Deck 2: Theories of World Politics

Question 1

When states agree that an act of aggression by any state will be met by a collective reaction from all other states, this is known as the security dilemma.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Liberals believe that establishing stable democracies will lead to peace.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Unlike neorealists, neoliberals believe that international anarchy can be overcome through the creation of strong global institutions.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

A theory is an example, model, or essential pattern that structures thought about an area of inquiry.

Question 5

A major criticism of liberalism is international organizations cannot stop states from behaving according to the balance-of-power logic.

Question 6

Liberalism believes that global politics is primarily a zero-sum game.

Question 7

The Kellogg-Briand Pact, which outlawed war as an instrument of national policy, is widely credited with keeping the peace after World War II.

Question 8

The second school of liberal thought believed in reducing international tensions by promoting general disarmament.

Question 9

Liberal reforms after World War I stressed the ideal of self-determination, which meant that the states that lost the war were allowed to determine whether or not to continue to have standing armies.

Question 10

Constructivism is a paradigm based on the premise that world politics is a function of the ways that states construct and then accept images of reality and later respond to the meanings given to power politics; as consensual definitions change, it is possible for either conflictual or cooperative practices to evolve.

Question 11

Vladimir I. Lenin maintained that advanced capitalist states would eventually cause wars as a result of the twin problems of overproduction and under-consumption.

Question 12

Realism is important to study because it continues to guide much thought regarding international relations.

Question 13

Feminist theory rejects the "idea that theorizing is 'objective' " for a more "perspectival approach" to analyzing global politics.

Question 14

Complex interdependence is a core concept of neorealism and describes how the growing ties among transnational actors make them more vulnerable and sensitive to one another.

Question 15

The theory that peace and stability are most likely to be maintained when military is distributed so as to prevent any state from acquiring a disproportionate amount of power is known as balance of power.

Question 16

A set of conclusions derived from assumptions and/or evidence about some phenomenon is called a

A) construction.
B) global system.
C) paradigm.
D) deconstruction.
E) theory.

Question 17

Those who espoused what is called classical realism include writers such as Morgenthau and Niebuhr.

Question 18

Complex interdependence focuses on multiple sources of communication rather than just government-to-government relations.

Question 19

Constructivism is the study of how the global system is constructed or managed.

Question 20

Realism sees world politics as a ceaseless, competitive struggle between the strong versus the weak.

Question 21

One reason for the emergence of modern realism was a result of the failure of the

A) German economy.
B) Kellogg-Briand Pact.
C) Versailles Treaty.
D) failure of the European nations to offset the rise of communism.
E) collapse of Wall Street.

Question 22

Neorealism is defined as

A) the distribution of military power as opposed to such factors as types of government or domestic circumstances.
B) the inevitability of states to enter into conflict.
C) people; therefore, states are evil by nature.
D) a senseless, repetitive struggle for power.
E) the arming of any state's adversaries.

Question 23

Which of the following was not an important liberal philosopher?

A) John Locke
B) Immanuel Kant
C) Adam Smith
D) Hans Morgenthau
E) Woodrow Wilson

Question 24

Which of the following is the best example of complex interdependence?

A) Global trade
B) al-Qaeda
C) The United Nations
D) Ethnic groups
E) All of the above are true.

Question 25

Which of the following are components of liberal theory?

A) Individuals need to substitute loyalty to humankind for loyalty to states.
B) Individuals are basically moral and ethical.
C) The well being of individuals is more important than national interests.
D) Education can change world public opinion against war.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 26

The typical result of the security dilemma is a(n)

A) balance of power.
B) collective security arrangement.
C) nuclear weapons proliferation.
D) arms race.
E) self-help system.

Question 27

Realists believe states are the most important actors in global politics because

A) state leaders are stronger than the leaders of nongovernmental organizations.
B) international law recognizes states as the most important actors.
C) states answer to no authority higher than themselves.
D) international organizations have no impact on global politics.
E) there are more states than NGOs.

Question 28

The origins of liberal theory are grounded in

A) reforming the less-than-desirable conditions under which people live.
B) seeking political reforms to establish stable democracies.
C) promoting tolerance.
D) demoting the lust for power as the main reason states engage in conflict.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 29

The tendency of states to view the military build-up of other states as threatening is known as

A) self-help.
B) balance of power.
C) security dilemma.
D) relative gains.
E) collective security.

Question 30

Which of the following was a criticism of the realist school of thought?

A) It was too idealistic.
B) It could not account for new trends in international relations, like economic cooperation.
C) It was too precise in how it defined key terms, like power and interest.
D) Both B and C above.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 31

When realist thinkers neglected to properly analyze the 1973 oil crisis, liberal thinkers used the opportunity to focus on

A) transnational relations.
B) a self-help system.
C) geopolitics.
D) collective security.
E) alliance building.

Question 32

Liberal thought says that

A) advocacy of global institutions is not desirable.
B) trade should be de-emphasized.
C) cutthroat, balance-of-power politics always prevails.
D) conflict practices used at home can also be used when dealing with international disputes.
E) democratically ruled states tend to be ruled by scheming adversaries.

Question 33

According to realist theory, the primary goal of every state is

A) to promote its national interest.
B) to negotiate alliances with allies.
C) to strengthen international collective security arrangements.
D) to limit nuclear proliferation.
E) to increase its economic wealth.

Question 34

In the past __________ is (are) generally known to be an especially potent agent in bringing about changes in the theoretical interpretations of world affairs.

A) economic downturns
B) cultural revolutions
C) ethnic tensions
D) wars
E) population movement

Question 35

Contemporary liberal theory came to prominence with the creation of the

A) United Nations.
B) Treaty of Versailles.
C) zero-sum game.
D) constructivism.
E) complex interdependence.

Question 36

Which of the following best represents a pioneer of the realist perspective on international relations?

A) Adam Smith
B) Immanuel Kant
C) Woodrow Wilson
D) Richard Cobden
E) Niccoló Machiavelli

Question 37

During the Cold War, the ideology that was most prominent was

A) realism.
B) liberalism.
C) idealism.
D) constructivism.
E) behavioral science.

Question 38

The principle that the governments of states are subject to no higher authority is

A) national interest.
B) collective-security.
C) state-sovereignty.
D) balance of power.
E) security dilemma

Question 39

Which of the following is not an element common to the various schools of liberalism?

A) International institutions are important actors that can mediate disputes among states.
B) Establishing stable democratic governments will enhance the prospects of peace.
C) States' concerns about relative gains impede cooperation.
D) Free trade gives states a material incentive to maintain peaceful relations.
E) All of the statements above are common elements in the various schools of liberalism.

Question 40

Which of the following is the primary difference between realism and neorealism?

A) Realists focus on the selfish nature of individuals whereas neorealists believe human beings are naturally cooperative.
B) Neorealists believe that international anarchy, not the selfish nature of individuals, is responsible for the competitive nature between states.
C) Realists focus on national security issues whereas neorealists focus on economic matters.
D) Neorealists believe that states are naturally cooperative whereas realists believe that states are naturally competitive.
E) Realists believe that national security issues are paramount whereas neorealists believe that social issues such as the environment and poverty should be at the forefront.

Question 41

Why did liberals focus on self-determination and democracy after World War I?

Question 42

Which of the following is not considered a radical critique of the existing system?

A) Socialism
B) Constructivism
C) Feminism
D) Dependency
E) All of the above are radical critiques.

Question 43

What are the main criticisms of the realist school of thought?

Question 44

Describe the five major tenets of realism.

Question 45

World-system theory divides the world into

A) democratic and non-democratic nations.
B) core, periphery, and semi-periphery areas.
C) bourgeoisie and proletariat.
D) capitalist and command economies.
E) Global North and Global South.

Question 46

Feminist theory in international relations shifted from the study of gender bias in theory and practice to

A) understanding "that theorizing is objective" as opposed to a perspectival approach.
B) the relevancy of a gendered perspective in the study of world politics.
C) the study of the capitalist economic system.
D) further dismissing the plight and contributions of women.
E) re-establishing the masculinist perspective as dominant.

Question 47

An international regime

A) brings some order to international anarchy.
B) is a body of norms that facilitates cooperation on a specific issue.
C) can apply to a variety of issues, such as trade, monetary affairs, and the environment.
D) is the result of increasing interdependence in the international system.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 48

The school of thought that emphasizes the importance of shared ideas and understandings that are developed between actors that define their interests, identities, and images of the world is called

A) feminism.
B) realism.
C) international regimes.
D) constructivism.
E) complex interdependence.

Question 49

President Bill Clinton said "the calculus of pure power politics simply does not compute," based on such new entities as the

A) Russian state.
B) European Union.
C) State of Cuban communism.
D) Iranian state.
E) Lack of world trade.

Question 50

How does radicalism differ from liberalism, constructivism, and realism? Define imperialism, dependency theory, and world-system theory to supplement your answer.

Question 51

The concept of constructivism came to the forefront of international theorists after the unraveling of the ________ which resulted in the end of the ________.

A) Paris Peace Talks; Vietnam War
B) Arab Israeli Peace Talks; Six Day War
C) Yalta Conference; World War II
D) Warsaw Pact; Cold War
E) World War II; League of Nations

Question 52

An international ____________________ is a set of principles, norms, and rules governing behavior within a specified issue area.

Question 53

How have feminist scholars been critical of other international relations scholars? Are their critiques justified?

Question 54

According to the text, a common critique of liberalism is that

A) international institutions are ineffective.
B) states are the primary level of analysis.
C) it places too much emphasis on moral rationales.
D) Both A and C.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 55

What is the main concern of constructivism? How does it seek to expand on the theories of realism and liberalism? How useful is constructivism for understanding international phenomena?

Question 56

Give one criticism realists have of liberalist theory?

Question 57

A ____________________ consists of a set of hypotheses postulating the relationship between variables or conditions that are advanced to describe, explain, or predict phenomena.

Question 58

The three major events that dominated world politics in the twentieth-century were

A) World War I, The Great Depression, and World War II.
B) World War II, The Cold War, and Vietnam Conflict.
C) World War I, World War II, and The Cold War.
D) The Collapse of Wall Street, The Great Depression, and The Cold War.
E) World War II, 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, and Desert Storm.

Question 59

Complex interdependence

A) is used by realists to argue in favor of relative gains as opposed to zero-sum gains.
B) stresses ties between transnational actors, not just states, and focuses on issues besides national security.
C) emphasizes security issues and the prominence of states in the international system.
D) is the result of states refusing to work together on global trade issues.
E) is most closely associated with realism.