Deck 18: Foreign Policy and Democracy

Question 1

Which president established preemption as the centerpiece of his foreign policy?

A) George W. Bush
B) Richard Nixon
C) Jimmy Carter
D) Bill Clinton
E) Barack Obama

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is not a component of American foreign policy?

A) diplomacy
B) security policy
C) trade policy
D) military policy
E) Social Security

Answer 2

E

Question 3

All of the following are elements of a nation-state except that

A) its citizens must share a common political authority.
B) its citizens must share a common cultural experience.
C) it must be recognized by other sovereignties as a nation-state.
D) it must be a member of the United Nations.
E) it must have a government and fixed border.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Deterrence assumes the ______ of the U.S. response and the ______ of an adversary.

A) rationality; certainty
B) certainty; rationality
C) power; weakness
D) weakness; power
E) timeliness; delay

Question 5

The most noteworthy example of the policy of deterrence was

A) the Vietnam War.
B) the Cuban Missile Crisis.
C) the arms race.
D) the Berlin blockade.
E) the first Gulf War.

Question 6

When a nation is granted "most favored nation" status with the United States, it means the nation

A) is to be offered the lowest tariff rates.
B) is to be recognized and ambassadors are exchanged.
C) will be part of a binational security pact with the United States.
D) will not need special visas for their citizens who visit the United States.
E) will receive military assistance from the United States if they are attacked.

Question 7

The nineteenth-century policy of ______ was based on the geographic distance of the United States from other countries.

A) idealism
B) isolationism
C) internationalism
D) sovereign dominance
E) deterrence

Question 8

A ______ nation is one with unstable leadership, whose policies are driven by ideology rather than by economic or human costs and benefits.

A) rational
B) rogue
C) sovereign
D) nonsovereign
E) terrorist

Question 9

What eighteenth-century politician warned Americans against too much involvement with foreign nations?

A) George Washington
B) Thomas Jefferson
C) John Adams
D) Aaron Burr
E) James Madison

Question 10

The old adage "politics stops at the water's edge" means that

A) debates about irrigation policy should be settled by making reference to the Constitution, not by voting in Congress.
B) all Americans will suffer if we fail to work together to protect our nation's political, economic, and security interests in the wider world.
C) the United States should not have policy disagreements with other countries.
D) Democrats and Republicans should only disagree with each other on foreign policy issues and not on matters of domestic policy.
E) the American public should not worry about political events or developments overseas and should instead focus all of their attention on problems in the United States.

Question 11

The policy of striking a nation that you fear might be contemplating hostile actions is called

A) diplomacy.
B) appeasement.
C) détente.
D) preemption.
E) deterrence.

Question 12

When did the Cold War begin?

A) in the 1940s, soon after World War II
B) in the early 1950s with the Korean War
C) in the late 1950s, with American involvement in Vietnam
D) in the early 1960s, with the Cuban Missile Crisis
E) in the late 1970s, after the Vietnam War

Question 13

Which of the following statements about the World Trade Organization is incorrect?

A) The World Trade Organization was founded in 1995.
B) The World Trade Organization is a forum for enforcing international rules promoting free trade.
C) The United States dropped out of the World Trade Organization in 2004 over a disagreement about steel tariffs.
D) The World Trade Organization has had multiple controversies over agricultural subsidies.
E) The World Trade Organization grew out of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

Question 14

Why did the United States fight wars in Korea and Vietnam?

A) Vital interests for the United States were at stake.
B) They both involved humanitarian efforts.
C) Policy makers believed that if we didn't fight, it would embolden the communists.
D) We had NATO obligations.
E) Vietnam and Korea had invaded our allied countries.

Question 15

A policy of deterrence is likely to fail against terrorist groups because

A) history has shown that only democratic nation-states respond well to deterrence.
B) deterrence has been made illegal under international law.
C) terrorist groups are nonstate actors who may believe that their lack of a fixed geographic location prevents their targets from retaliating militarily.
D) terrorist groups do not yet have access to nuclear weapons.
E) terrorist groups do not typically enter into negotiations with nation-states.

Question 16

The Monroe doctrine refers to

A) the economic recovery package of aid from the United States to western Europe after World War II.
B) the policy that the United States will launch a preemptive attack on any country harboring nonstate actors that threaten its national security.
C) the idea that foreign powers should not meddle in the Western Hemisphere.
D) the theory that the United States needed to have twice as many nuclear weapons as the Soviet Union's in order to remain secure.
E) the treaty signed at the end of the War of 1812.

Question 17

Which of the following statements about foreign policy is most accurate?

A) The Constitution gives the president no role to play whatsoever in determining American foreign policy.
B) The Constitution gives Congress no role to play whatsoever in determining American foreign policy.
C) The system of checks and balances created in the Constitution means that presidents and members of Congress are equally important in determining American foreign policy.
D) The institutional powers of the presidency give presidents an advantage over political forces based in Congress when determining American foreign policy.
E) The institutional powers of Congress give members of Congress an advantage over presidents when determining American foreign policy.

Question 18

The policy of deterrence and containment pursued by the United States during the Cold War can be seen as

A) an early version of the Bush doctrine.
B) no different than a policy of isolationism.
C) no different than a policy of preventive war.
D) no different than a policy of appeasement.
E) midway between preventive war and appeasement.

Question 19

The three main goals of American foreign policy are

A) democracy, individualism, and isolationism
B) liberty, fraternity, and equality
C) freedom, order, and justice for all
D) security, prosperity, and the creation of a better world
E) deterrence, appeasement, and peace

Question 20

What was the key to American security during the nineteenth century?

A) the largest naval fleet in the world
B) troops stationed on the borders
C) geographical isolation
D) active diplomacy in Europe
E) the largest nuclear arsenal in the world

Question 21

Protests against the World Trade Organization (WTO) in recent years were prompted by

A) the lack of debt relief for Third World nations.
B) the perception that the WTO was not paying enough attention to developing countries.
C) American military and economic hegemony.
D) opening trade relations with China.
E) the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Question 22

In foreign policy, the Bush Doctrine refers to

A) managing the war on terrorism through multination diplomacy.
B) the tactic of relying on the United Nations to help achieve U.S. objectives.
C) increasing the size and scope of NATO forces.
D) preemptive war.
E) waiting for conflicts to come to the United States before getting involved.

Question 23

In the sphere of foreign policy, which of the following is not a constitutional power possessed by Congress?

A) declaring war
B) regulating commerce with foreign nations
C) confirming foreign ambassadors
D) negotiating treaties on behalf of the United States
E) confirming the president's nominations of cabinet members

Question 24

The fact that the United States remains silent in the face of human rights violations by countries like Saudi Arabia illustrates that

A) the United States has been pursuing a policy of isolationism since the end of World War II.
B) promoting human rights is less important to American foreign policy than security concerns and economic interests.
C) the president has only limited power in determining American foreign policy.
D) Congress has only limited power in determining American foreign policy.
E, deterrence greatly influences American foreign policy.

Question 25

What is the main job of the director of national intelligence?

A) to head the National Intelligence Agency
B) to act as the primary adviser to the president on foreign policy matters
C) to act as the primary adviser to Congress on foreign policy matters
D) to serve as a mediator between the CIA, FBI, and National Security Council
E) to collate and coordinate intelligence coming in from multiple sources and to report this to the president

Question 26

The United States withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol because it

A) did not include any provisions to limit carbon emissions.
B) did not require other countries to protect basic human rights.
C) would threaten American national security.
D) would be too harmful to American national economic interests.
E) did not go far enough in limiting carbon emissions.

Question 27

Which of the following statements about United States trade deficit is most accurate?

A) The United States had a positive trade balance between 2006 and 2008 but has had a negative trade balance since 2008.
B) The United States had a negative trade balance between 2006 and 2008 but has had a positive trade balance since 2008.
C) The United States has exported as much as it has imported since 2006.
D) The United States has had a negative trade balance since 2006.
E) The United States has had a positive trade balance since 2006.

Question 28

What is the chief task of the National Security Council?

A) to monitor foreign intelligence
B) to formulate and recommend military and diplomatic policy proposals to the United Nations
C) to coordinate the differences among the executive's key foreign policy makers
D) to act as a public promoter of the president's foreign policy
E) to protect the borders of the United States

Question 29

Why has Congress become a major foreign policy maker since World War II?

A) The Constitution gives most of the foreign policy authority to Congress.
B) Congress is regularly called upon to approve financing of foreign policies.
C) Since the beginning of the Cold War, the president has delegated large amounts of foreign policy authority to Congress.
D) The extensive use of executive agreements in foreign policy requires Senate approval.
E) Congress is the only branch that can declare war.

Question 30

Some developing countries have accused the United States of hypocrisy because they believe the United States

A) demands democracy from other countries while not allowing true democracy in its own political system.
B) claims to support the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) but will not support the WTO.
C) pursues a policy of isolationism while also asking other countries to pursue a policy of appeasement.
D) preaches against free trade to others while keeping open, unregulated markets at home.
E) preaches free trade to others while still offering subsidies to their own farmers.

Question 31

Which war was officially declared by Congress?

A) the War of 1812
B) the Vietnam War
C) the Korean War
D) the Iraq War
E) the war in Afghanistan

Question 32

The North American Free Trade Agreement is

A) a trade treaty between Mexico, Canada, and the United States designed to lower and eliminate tariffs.
B) an executive agreement between the United States and the other nations of North and Central America, giving one another most favored nation trade status.
C) a treaty between the United States, Canada, and Mexico pledging a unified strategy regarding trade with Asia and Europe.
D) an executive agreement reducing trade and immigration barriers throughout North America.
E) a trade treaty between the United States and Canada designed to make it easier to sell U.S. products in Canada.

Question 33

Which official is not a major actor in American foreign policy?

A) director of the CIA
B) secretary of the treasury
C) secretary of defense
D) secretary of Veterans Affairs
E) national security adviser

Question 34

Which of the following is the most important actor in the foreign policy establishment?

A) Congress
B) the president
C) the Department of State
D) the Department of Defense
E) the CIA

Question 35

The United States withdrew from the 1997

A) Geneva Conventions.
B) NAFTA.
C) Kyoto Protocol.
D) NATO.
E) United Nations.

Question 36

In 1998, the foreign trade term most favored nation was changed to what?

A) normal trade relations
B) equity trading partner
C) commercial diplomacy
D) not unfavored nation
E) favored nation

Question 37

For the first 150 years of American history, Congress's role in foreign policy was limited because

A) the Supreme Court had ruled that Congress had no authority to make foreign policy under the Constitution.
B) the United States' role in world affairs was very limited.
C) countless protest events communicated to Congress that the public wanted them to avoid taking an active role in foreign policy.
D) the House of Representatives and the Senate could not agree on a unified approach to foreign policy and blocked each other from acting.
E) Congress did not have the authority to pass a budget until World War II.

Question 38

Which of the following goals has traditionally been of lowest priority in U.S. foreign policy?

A) economic interests
B) human rights
C) national security
D) globalization
E) international trade

Question 39

Most American presidents have been

A) international politicians who set out to make their place in history through achievements in foreign policy.
B) focused on promoting their own legacies regardless of whether that means prioritizing foreign or domestic policy.
C) focused on promoting the well-being of the United States regardless of whether that means prioritizing foreign or domestic policy.
D) equally focused on promoting the United States through both foreign and domestic policy.
E) domestic politicians who set out to make their place in history through achievements in domestic policy.

Question 40

The most important task of the Senate in foreign policy is

A) establishing embassies in foreign nations.
B) ratifying the military budget.
C) reviewing and approving treaties.
D) declaring war.
E) approving presidential appointments to foreign ambassadorships.

Question 41

The traditional American distrust of diplomacy has resulted in which situation?

A) The budget and personnel at the State Department has been drastically cut since the end of the Cold War.
B) Presidents often use military or political leaders outside the State Department during a crisis.
C) The United States has closed down embassies in many nations since the mid-1990s.
D) The United States has limited the amount of meetings the president has with foreign ambassadors.
E) Foreign ambassadors demand much more from the U.S. president than in the past.

Question 42

The representation of a government to other foreign governments is called

A) multilateralism.
B) alliances.
C) treaty.
D) diplomacy.
E) preemption.

Question 43

The UN Security Council has ______ permanent members and ______ elected members.

A) five; five
B) ten; ten
C) five; ten
D) ten; twenty-five
E) ten; five

Question 44

What was the Marshall Plan?

A) the original blueprint for the United Nations
B) an early attempt to establish a military alliance between North America and western Europe
C) the economic recovery package of aid from the United States to western Europe after World War II
D) aid to rebuild the Japanese economy along capitalist lines after World War II
E) aid to rebuild the Iraqi economy after the Persian Gulf War

Question 45

Which of the following nations does not have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council?

A) the United States
B) Russia
C) Germany
D) the United Kingdom
E) China

Question 46

Which interest group in the United States is more likely to depend on demonstrations and other nontraditional strategies of influence?

A) ethnic groups
B) economic groups
C) environmental groups
D) human rights groups
E) diplomatic groups

Question 47

Foreign aid is an economic ______; sanctions are an economic ______.

A) liability; asset
B) asset; liability
C) carrot; stick
D) stick; carrot
E) policy; regulation

Question 48

Which of the following statements about who really makes American foreign policy is false?

A) Except for the president, the influence of players and makers varies from case to case.
B) It is best to evaluate other actors and factors as they interact with the president.
C) The reason influence varies from case to case is that each case arises under different conditions and with different time constraints.
D) Foreign policy experts will usually disagree about the level of influence any player or type of player has on policy making.
E) The influence or power of the president varies depending on which particular country or group of countries the United States is dealing with.

Question 49

The main effort to change the Foreign Service into a fully professional diplomatic corps was the

A) Steward Plan of 1866.
B) Rogers Act of 1924.
C) Morgenthau Proposal of 1944.
D) Bolton Act of 2005.
E) Foreign Service Act of 1946.

Question 50

According to the text, which of the following does not describe the United Nations?

A) is a very large and unwieldy institution
B) has few powers
C) has no armed forces
D) lacks enforcement power to implement its rules and resolutions
E) The United States never contributes to the United Nations' peacekeeping efforts.

Question 51

An agreement between the president and another country that has the force of a treaty but does not require the Senate's "advice and consent" is called an

A) executive memorandum.
B) executive agreement.
C) international protocol.
D) international accord.
E) executive order.

Question 52

Currently, the United Nations has ______ member states.

A) 40
B) 192
C) 350
D) 435
E) 630

Question 53

According to the text, which of the following is not an influential interest group affecting American foreign policy?

A) organized ethnic groups
B) economic interest groups
C) diplomats from foreign nations
D) human rights interest groups
E) environmental groups

Question 54

In a crisis, which of the following has the greatest foreign policy influence?

A) the president
B) Congress
C) the Senate
D) the Supreme Court
E) the public

Question 55

The first efforts by the United States to create a professional Foreign Service staff started

A) during the Spanish-American War.
B) after World War I.
C) during the Korean War.
D) in 1972, along with opening relations with China.
E) after World War II.

Question 56

Larger economic interest groups are less successful in influencing foreign policy than narrower groups because

A) larger groups are less likely to have allies in the executive branch and in Congress.
B) larger groups fall victim to collective action problems.
C) larger groups find it difficult to maintain tight enough control of their many members to speak with a single voice.
D) larger groups typically have fewer resources to use in their lobbying efforts.
E) larger groups usually demand more from government officials.

Question 57

What is the main difference between a maker and a shaper of American foreign policy?

A) Makers are those who have access to the president, as opposed to shapers.
B) Shapers are those who draft the general goals of American policy, while makers are specialists who concretely implement those goals.
C) Makers are those within government, while shapers are influential groups outside of official government.
D) Shapers are all domestic groups and institutions, while makers are foreign nations.
E) Shapers are those within the government, while makers are those who actually perform the foreign policy duties.

Question 58

The International Monetary Fund

A) provides loans and facilitates a short flow of money to countries in need.
B) sets a single monetary instrument that governs international monetary exchange.
C) was dismantled in 1965.
D) is limited in its ability to loan money to developing countries.
E) was set up to provide for long-term money flow to developing countries.

Question 59

Which ethnic group has the reputation of having the greatest influence on American foreign policy?

A) Chinese Americans
B) Jewish Americans
C) Italian Americans
D) Mexican Americans
E) African Americans

Question 60

Which of the following does not represent an important interest reflected through the actions of foreign policy interest groups?

A) ethnic solidarity
B) promotion of economic interests
C) human rights enforcement
D) domestic representation of foreign governments
E) environmental interests

Question 61

The United States has a distrust of traditional methods of diplomacy in foreign relations.

Question 62

During the Cold War, U.S. foreign policy centered around the idea of appeasement.

Question 63

The Vietnam War was the last time Congress officially declared war.

Question 64

Which of the following is not a NATO member?

A) Canada
B) Mexico
C) Poland
D) the Czech Republic
E) Hungary

Question 65

The World Trade Organization was originally known as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

Question 66

The National Security Council includes both the secretary of the treasury and the director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Question 67

Dispute arbitration occurs when

A) a dispute turns into a military conflict but is not officially declared a war by the legislative branch.
B) an international disagreement is referred to a neutral third party for resolution.
C) a treaty is made between two or more nations.
D) an agreement is made between the presidents of two countries but the terms are not legally binding.
E) the United Nations votes on a resolution compelling two countries at war to stop all military actions.

Question 68

The United States adopted strategies of multilateralism during the struggles of the Cold War.

Question 69

The foreign policy ideals that Americans have historically espoused assert that our foreign policies should

A) focus on the interests of the United States at the expense of all other nations.
B) focus on the interests of other nations at the expense of our own personal interests.
C) have a higher purpose than the pursuit of our own interests and to use force only as a last resort.
D) promote the use of force to advance democracy around the world.
E) focus on working with the United Nations to promote democracy around the world.

Question 70

Promoting human rights has been the chief priority of U.S. foreign policy.

Question 71

Of which collective security organization is the United States not a member?

A) the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
B) the Warsaw Pact
C) the Organization of American States
D) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
E) ANZUS

Question 72

The United States spends

A) less on its military each year than all of Europe.
B) nearly the same amount on its military each year as all of Europe.
C) less on its military each year than China.
D) nearly as much on its military each year as the rest of the world combined.
E) nearly the same amount on its military each year as China.

Question 73

Which of the following describes the "realist" view of foreign policy?

A) Foreign policies should be guided by the national interest, even if from the outside the nation appears cold and ruthless.
B) Foreign policies should be guided by the mutual interests of one nation with other nations.
C) Foreign policy should take a "back seat" to domestic policy, since domestic policy affects most citizens more directly.
D) Foreign policy should take a "front seat" to domestic policy, since foreign policy has the most global impact on a particular nation.
E) Foreign policy makers should continually adapt their goals to meet changes in the "real" world, rather than focusing their goals on broad, unchanging philosophies.

Question 74

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an example of

A) mutually assured destruction.
B) a bilateral treaty.
C) a multilateral treaty.
D) the domino theory.
E) deterrence.

Question 75

During the Persian Gulf War, allies of the United States paid for what percentage of the war's costs?

A) 10 percent
B) 25 percent
C) 60 percent
D) 75 percent
E) 90 percent

Question 76

The most important institution in formulating and executing American foreign policy is Congress.

Question 77

In 2002, the Supreme Court ruled that executive agreements were an unconstitutional violation of the separation of powers.

Question 78

Creation of a better world is one of the three main goals of U.S. foreign policy.

Question 79

When was NATO formed?

A) 1919
B) 1941
C) 1942
D) 1949
E) 1956

Question 80

Most favored nation status is when the United States offers a trading partner the lowest tariff rate offered to other trading partners.