Deck 11: International Politics and the Global Community

Question 1

For over forty years, the post-World War II international system was characterized as ______.

A) multipolar
B) bipolar
C) hegemonic
D) unipolar

Answer 1

bipolar

Question 2

Which of the following is not one of the six principal organs of the United Nations?

A) the International Court of Justice
B) the Security Council
C) the Economic and Social Council
D) the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

Answer 2

the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

Question 3

The Cold War security organization established to defend Western Europe from invasion was ______.

A) NATO
B) the Warsaw Pact
C) the United Nations
D) the European Union

Answer 3

NATO

Question 4

Which of the following was characteristic of President Obama's first term in office?

A) He made huge strides in advancing human rights, including successfully achieving the United States joining the Permanent International Criminal Court.
B) He made it quite clear that the U.S. military would stay in Afghanistan for many years, similar to our presence in South Korea.
C) He made liberal use of drones and special operations forces against terrorists in several countries around the world, most frequently in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
D) None of these.

Question 5

The Single European Act or "1992 Movement" is ______.

A) a movement leading to the integration of Western Europe into a single economic actor
B) the new security plan for Europe that will replace NATO
C) a movement that, at its inception, called for the political integration of Eastern and Western Europe
D) a movement specifically designed to bring the states of the former Soviet Union into the European Union

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of soft power?

A) the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003
B) severe economic sanctions directed at Iran
C) the decision to use armed drones in the war on terror rather than direct military intervention
D) none of these

Question 7

Desert Storm, directed against Iraq for its invasion of Kuwait, was what type of an operation?

A) mutual defense
B) unilateral retaliation
C) collective security
D) peacekeeping

Question 8

Which of the following statements about the United Nations is incorrect?

A) The United Nations has not been very successful in the areas of conventional arms control and disarmament.
B) The collective security mechanism of the United Nations has been very successful.
C) Peacekeeping is a form of preventive diplomacy developed by UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld.
D) After World War II, the United Nations consistently tried to protect dependent peoples in their battles with colonial powers.

Question 9

Dag Hammarskjöld, secretary-general of the United Nations from 1953 to 1961, was a major architect of ______.

A) arbitration
B) collective security
C) trusteeship
D) preventive diplomacy

Question 10

Power exercised through military and economic might is referred to as ______.

A) soft power
B) hard power
C) hegemony
D) domination

Question 11

When peace-loving nations band together to use their combined strength to punish aggressors, it is known as ______.

A) balance of power
B) collective security
C) preventive diplomacy
D) mutual defense

Question 12

Which of the following statements has not been offered as a prominent criticism of globalization?

A) Globalization challenges state sovereignty.
B) Globalization contributes to political instability because of the growing gap between the "haves" and the "have nots" within countries.
C) Globalization has deep Marxian tendencies that pose a danger to political stability.
D) Globalization contributes to environmental degradation.

Question 13

Which of the following statements is correct?

A) Nonalignment policy is a refusal of a state to participate in the struggle between major powers or superpowers.
B) Nonalignment policy calls upon states to maintain strict neutrality.
C) Nonalignment policy is ensured by states remaining isolated from world affairs.
D) Nonalignment was a policy practiced by Switzerland during World War II.

Question 14

When countries purposely overcome disputes and other points of conflict by working together to meet common needs and advance mutual interests in areas such as trade, health, literacy, agriculture, fishing, and aviation, it is known as ______.

A) globalization
B) functionalism
C) preventive diplomacy
D) trusteeship

Question 15

When a new rising power seeks to surpass an established dominant power and the dominant power resists the new power, instability ensues and there is a higher possibility of war. This is known as ______.

A) prisoner's dilemma
B) Thucydides's trap
C) the zero-sum game
D) The War Game Scenario

Question 16

When countries negotiate and come to agreements to limit and manage arms races, it is called ______________________.

Question 17

_____________________ is a relaxation in tensions between countries.

Question 18

The legal policy of remaining nonaligned with adversaries for the duration of a war is called __________________________.

Question 19

When countries negotiate and agree to reduce the number of weapons in their respective arsenals, it is called ______________________.

Question 20

Action taken by the United Nations to help smaller powers settle disputes peacefully before they escalate is called __________________________.

Question 21

The only major organ of the United Nations that can pass resolutions with the force of international law is the ________________________.

Question 22

Private international organizations whose activities parallel those of interest groups, (e.g. advancing human rights, fighting poverty, improving labor conditions, supporting education, protecting children's rights, etc.) are known as ________________________.

Question 23

What is meant by the term national interest, and what are the dangers of using national interest as a rationale for nation-state behavior?

Question 24

Discuss the "pros" and "cons" of the Cold War. In your judgment, was it inevitable? Did it make the world safe or safer? Were the costs justifiable?

Question 25

The four-decade-old bipolar balance of power that characterized the Cold War has ended. What kind of global power distribution do you think exists now? How does it differ from the bipolar arrangement? Do you think it will remain for some time or evolve into something else?

Question 26

Discuss the authors' contention that the United Nations' expressions of purpose do not always square with the realities of fulfillment--that is, what the UN actually does.

Question 27

How effective has the United Nations' collective security approach been in dealing with international conflict?

Question 28

Trace the development of European integration since the founding of the Coal and Steel Community to the current structure under the European Union.

Question 29

Write an essay assessing the advantages and disadvantages of multinational corporation investment in developing countries.

Question 30

It is said we are now in an age of globalization. First, what does that mean? Second, to the extent that globalization exists, what are its advantages and disadvantages?

Question 31

Discuss the growth and increasing impact of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the international system.

Question 32

The authors put forth a number of techniques and/or policies as means to further peace in the world, including preventive diplomacy, collective security, functionalism, arms control, disarmament, and regional integration. Which of these (or others) has the greatest appeal to you, and why?