Deck 6: Bureaucracies Groups and Individuals in the Foreign Policy Process

Question 1

After discussing the advantages and disadvantages of using U.S. Navy SEALs to capture or kill bin Laden, who voted in support of using this option among close advisors to the U.S. President?

A) Only a minority of advisors
B) Roughly half of all presidential advisors supported the SEAL team's use
C) Only Vice President Joe Biden
D) It was a unanimous decision.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The substate level allows us to consider foreign policies that

A) bubble up from within a government.
B) move from top to bottom.
C) are initiated by the central government.
D) are negotiated between governments.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

After President Obama and his advisors learned of Osama bin Laden's whereabouts in the Pakistani city of Abbotabad, which two difficult choices did they have to make?

A) Should they tell the Pakistani government and should they enlist their support?
B) When to tell the world about bin Laden's assassination and where should they bury the body
C) When to attack and how
D) Will the public support the attack on bin Laden?

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The phrase, "you, as commander-in-chief, can do what you wish with the military, but you cannot pay for it with public funds," refers to the congressional oversight known as

A) power of the purse.
B) balance of power.
C) checks and balances.
D) "war powers."

Question 5

What part of the U.S. government has the constitutional authority to declare war?

A) President
B) Congress
C) Secretary of State
D) Chief Justice

Question 6

Which of the following is not generally a problem with foreign policy decision making?

A) Groups of like-minded people trying to solve the same problem can disagree on the best course of action.
B) People make foreign policy decisions in conditions of incredible stress.
C) Information is often at a premium and some things cannot be known in advance.
D) Chief executives often have only one course of action to choose from.

Question 7

In countries with a parliamentary system, there is likely to be __________ tension between the executive branch and the legislature.

A) much less
B) much more
C) about the same
D) slightly less

Question 8

How many times has the U.S. Congress declared war since World War II?

A) Zero
B) One
C) Three
D) Five

Question 9

Foreign policy decisions generally are less contentious in countries with a parliamentary form of government because

A) they are more democratic than countries with a presidential form of government.
B) the parliamentary majority chooses the prime minister, so the leader is from the majority party.
C) parliaments have greater power than the prime minister.
D) presidential forms of government often are contentious by nature.

Question 10

Public confidence in this U.S. president was harmed irreparably when a bold raid to free U.S. hostages in Iran failed in 1979.

A) Ronald Reagan
B) Bill Clinton
C) Gerald Ford
D) Jimmy Carter

Question 11

The study of foreign policy includes all of the following areas of study except

A) psychological characteristics of leaders.
B) bureaucratic behavior.
C) the economic budgets of governments.
D) the process of decision making.

Question 12

In deciding how to kill bin Laden, which was NOT a benefit of using the U.S. Navy SEALs?

A) Bystander deaths would be minimized.
B) Vital intelligence might be collected.
C) Verification of bin Laden's identity and death.
D) No chance of unforeseen circumstances.

Question 13

Congress has used the power of the purse to do all of the following EXCEPT

A) force the withdrawal of troops.
B) exert influence on foreign aid.
C) prohibit the funding of projects in countries toward which it determines the United States should take a tougher policy.
D) get a majority party leadership elected.

Question 14

The influence of the legislature in foreign policy is most pronounced in which area?

A) Military decisions
B) Deployment issues
C) Judicial challenges
D) Budgetary power

Question 15

Which of the following is not true about the War Powers Act?

A) U.S. presidents have consistently held that the law is unconstitutional.
B) The U.S. Supreme Court has declared in Valeo v. Buckley that the Act is unconstitutional.
C) U.S. presidents have generally followed the Act's provisions.
D) Combat troops must be removed from a zone of conflict after sixty days unless Congress passes legislation allowing the operation to continue.

Question 16

The U.S. president's authority to act as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces is set by

A) the Supreme Court.
B) Congressional resolution.
C) the Constitution.
D) voter mandate.

Question 17

Although the president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Congress passed the __________ in order to reassert congressional control over going to war.

A) Appropriations Bill
B) War Powers Resolution
C) Pentagon Papers
D) Kyoto Agreement

Question 18

The level of analysis that looks at actors within the state is called

A) state level analysis.
B) systemic level analysis.
C) international level analysis.
D) substate-level state analysis.

Question 19

The War Powers Resolution was passed by the U.S. Congress after the conclusion of the __________ war.

A) Persian Gulf
B) Korean
C) Vietnam
D) Afghan

Question 20

Foreign policy studies generally focus on the executive branch of the government for all of the following reasons except

A) the only legitimate foreign policy authority is the executive.
B) foreign policy requires a single voice abroad.
C) many constitutions specify the executive as the head of government.
D) most foreign policy negotiations are headed by the head of state.

Question 21

In the case of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (2004), the U.S. Supreme Court

A) argued that Secretary of State Rumsfeld overstepped his powers by allowing for the torture of this Syrian citizen.
B) rejected Hamdan's arguments that, as a U.S. citizen, he had legal rights that protected him from detention without trial.
C) agreed that Hamdan could sue the U.S. government for medical damages he obtained on the battlefield in Afghanistan.
D) supported Hamdan's view that, as a U.S. citizen, he had legal rights that needed to be protected.

Question 22

The crisis that occurred between the Soviet Union and the United States in 1962 that nearly precipitated a nuclear war between the two superpowers took place in

A) Berlin, West Germany.
B) Cuba.
C) Afghanistan.
D) North Korea.

Question 23

The Department of Homeland Security and Director of National Intelligence position were created

A) as a result of the intelligence failures prior to the September 11 attacks.
B) to define the differing responsibilities of national and international intelligence gathering organizations.
C) following the failure of international organizations to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
D) to cooperate with British and German agencies to fight terrorism.

Question 24

The phrase, "where you stand depends on where you sit," is associated with which foreign policy decision-making model?

A) Rational action model
B) Expected utility model
C) Organizational model
D) Bureaucratic politics model

Question 25

Researchers who focus on the role of bureaucracies in foreign policy agree that bureaucracies

A) operate in a manner that deviates from a rational model of decision making.
B) have little influence on foreign policy decisions.
C) work in a highly coordinated manner to implement foreign policy aims.
D) are dominated by legislative and judicial foreign policy decision makers.

Question 26

According to the text, Winston Churchill did NOT serve as

A) president of the Board of Trade, arguing against greater spending on the British navy.
B) First Lord of the Admiralty and supported the need to substantially increase the navy's budget.
C) Chancellor of the Exchequer, while advocating for a reduced budgetary allotment for the British navy.
D) Admiral in the British Royal Air Force.

Question 27

In considering our response to the Soviet emplacement of ballistic missiles in Cuba in 1962, why did U.S. military leaders argue for an early strike?

A) In order to teach the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, a lesson for being rash
B) To strike before Soviet naval forces arrived
C) In order to disable the missile sites before they became operational
D) To be able to catch the element of surprise from Soviet and Cuban forces

Question 28

When several bureaucratic agencies compete over a policy decision, the outcome often is a

A) policy that nobody intended.
B) policy that everyone now supports.
C) policy that only one side wanted.
D) policy that is the most effective.

Question 29

The role of the U.S. domestic courts in influencing foreign affairs has

A) been very active.
B) never been a factor.
C) been minimal.
D) been active in the past, but is not relevant today.

Question 30

In 2003, the State Department

A) favored the diplomatic process in its dealings with Iraq.
B) favored intervention in Iraq.
C) supported the Defense department in its decision to use force in Iraq.
D) felt that they could successfully handle the aftermath of the war in Iraq.

Question 31

The rational action model assumes that all foreign policy actors have a clear

A) goal.
B) strategy.
C) policy.
D) conviction.

Question 32

The expected utility theory highlights

A) payoff and probability.
B) cost and benefits.
C) input and output.
D) rationality and irrationality.

Question 33

The courts' role in foreign policy may be growing as a result of the fact that

A) U.S. military forces are involved in more judicial proceedings in the United States and abroad.
B) they are taking on more issues of civil liberties and human rights.
C) the legislative and executive branches are shying away from resolving many of the more difficult decisions.
D) the Constitution is failing to add more powers to the judicial branch.

Question 34

As each bureaucratic agency promotes its own interest, the role of the State Department generally is to promote

A) economic policies.
B) war in resolving issues.
C) diplomatic resolution to conflicts.
D) international trade policies.

Question 35

The Pentagon Papers were

A) a series of secret Defense Department reports on the origins of the Iraq War that raised serious questions about U.S. involvement in the war.
B) a series of secret Defense Department reports on the origins of the Vietnam War that raised serious questions about U.S. involvement in the war.
C) a series of secret Defense Department reports on the decreasing role of the Pentagon in foreign economic policy and the plan to increase that role.
D) a series of secret Defense Department reports on the effect of Watergate on the Pentagon.

Question 36

The expected utility theory is most useful under all of the following conditions except

A) under conditions of uncertainty.
B) when not all conditions are known.
C) when results of a policy cannot be predicted.
D) when the payoff is highest.

Question 37

Who was arrested and charged in the Wikileaks scandal?

A) Joe Biden
B) Leon Panetta
C) Yasir Hamdan
D) Bradley Manning

Question 38

What event did Graham Allison use to demonstrate the bureaucratic politics model?

A) Bay of Pigs
B) Cuban Missile Crisis
C) War in Iraq
D) Korean war

Question 39

How was the diplomatic crisis concerning Pinochet resolved?

A) He died.
B) He escaped from the British authorities.
C) A British court ruled that he was too ill to be put on trial.
D) A British court ruled that extradition was not legal.

Question 40

__________ and __________ are the two primary reasons that foreign policy bureaucracies pursue different policies.

A) Profit; reputation
B) Role; budget
C) Interests; benefits
D) Identity; purpose

Question 41

What was the ultimate goal of the Schlieffen Plan?

A) To disable Soviet ballistic missiles in Cuba before they became operational
B) To defeat France while Russia was still mobilizing its forces
C) To cutoff funds for U.S. forces in Vietnam before significant new forces were mobilized
D) To call for a vote of No Confidence in Chancellor Valorum's leadership.

Question 42

Where do many analysts believe that groupthink took place?

A) The decision-making process prior to the war in Vietnam
B) The decision-making process prior to the Bay of Pigs
C) The decision-making process prior to the intervention in Somalia
D) The decision-making process prior to the 2003 invasion in Iraq

Question 43

Unmotivated bias is a result of

A) whether the decision maker successfully weighs the costs and benefits of a decision.
B) the inability of an individual to process large amounts of information.
C) whether the bias is accurate or not.
D) psychological or emotional needs of the individual.

Question 44

Prospect theory asserts that individuals

A) seek to uncover all the costs and benefits associated with foreign policy options.
B) weigh options based on how the choices are framed.
C) misperceive the intentions of others, which bias their decisions.
D) are able to learn lessons from history in order to improve their decision-making skills.

Question 45

The organizational process model

A) focuses on organizations competing for power and budgets.
B) studies the results of the battles between bureaucracies.
C) assumes a rational model of decision making.
D) examines the problem-solving procedures adopted by organizations.

Question 46

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain made a major mistake when he followed a policy of appeasement toward Hitler. For Chamberlain, appeasement implied that

A) Great Britain could weaken Hitler by pretending to be his ally while undermining his power.
B) Great Britain could actually be an ally to Hitler's Germany.
C) offering concessions to Hitler would satisfy his appetite to take over Europe.
D) Hitler could be stopped only by an all-out war with Germany.

Question 47

When a leader makes a decision that is imperfectly rational, the concept is called

A) historical experience.
B) intentional bias.
C) bounded rationality.
D) cognitive dissonance.

Question 48

According to the author, the "lesson of Munich" has been used many times, including all of the following except

A) Somalia in the 1990s.
B) the Korean War.
C) the Vietnam War.
D) the Iraq War

Question 49

The groupthink process undermines one of the most important requirements of rational decision making, which is

A) reinforcing the teamwork of a group.
B) fair and even-handed analysis of all options.
C) allowing the leader to assert himself/herself in the decision-making process.
D) focusing on the one option that wins all the support of the group.

Question 50

The three major factors that explain groupthink decision making do not include

A) all members of a group are expected to support each other.
B) reaching consensus is more important than any serious criticism of the decision.
C) members of a group taking turns proposing options, and providing for a give and take environment.
D) members of a group feel compelled to support the group's leader.

Question 51

The organizational process model is weakest when

A) decisions are made about similar issues.
B) a similar problem must be addressed each time.
C) the foreign policy issue takes a long time to resolve.
D) these agencies must undertake tasks that are outside their normal set of rules and procedures.

Question 52

Whereas the bureaucratic politics model emphasizes the interaction between agencies, the organizational process model focuses on the

A) outcomes of decisions.
B) evaluation of the costs and benefits of a decision.
C) procedures by which bureaucracies make decisions.
D) inputs that lead into a policy decision.

Question 53

The Powell Doctrine, created during the Bush Administration, established guidelines for the use of force that included

A) clear goals and the use of overwhelming force.
B) surgical bombing and limited goals.
C) cooperation with NATO in minor military interventions.
D) the use of small troop levels along with diplomatic efforts.

Question 54

Standard operating procedures refer to

A) the ways agencies make decisions by adapting to a particular issue.
B) how organizations always perform the same function in response to the same issue.
C) the way leaders only discuss the decision within a small group of advisors.
D) the committees that oversee foreign policy decision making.

Question 55

What event shows the inability of bureaucracies to escape the control of the head of government?

A) Secretary of State Colin Powell's resignation
B) President Obama's firing of General McChrystal
C) President Kennedy's failure in the Bay of Pigs
D) Pinochet's trial in Spain

Question 56

The term that scholars use to suggest that when people look at actors they mistrust, they are likely to justify negative behavior to bad intensions is known as

A) misunderstanding.
B) bounded rationality.
C) groupthink.
D) fundamental attribution bias.

Question 57

Which of the following did not imperil the Schlieffen Plan?

A) The Allied forces blew up German bridges that crossed into Belgium and France.
B) Belgian troops delayed German forces longer than expected.
C) Allied forces were reinforced surprisingly quickly by British forces.
D) The Russian army was able to mount an attack on the eastern front quicker than expected.

Question 58

Attribution theory posits that

A) leaders seek confirmation of their views in the view of others.
B) behavior can be explained by a decision-maker's model of how the world works.
C) decision makers attribute their decisions based on the context of reality.
D) followers seek attribution in the decisions of leaders.

Question 59

When looking at the individual level of analysis, the unmotivated approach to explain decision making includes all of the following variants except

A) attribution theory.
B) historical lessons.
C) bolstering.
D) prospect theory.

Question 60

Groupthink is another important way to understand foreign policy decisions and it occurs when

A) members of a group interact with members of another group.
B) a group quickly makes a decision without including views of others.
C) a group reaches a decision through a thorough cost and benefit analysis of an issue.
D) members of a group reach consensus only after reviewing all options.

Question 61

What is cognitive dissonance? What problems can it cause in decision making?

Question 62

If President Obama obtained information that did not support his decision to continue negotiations with Iran over their alleged nuclear weapons program, and he dismissed that information as irrelevant, this would be an example of which concept?

A) Bolstering
B) Groupthink
C) Unmotivated bias
D) Cognitive dissonance

Question 63

Bolstering occurs when

A) a decision maker attempts to convince themselves they made the right choice after an agonizing decision.
B) the legislative branch shows strong support for a foreign policy decision.
C) a small group of decision makers looks to a group leader for a decision.
D) a decision maker knows they made the wrong decision but works to convince themselves that it was the right one.

Question 64

The study of psychology

A) allows us to make clear predictions about foreign policy decision making.
B) adds little to our understanding of foreign policy decision making.
C) does not provide clear predictions in the real world of foreign policy.
D) allows us to control for other influences and make accurate predictions.

Question 65

What are the main assumptions of prospect theory and how well does it explain foreign policy decision making?

Question 66

Since leaders seek to avoid psychological stress after making a decision, leaders hope to convince themselves that the decision actually was the correct one. This psychological concept is called

A) appeasement.
B) rational action.
C) groupthink.
D) bolstering.

Question 67

What motivated many of the leaks surrounding the raid on bin Laden's Pakistani compound?

A) The desire to stress President Obama's role in the successful raid
B) Bradley Manning's role in the Wikileaks affair
C) The Congressional investigation into the military operation
D) The need for transparency in secret operations.

Question 68

How do the lessons of history influence decision making?

A) The lessons of history always lead to bad decisions.
B) Decision makers carefully review history to discover the relevant lessons.
C) Decision makers are influenced by certain events rather than by a broad understanding of history.
D) History does not influence decision making.

Question 69

What are the sources of misperception in foreign policy decision making? What are some strategies in order to avoid the pitfalls of making a decision based on misperceptions?

Question 70

What are the lessons of history that our generation can learn in order to avoid conflicts in the future?

Question 71

How can psychology help us to understand foreign policy decision making? How is the application of psychology to foreign policy decision making limited?

Question 72

The concept in which leaders will take risks in order to protect what they have is known as

A) status quo bias.
B) unmotivated bias.
C) cognitive dissonance.
D) bolstering.

Question 73

Describe the influence of the three branches of U.S. government on U.S. foreign policy. Which one is most influential, and why?

Question 74

Discuss the assumptions of the bureaucratic politics model of decision making. What are the model's main strengths as well as weaknesses? Are you convinced that it helps us to understand why foreign policy decisions are made?

Question 75

The discomfort that results when a new piece of information does not fit with existing beliefs is called

A) unmotivated bias.
B) positive spin.
C) groupthink.
D) cognitive dissonance.

Question 76

An important finding of prospect theory suggests that individuals

A) are more willing to take risks to achieve a gain than to avoid a loss.
B) are unable to make a rational decision in a moment of crisis.
C) never waver from the way cost-benefit decisions are made.
D) are more willing to take risks to avoid a loss than to achieve a gain.

Question 77

Which of the following was not a reason that Pakistan was outraged at the U.S. killing of Osama bin Laden?

A) Pakistan was embarrassed that bin Laden was living in one of its cities.
B) Pakistan was disgusted with the large number of civilian deaths that accompanied the SEALS team raid.
C) U.S. forces were able to fly undetected deep into Pakistani territory.
D) The U.S. government did not trust Pakistan enough to share intelligence on the matter.

Question 78

Having friends or parents state early in the process of your college selection that a particular college is inappropriate might cause you to exclude that college without much thought. This is an example of what concept in action?

A) Bolstering
B) Groupthink
C) Utility theory
D) Cognitive dissonance theory

Question 79

Given the emphasis on the status quo by prospect theory, in international trade actors may find it easier to

A) agree on how to share the losses than on how to distribute the gains from trade.
B) come to a trade agreement in which both sides equally gain.
C) agree on how to distribute the benefits from a trade agreement than on how to share the losses.
D) walk away from a trade deal when it is clearly not in their favor.

Question 80

Since cognitive dissonance highlights why foreign policies do not change, it is most useful in explaining

A) continuity of foreign policy.
B) fluctuations in foreign policy.
C) abrupt changes in foreign policy.
D) the belief systems of foreign policy.