Deck 9: The Use of Force

Question 1

In order to demonstrate credibility in making a threat against another country, a country must possess which two characteristics?

A)Willingness and capability to carry out the threat
B)Strong rhetoric and political will
C)Military power and purpose
D)Hope and optimism

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Every threat can be seen as which of the following?

A)As soft power
B)As an offer to negotiate
C)As an instrument of terror
D)As an instrument of hegemonic politics

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Who wrote Art of War?

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

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which concept refers to using an explicit or implicit threat to persuade another actor to make a concession?

A)Diplomacy
B)Coercion
C)Negotiation
D)Force

Question 5

Which famous Prussian strategist asserted that "…war is the continuation of policy by other means"?

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

Question 6

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

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

Question 7

The United States leads most other countries in every category of weaponry except which of the following?

A)Nuclear weapons
B)Military technology
C)Number of soldiers
D)Military budget

Question 8

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 9

For which of the following are strategic implications of drones especially important?

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

Question 10

What does defense and deterrence have in common?

A)They both intend to defend the status quo.
B)They both rely on shaping opponent's choices.
C)They both rely on passive tactics.
D)They both entail building fortifications.

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

Which of the following is true of the U.S. military?

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

Question 13

The word force is a euphemism for which of the following?

A)Power
B)Violence
C)Strength
D)Military

Question 14

What must be true of a threat in order for it to be convincing?

A)It must be mutual.
B)It must be ignored.
C)It must be theoretical.
D)It must be credible.

Question 15

Which concept refers to the policy that convinces an opponent that the costs of attacking would be higher than the perceived benefits?

A)Defense
B)Retaliation
C)Bluffing
D)Deterrence

Question 16

What did Carl von Clausewitz mean when he argued that "war is the continuation of policy by other means"?

A)That wars must have purpose
B)That war is necessary
C)That wars are not much different from diplomacy
D)That wars cannot be avoided

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

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

A)Deterrence
B)Defense
C)A mixture of deterrence and defense
D)Coercive diplomacy

Question 19

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

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

Question 20

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 and fortifications
D)Strategic nuclear weaponry

Question 21

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

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

Question 22

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. Which concept refers to this situation?

A)Proliferation
B)Mutual assured destruction (MAD)
C)Crisis stability
D)Military preponderance

Question 23

Which agent was used by the Syrian government against rebels in 2013?

A)Mustard gas
B)Sarin
C)Anthrax
D)Small pox

Question 24

Which of the following is true of both chemical and biological weapons?

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

Question 25

Which of the following are considered high-tech weapons?

A)Improvised explosive devices
B)Assault rifles
C)Precision-guided munitions
D)Grenade launchers

Question 26

Which of the following is an example of a conflict in which low-tech weapons were primarily used to kill?

A)World War I
B)World War II
C)the Vietnam War
D)the Second Sudanese Civil War

Question 27

Which of the following is a chemical agent?

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

Question 28

The appearance of which new technology on the battlefield is likely to raise ethical questions?

A)Drones
B)Electromagnetic pulse weapons
C)Artificial intelligence
D)Precision-guided munitions

Question 29

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 30

What does the comparison between North Vietnam, which lost a million people during the war, versus the United States, which lost 58,000 people, represent?

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

Question 31

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 32

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 33

Which concept refers to the killing of innocent civilians as a result of a military strike?

A)Collateral damage
B)A surgical strike
C)An important component of deterrence
D)The fog of war

Question 34

Which of the following is a characteristic of both chemical and biological weapons?

A)Reliance on living agents such as viruses or bacteria
B)Ability to produce in normal industrial facilities
C)More expensive to produce compared to nuclear weapons
D)Capability of creating more fear than nuclear weapons

Question 35

Which of the following are types of chemical weapon agents?

A)blistering agents, choking agents, and nerve agents
B)riot control agents, choking agents, and breathing agents
C)choking agents, radioactive agents, and incapacitating agents
D)incapacitating agents and deadly agents

Question 36

Which concept refers to the risk that developed during the Cold War in which the existence of nuclear weapons would serve as an incentive to strike first?

A)Crisis stability
B)Nuclear deterrence
C)Nuclear defense
D)Security dilemma

Question 37

Which weapons of mass destruction rely on living organisms?

A)Chemical weapons
B)Biological weapons
C)Electromagnetic pulse weapons
D)Radiological weapons

Question 38

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

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 39

Why are precision-guided munitions important?

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

Question 40

Low-tech weapons have proliferated in recent years because of falling prices. Why have the prices have fallen?

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

Question 41

Which of the following is an optimal strategy for a state that is involved in conflict with a much stronger opponent?

A)To use the blitzkrieg type of warfare
B)To use a conventional attack
C)To use insurgency
D)To use open warfare

Question 42

Why do some prominent realist theorists argue that the proliferation of nuclear weapons will likely make the world more, rather than less, safe?

A)Because nuclear weapons raise the expected costs of wars
B)Because nuclear weapons lower the expected costs of wars
C)Because proliferation is correlated with global peace
D)Because nuclear proliferation would make nuclear weapons redundant

Question 43

Why are weapons of mass destruction (WMDs)especially effective at strengthening deterrence?

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

Question 44

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

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 45

What must be maintained for crisis stability to have its desired effect?

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 46

Why are terrorist groups targeting innocent civilians instead of soldiers or politicians?

A)Terrorists hope to instill confusion.
B)Terrorists hope to instill hatred.
C)Terrorists hope to instill fear.
D)Terrorists hope to instill acceptance.

Question 47

Whom are terrorist groups targeting?

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

Question 48

Which infamous terrorist contradicts the notion that poverty is a cause of terrorism?

A)Timothy McVeigh
B)Osama bin Laden
C)Moammar Ghaddafi
D)Abū Bakr al-Baghdadi

Question 49

As a tactic or method, terrorism works quite similarly to which of the following?

A)Deterrence
B)Security dilemma
C)Arms race
D)Genocide

Question 50

Which scholar claimed that proliferation of nuclear weapons would make the world safer?

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

Question 51

What is a primary objective for both insurgency and guerilla warfare?

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

Question 52

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 53

Which nuclear power makes some security experts worried over the possibility of its government being toppled by radical groups with extreme ideologies?

A)Israel
B)North Korea
C)Pakistan
D)India

Question 54

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 55

What distinguishes terrorists from state actors that engage in violence?

A)In contrast to states, terrorists are private actors who use violence for private goals.
B)In contrast to states, terrorists are private actors who use violence for public goals.
C)In contrast to states, terrorists are public actors who use violence for private goals.
D)In contrast to states, terrorists are public actors who use violence for public goals.

Question 56

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 57

"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 58

What have Madrid, London, and Bombay all experienced in the 21^st century?

A)Insurgent warfare
B)Terrorist attacks
C)Crisis stability
D)Asymmetric warfare

Question 59

Which concept refers to the use of violence by nongovernmental actors in an effort to change government policies by creating fear of further violence?

A)An international war
B)Irrational violence
C)Crisis instability
D)Terrorism

Question 60

Why do insurgents need the support of the civilian population?

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

Question 61

Which of the following represents a major flaw in the argument that poverty causes terrorism?

A)Few terrorist leaders have come from conditions of poverty.
B)Terrorist 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 62

Describe nuclear deterrence. What role did it play in averting a nuclear confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War?

Question 63

In which country was the tactic of suicide bombing developed?

A)Palestine
B)Israel
C)Sri Lanka
D)Indonesia

Question 64

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

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

Terrorism can be seen as a form of which of the following?

A)Insurgency
B)Asymmetric conflict
C)Conventional warfare
D)Public violence

Question 67

Why is deterrence ineffective against terrorist groups?

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

Question 68

List and briefly describe the main categories of weapons of mass destruction.

Question 69

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

Question 70

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 71

What has research on the profiling of individual terrorists demonstrated?

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

Question 72

Some scholars argued that widespread nuclear proliferation would make the world safer. Describe these arguments. Do you agree with this assessment?

Question 73

According to sociological studies, which of the following characteristics is positively correlated with terrorism?

A)Being a young male
B)Being a young female
C)Being of European origin
D)Having received military training

Question 74

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 75

According to the rational choice explanation of terrorism, why is retaliation the accepted tool of terrorists?

A)Because retaliation avoids direct conflict with a country's army
B)Because retaliation shows the adversary that the terrorist group can fight in some limited way
C)Because retaliation protects territorial values and population
D)Because retaliation raises the cost of a particular policy to force change

Question 76

Why might sovereign states be deterred from violence against others?

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

Question 77

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

Question 78

Which event prompted governments to adopt a range of tactics to combat terrorism that inevitably limited people's civil liberties?

A)The War in Afghanistan (2001)
B)The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001
C)The Munich massacre (1972)
D)The Madrid train bombings (2004)

Question 79

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?

Question 80

When states and terrorist groups clash, conflict takes place on terms defined by terrorists. Why?

A)Because states have difficulties locating terrorists
B)Because terrorists have difficulties locating state assets
C)Because that is prescribed by the rules of asymmetric warfare
D)Because terrorist groups are always the attacker