Clausewitz
C) Kenneth Waltz
D) Joseph Nye

Question 46

For crisis stability to have its desired effect, the most important condition is to maintain a

A) secure second-strike capability.
B) preponderance of nuclear weapons on one side.
C) high level of uncertainty as to the number of nuclear weapons controlled by the other country.
D) degree of irrationality among the leadership.

Question 47

Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are especially effective at strengthening deterrence because they

A) are useful under any war situation.
B) increase the damage that can be inflicted on an attacker.
C) are inexpensive and easy to use.
D) even the playing field because all actors have a WMD arsenal.

Question 48

"Terrorism is a method, not a goal." What does this mean?

A) Terrorism is senseless. It has no goal.
B) Terrorism is a method used to achieve a particular goal.
C) Terrorism is a political ideology.
D) Terrorism is similar to organized crime in its methods.

Question 49

By targeting innocent civilians instead of soldiers or politicians, terrorists hope to instill

A) confusion.
B) hatred.
C) fear.
D) acceptance.

Question 50

Which of the following countries seeks WMD because they fear they may not be able to defend themselves against a conventional attack?

A) Iran
B) Canada
C) France
D) United States

Question 51

The use of violence by nongovernmental actors in an effort to change government policies by creating fear of further violence is known as

A) an international war.
B) irrational violence.
C) crisis instability.
D) terrorism.

Question 52

Which scholar claimed that proliferation of nuclear weapons makes the world more safe?

A) Carl von Clausewitz
B) John DeLuca
C) Winston Churchill
D) Kenneth Waltz

Question 53

Madrid, London, and Bombay have all experienced

A) insurgent warfare.
B) terrorist attacks.
C) crisis stability.
D) asymmetric warfare.

Question 54

All of the following can be considered an objective of terrorism except

A) waging a holy war.
B) defeating the enemy on the field of battle.
C) destroying the capitalist system.
D) driving out the enemy from the land.

Question 55

While Waltz argues that nuclear weapons proliferation actually makes the world safer; all of the following represent opposing challenges to Waltz's theory except

A) perhaps not all leaders are rational actors.
B) MIRVed warheads are inherently more stabilizing.
C) civilian control over nuclear armaments is not assured.
D) nuclear capable government may be overthrown by radical groups intending to use nuclear weapons.

Question 56

If a state is involved in conflict with a much stronger opponent, it might choose

A) to use the standard "lines of battle."
B) to work to hold its territory against the opponent.
C) to use insurgency.
D) to use open warfare.

Question 57

A primary objective for both insurgency and guerilla warfare is to

A) defeat the enemy on the field of battle.
B) raise the costs of conflict higher than any benefit to the attacker.
C) force the intervention of the UN to end the conflict.
D) use high-tech weapons against the attacker.

Question 58

Why did General Stanley McChrystal implement strict rules of engagement in Afghanistan?

A) He recognized that civilian casualties just made the insurgency stronger.
B) He was a sensitive General who wanted to limit the cost of war.
C) He disagreed with White House policy.
D) He came to like the Afghani people and wanted to limit their suffering.

Question 59

In a war-fighting situation, winning the "hearts and minds" of civilians refers to

A) providing material benefits to the people under attack.
B) an increase in foreign aid to areas of conflict.
C) obtaining the support of the noncombatants so that they won't support the insurgents.
D) the use of low-tech munitions in order to limit collateral damage.

Question 60

In contrast to state violence, terrorists are

A) private actors who use violence for private goals.
B) private actors who use violence for public goals.
C) public actors who use violence for private goals.
D) public actors who use violence for public goals.

Question 61

Discuss the differences between defense and deterrence. Under what conditions and for what purpose would a country choose defense or deterrence?

Question 62

Which approach to explaining the causes of terrorism is most effective at defining the root causes?

A) System-level approaches
B) Individual-level approaches
C) Societal-level approaches
D) All approaches can be effective at defining root causes of terrorism.

Question 63

Which of the following was responsible for the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881?

A) Daggers
B) Zealots
C) The People's Will
D) Sicarii

Question 64

Which of the following do not come from the names of premodern terrorist groups?

A) Thug
B) Sycophant
C) Assassin
D) Zealot

Question 65

What is the relationship between religion and terrorism? To what extent can religion be a cause of terrorism and to what extent is this connection weak?

Question 66

List and briefly describe the five different categories of weapons of mass destruction.

Question 67

Describe the security dilemma. What are some modern day examples of this dilemma in action?

Question 68

According to the rational choice explanation for terrorism, retaliation is the accepted tool of terrorists in order to

A) avoid direct conflict with a country's army.
B) show the adversary that it can fight in some limited way.
C) protect its territory and population.
D) raise the cost of a particular policy to force change.

Question 69

Several sets of terrorist conflict have arisen over the past one hundred years including all of the following except

A) conflict between Palestinians and Israel.
B) conflict between the British and U.S. governments over military bases in England.
C) conflict between governments and leftist movements in the 1970s and 1980s.
D) conflict over national self-determination in Ireland, Spain, and Italy.

Question 70

Research on the profiling of individual terrorists has demonstrated that

A) terrorists generally fit a common set of characteristics.
B) terrorists are known to always be young men with strong religious convictions.
C) there is no particular psychological attribute that can be used to describe the terrorist personally.
D) individual profiling is more useful than group profiling.

Question 71

Will nuclear weapons make the world more or less safe? Explain the arguments on either side of this debate.

Question 72

Sociological studies have indicated that terrorists tend to be all of the following except

A) male
B) European origin
C) young
D) college-educated

Question 73

Generally, deterrence is ineffective against terrorist groups because

A) deterrence requires rational actors.
B) terrorists have little of value against which to make deterrent threats.
C) use of conventional weaponry can weaken terrorist groups.
D) states can effectively defend against terrorist attacks.

Question 74

Sovereign states may be deterred from violence against others because

A) non-state actors can then inflict enormous damage on sovereign states.
B) they have property, people, and values they wish to protect.
C) the use of force by sovereign states is illegitimate.
D) peacekeeping forces will intervene to stop the conflict.

Question 75

How do scholars best explain terrorism?

A) System-level explanations
B) Societal-level explanations
C) Individual-level explanations
D) So far, no explanation of terrorism has gained wide support among scholars.

Question 76

What are some contemporary conditions among certain actors that facilitate the use of insurgency and guerilla warfare? Why do these conditions exist today?

Question 77

Examine the reasons why Iran and North Korea may be developing nuclear weaponry? To what extent can deterrence be considered the primary rationale for these developments? What other evidence may discount this as a primary motivation?

Question 78

A major flaw in the argument that poverty causes terrorism is that

A) few terrorist leaders have come from conditions of poverty.
B) terrorists groups have yet to change the economic system.
C) those living in poverty always hope their economic circumstances will improve.
D) poverty makes people more willing to suffer rather than revolt.

Question 79

Poverty is said to contribute to terrorism in all of the following ways except

A) making people more susceptible to radical ideologies.
B) making individuals more hostile toward the existing political and economic system.
C) allowing people to imagine ways to reform the current political and economic system.
D) giving individuals little to lose by engaging in terrorism.

Question 80

Why are many countries developing high-tech weaponry, such as drones and precision guided missiles? What are the benefits of using such weaponry?  What are the potential costs or disadvantages of possessing such weapons?