Deck 7: Force: Wars, Just Wars,and Armed Intervention

Question 1

The war with the greatest number of American casualties was

A) the Revolutionary War.
B) the Civil War.
C) World War I.
D) World War II.

Answer 1

the Civil War.

Question 2

Wars between or among one or more states are referred to as

A) civil wars.
B) intrastate wars.
C) revolutionary wars.
D) interstate wars.

Answer 2

interstate wars.

Question 3

As we reflect on the human experience, we find that

A) warfare has been a common occurrence throughout the world.
B) highly technological states have the fewest wars.
C) wars have been most common among groups in the Middle East.
D) highly religious groups have the least experience with war.

Answer 3

warfare has been a common occurrence throughout the world.

Question 4

The rational choice to go to war depends primarily on

A) prior approval by UN Security Council resolution.
B) definitions of national interest and related goals.
C) calculations of objectives and expected costs and benefits.
D) assessment of legal arguments for and against the use of force.

Question 5

At the international system level of analysis, the causes of war include all of the following EXCEPT

A) a view of the world as anarchic-lacking central authority.
B) a view that states pursue interests and objectives that sometimes conflict.
C) study of alliance systems and their relation to use force.
D) frustration of groups leading them to call for using forceful means.

Question 6

As captured in equations developed by Lewis F. Richardson, arms races and militarized disputes tend to escalate when

A) one country is disproportionately stronger than another.
B) one country is engaged in militarization under an authoritarian regime.
C) the actions of each country have a causal impact on the other.
D) there is a bellicose regime seeking justification for going to war.

Question 7

In small groups, there is a danger of members reinforcing each other?s mutual biases. This is known as

A) uniform thinking.
B) groupthink.
C) straight-line thinking.
D) group cohesion.

Question 8

The ?war to end all wars? was

A) the Civil War.
B) World War I.
C) World War II.
D) the French Revolution.

Question 9

Democratic states tend

A) to go to war as often as authoritarian states.
B) to go to war with other democracies.
C) to avoid armed conflict with other democracies.
D) not to go to war unless absolutely necessary.

Question 10

War typically results from

A) the pursuit of national interests and objectives.
B) arms control efforts.
C) frustrations of the poor with their lot in life.
D) a combination of causes at different levels of analysis-individual and small group, state and society, and international.

Question 11

Replacing international anarchy with some form of world government is the position of many, if not most

A) world federalists.
B) totalitarians.
C) democratic institutionalists.
D) religious leaders.

Question 12

Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) wrote

A) Mein Kampf.
B) On War.
C) Das Kapital.
D) The Theory of the Just War.

Question 13

According to Clausewitz, battlefield effectiveness is a combination of

A) military technology and effective leadership.
B) economic and political strength.
C) available means and strength of will.
D) military strength and technological capability.

Question 14

Deterrence is the product of perceived

A) capabilities and credibility or willingness to use force.
B) projection of threat and willingness to use force.
C) strength of a country?s economy and threat capability.
D) capability and bellicosity or demonstrated warlike orientation.

Question 15

Principles of war, as identified by Clausewitz, include all of the following EXCEPT

A) mass and surprise.
B) economy of forces.
C) concentration of forces.
D) technology.

Question 16

The term used by Clausewitz to refer to the accumulated effects of unexpected difficulties that undermine one?s planned strategy in war is

A) a. defeat.
B) suboptimality.
C) friction.
D) chaos.

Question 17

The term ?fog of war? as used by Clausewitz refers to the

A) geographical and climatic conditions on the battlefield.
B) inability of military leaders to see objectives clearly.
C) sum of all uncertainties with which commanders must deal.
D) inability to plan for the end of war.

Question 18

The ?War Prayer? was written by

A) Billy Graham.
B) Mahatma Ghandi.
C) Norman Vincent Peale.
D) Mark Twain.

Question 19

The tone of the ?War Prayer? suggests the author was

A) sympathetic to the pressures faced by decision makers who had to make decisions to go to war.
B) highly critical of those who unthinkingly advocate going to war.
C) not biased one way or the other on the issue of war.
D) endorsing the view of the minister.

Question 20

?Bellicism?

A) is another term for ?pacifism.?
B) sees value in war itself.
C) was a movement established in Europe in the 1930s.
D) is a term coined by Carl von Clausewitz.

Question 21

Hugo Grotius is most closely associated with

A) pacifism.
B) bellicism.
C) Christian doctrine.
D) international law.

Question 22

Just-war theory is

A) normative or prescriptive.
B) descriptive or explanatory.
C) objective and scientific.
D) post-modern in orientation.

Question 23

The first explicit reference to just war is found in the writings of

A) Cicero, influenced as he was by Plato?s thought.
B) St. Augustine, who credits Cicero as a source.
C) Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the Roman stoic.
D) Roman Emperor Constantine, who converted to Christianity.

Question 24

Contributors to just war doctrine include all of the following EXCEPT

A) Caesar Augustus.
B) St. Augustine.
C) St. Thomas Aquinas.
D) Hugo Grotius.

Question 25

Jus in bello refers to

A) the right to go to war.
B) the right conduct in war.
C) the principle of proportionality in war.
D) the need to set limits on the destructive capabilities of a military force.

Question 26

Under double-effect logic, killing noncombatants or destroying civilian property may be morally justifiable when

A) the bad effect precedes the good.
B) the good effect precedes the bad.
C) both effects have good outcomes.
D) it is largely the result of miscalculation or accident.

Question 27

Chemical and biological weapons are considered

A) effective because their effects can easily be limited to intended targets.
B) expensive and not worth the cost, given other budget priorities.
C) immoral because they are indiscriminate or cause needless suffering.
D) justifiable only under the double-effect logic.

Question 28

The works of Thomas Hobbes primarily provide a theoretical foundation for

A) realists.
B) pluralists or liberals.
C) economic structuralists.
D) social constructivists.

Question 29

Thomas Hobbes?s concept of the ?state of nature? is best associated with which of the following terms?

A) collaboration
B) competition
C) laws of war
D) counterforce targeting

Question 30

For both components of just-war theory-the jus ad bellum and jus in bello-to be effective, it depends on

A) the public image leaders have as morally sensitive persons.
B) convincing the general public that the use of force is the right thing to do.
C) decision or policy makers acting with the right intention.
D) securing support from morally respected religious leaders.

Question 31

The decision to go to war is usually an irrational one.

Question 32

The commitments and operations of alliance systems in Europe in 1914 are generally seen as causally related to the outbreak of World War I.

Question 33

Lenin thought capitalist states were highly unlikely to go to war.

Question 34

According to Clausewitz, military necessity involves destroying the enemy?s military power.

Question 35

Jus ad bellum requires having a just cause.

Question 36

A factory is considered a counter-value target.

Question 37

Collective security is associated with the League of Nations.

Question 38

In recent years the idea that protection of human rights justifies armed intervention in a state has seemingly gained increased acceptance.

Question 39

The concept of raison d?etat refers to the claim by states that their national security interests are paramount in international affairs, including decisions to go to war.

Question 40

The U.S.-led intervention in Iraq in 2003 reflects a rejection of the concept of raison d?etat.

Question 41

Can there ever be an ʺend to warʺ as long as a situation of anarchy defines international politics? Discuss.

Question 42

If the world were composed of largely democratic states, would wars be less likely? Why or why not?

Question 43

Defend or refute the following statement: ʺWorld government as a remedy for war would be worse than continuing to live with armed conflicts and the use of force.ʺ

Question 44

Compare and contrast the arguments of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and Joseph Schumpeter concerning the supposed benefits/costs of war for capitalist societies.

Question 45

Define jus ad bellum and jus in bello. Under what conditions would a state tend to predicate its behavior in accordance with one, both, or neither? (For example, would a state tend to follow the principles of jus in belloʺ if it did NOT follow the principles of jus ad bellum in the first place?)

Question 46

In what circumstances does the United Nations see the use of force as justified? Do these seem like effective guidelines to you? Why or why not?

Question 47

The text describes criteria for deciding on armed intervention. What are these criteria and to what extent do they conflict with each other? What criteria would you have for initiating armed intervention if you were the president of the United States? Provide a reasoned argument that justifies your position.

Question 48

Are there any conceivable circumstances in which a state could legitimately use chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons? If not, why not? If yes, explain those circumstances by reference to a hypothetical situation in which such use would be morally or legally justified.

Question 49

Defend or refute the following statement: ʺThe increase in democratic states makes Hobbesʹs pessimistic views on the likelihood of war no longer as relevant as in his time.ʺ

Question 50

Under what circumstances would unilateral military action be preferable to multilateral military action? Provide a reasoned argument that justifies your position.