Deck 12: War and Peace in the Modern Age

Question 1

The tragic cost of war was clearly demonstrated in the combined death toll of World Wars I and II, which was roughly ______.

A) 5 million people
B) 60 million people
C) 10 million people
D) 150 million people

Answer 1

60 million people

Question 2

With regard to nuclear weapons, which of the following statements is incorrect?

A) Both the United States and Russia have significant stockpiles of nuclear warheads over and above the 1,550 each has deployed under the START Treaty.
B) The countries that now possess nuclear weapons include the United States, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and France, and North Korea has tested nuclear warheads.
C) Thanks to the START and SORT treaties, not only has the danger of long-range strategic nuclear weapons been dramatically reduced, but there have also been significant reductions in short-range tactical nuclear weapons as well as stockpiles of fissionable material.
D) Even with the reductions in nuclear weapons under SORT and START, all-out nuclear war could destroy a good share of civilization as we know it.

Answer 2

Thanks to the START and SORT treaties, not only has the danger of long-range strategic nuclear weapons been dramatically reduced, but there have also been significant reductions in short-range tactical nuclear weapons as well as stockpiles of fissionable material.

Question 3

The third-party activities of the United Nations--such as good offices, conciliation, investigation, observation, truce supervision, and peacekeeping--find their legal basis in which section of the UN Charter?

A) Chapter VII
B) Article 51
C) Article 2, Section VII
D) Chapter VI

Answer 3

Chapter VI

Question 4

The combined cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are estimated to be ______.

A) $1.5-$2.2 trillion
B) $600-$800 billion
C) $7-$8.5 trillion
D) $4-$6 trillion

Question 5

World Wars I and II killed more than ______.

A) 60 million people
B) 85 million people
C) 100 million people
D) 150 million people

Question 6

In his book On War and Morality, Robert L. Holmes ______.

A) advocates balance-of-power politics
B) challenges the very structure of the nation-state system
C) argues that UN peacekeeping is the best hope for the future
D) extols the positive aspects of nationalism

Question 7

An example of successful collective security is/was ______.

A) the war on terrorism
B) the prosecution of the Vietnam War
C) the UN PROFOR operation in Bosnia
D) Operation Desert Storm against Iraq

Question 8

Which of the following would not be considered a "third-party" activity on the part of the United Nations?

A) mediation
B) peacekeeping
C) collective security
D) good offices

Question 9

A type of agreement among states that aims to protect each state from aggression by other signatories to the agreement is called a ______.

A) mutual defense pact
B) collective security agreement
C) third-party security treaty
D) peacekeeping agreement

Question 10

Which of the following is an accurate statement about the characteristics and patterns of arms acquisitions?

A) Global military spending runs approximately $250 billion a year.
B) The world's regular military forces are filled by roughly 85 million people.
C) Despite all the attention given to high-tech weapons, the world's military establishments are labor intensive.
D) Expenditures on weapons dropped dramatically immediately after the end of the Cold War and have remained roughly the same ever since then.

Question 11

Which of the following is not characteristic of United Nations peacekeeping activities?

A) The parties to a dispute must consent to UN intervention.
B) Peacekeeping has been particularly effective in dealing with new, gray-area conflicts, such as ethnic and religious-based civil conflicts.
C) Peacekeeping tends to attack the symptoms, not the causes, of conflicts.
D) Peacekeeping activity was extensive in the aftermath of the Cold War.

Question 12

Which of the following is not an accurate statement about the war on terrorism?

A) Its transnational nature makes the scope of the war less than clear.
B) For the United States there is a specific domestic security component.
C) Deterrence strategy is an integral part of the war.
D) Although states that aid terrorists may be held accountable, the war is not between states but between states and nonstate actors.

Question 13

According to the authors, which of the following statements would likely be true about a new international balance of power?

A) It would probably be multipolar.
B) It would likely be bipolar.
C) It would probably be hegemonic.
D) None of these.

Question 14

With regard to deaths caused by war, which of the following is accurate?

A) The number of deaths caused by war-related violence has been increasing during the post-WW II era.
B) The number of deaths caused by war-related violence has been decreasing during the post-WW II era.
C) The number of deaths caused by war-related violence has remained about the same during the post-WW II era as before it.
D) A significant number of the deaths caused by war in the post-WWII era have resulted from low-yield nuclear weapons used in the poor developing regions of the world.

Question 15

One of the most significant and influential books advocating functionalism as a viable approach to peace is A Working Peace System: An Argument for the Functional Development of International Organization. The author of the book is ______.

A) Dag Hammarskjold
B) Robert Holms
C) David Mitrany
D) Gene Sharp

Question 16

Two examples of aggression since the end of the Cold War are _________________ and ____________________.

Question 17

United Nations' good offices, conciliation, investigation, mediation, observation, and truce supervision are sometimes referred to as ______________________ activities.

Question 18

The United Nations' collective security operation against Iraq in response to Iraq's 1991 invasion of Kuwait was carried out under Chapter ______ of the UN Charter.

Question 19

The term for the penetration of computer systems to steal data such as bank records is called ________________________________.

Question 20

The theory positing that the world would be better off if it were organized around the fulfillment of basic human needs is called ___________________________.

Question 21

One of the most powerful advocates of nonviolence and author of the book Exploring Nonviolent Alternatives is _______________.

Question 22

The Peace of ___________________ treaty in 1648 ended the Thirty Years' War and marked the beginning of the modern state system.

Question 23

There are those who contend that the threat of nuclear war subsided with the end of the Cold War. In your judgment, is that a reasonable contention? Justify your answer.

Question 24

Are we witnessing any significant changes in the patterns of warfare in recent decades? If so, what is the nature of those changes?

Question 25

It is asserted that conventional wars during the twentieth century were very costly in a number of ways. Write an essay that discusses this issue and the different ways that we assess war costs.

Question 26

Robert L. Holmes, in his book On War and Morality, contends that the very nature of the nation-state system is a danger to the peace. To what degree do you agree and/or disagree with his assertion, and why?

Question 27

Some believe that global economic integration will reduce international conflict. Why might that be the case? What criticism can you make against this belief?

Question 28

The authors present several alternative approaches to a more peaceful world, including a new balance of power, United Nations' third-party activities, collective security, global economic integration, functionalism, and nonviolent civilian defense. Which of these approaches appeals to you most, and why?

Question 29

Discuss some of the reasons that cyberwar is such a big concern for the international community.