Deck 4: Foreign Policy

Question 1

Which strategy can prevent groupthink?

A)bypassing relevant agencies
B)limiting the number of advisers
C)bringing in external advisers
D)appealing to the majority interest

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Cognitive balance,or the maintenance of a logically consistent mental model of the world,can be achieved through __________.

A)wishful thinking
B)mirror imaging
C)affective bias
D)projection

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The Iran-Contra scandal resulted from the activities of which government agency?

A)National Security Agency
B)Central Intelligence Agency
C)Bureau of Intelligence and Research
D)National Security Council

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Decisions of individuals can most frequently diverge from the __________ model because of information screens.

A)cognitive bias
B)bargaining
C)rational
D)affective bias

Question 5

Which factor might be a key aspect of a decision-making process that involves informal consultations?

A)visiting state leaders
B)rigorous control of the agenda
C)friends outside of the government
D)active debate

Question 6

According to the concept of bounded rationality,decision makers __________.

A)will choose the best response to a situation
B)will choose a response that is good enough to meet some minimal criteria
C)use historical analogies in responding to a situation
D)make choices within the boundaries established by groups within the government

Question 7

Which factor must be associated with each possible outcome of an action when there is uncertainty about costs and benefits of actions?

A)probabilities
B)standard operating procedures
C)pursuit of national interests
D)low-level decisions

Question 8

Affective bias refers to the emotions felt by decision makers when they consider the consequences of __________.

A)existing policy
B)the actions of others
C)their own actions
D)low-level staff

Question 9

Cognitive bias refers to the limitations of __________ in making choices.

A)government leaders
B)diplomats
C)the human brain
D)the military

Question 10

The sequence of steps in the rational model of decision making is __________.

A)clarify goals,order goals by importance,list alternatives to achieve goals,investigate consequences of alternatives,and choose the course of action
B)order goals by importance,list alternatives to achieve goals,clarify goals,investigate consequences of alternatives,and choose the course of action
C)list alternatives to achieve goals,order goals by importance,investigate consequences of alternatives,clarify goals,and choose the course of action
D)clarify goals,list alternatives to achieve goals,investigate consequences of alternatives,order goals by importance,and choose the course of action

Question 11

A "kitchen cabinet" is __________.

A)the group of opposition party members who would form the actual cabinet if the party came to power
B)a trusted group of friends with no formal positions in government who discuss policy issues with the leader
C)a small group of cabinet members who meet in the kitchen of the old executive office building
D)a group of low-level bureaucrats representing cabinet departments and meeting informally

Question 12

Politicians have a difficult time running formal bureaucratic agencies because __________.

A)the agencies can be too large and too routinized to easily control
B)only lower-level career officials owe loyalty to the politicians
C)the power of agencies is based on their proximity to the president
D)they are in their positions longer than high-level bureaucrats

Question 13

Which statement characterizes decision making during crises?

A)Important options are more likely to be discussed.
B)Biases become far less likely.
C)Groupthink occurs more easily.
D)Decision makers are more likely to play devil's advocate.

Question 14

When British Prime Minister Chamberlain signed the nonaggression pact with Hitler in Munich in 1938,he did not want to see the clear signs of Hitler's aggression and chose to appease him instead.Some scholars argue this was due to Chamberlain's not wanting to lead Britain into a major war.If true,this would best illustrate __________.

A)justification of effort
B)information screens
C)cognitive bias
D)affective bias

Question 15

Decision makers utilized the historical analogy of __________ when debating the intervention in Vietnam.

A)Munich 1938
B)Pearl Harbor
C)the Korean War
D)the Prague Spring

Question 16

Which of the following is a component of standard operating procedures?

A)applying what you know of general principles
B)ensuring efficient outcomes
C)reconsidering goals
D)challenging policy precedents

Question 17

Which of the following may diverge despite individuals acting rationally?

A)goals
B)determination
C)emotions
D)perceptions

Question 18

Which concept is consistent with the activities pursued in the process of rational decision making?

A)divergent interests
B)satisficing
C)utilization of standardized responses
D)identification of alternatives

Question 19

The __________ model of decision making relies on standard operating procedures.

A)rational
B)organizational process
C)risk aversion
D)individual

Question 20

Which model of decision making consists of negotiations between bureaucratic agencies with divergent interests?

A)rational
B)organizational process
C)risk aversion
D)government bargaining

Question 21

The concept of groupthink suggests that the __________ the decision making affect(s)the outcome.

A)individuals involved in
B)timing of
C)structural context of
D)information available for

Question 22

One of the state characteristics that comparative foreign policy studies focus on is __________.

A)bureaucratic rivalries
B)location
C)wealth
D)technical abilities

Question 23

Citizens of a given ethnic background are among a number of __________ that might form to lobby governments on foreign policy.

A)propagandists
B)interest groups
C)pollsters
D)government leaders

Question 24

Which of the following is a way in which the components of the military-industrial complex influence foreign policy decision making?

A)spreading out of weapons projects into many constituencies
B)promotion of hawkish officers within the military
C)military-themed blockbuster movies
D)the appointment of executives in military industries as church officials

Question 25

Groupthink is the tendency for groups to reach decisions without accurately __________ since individual members tend to go along with ideas they think the others support.

A)utilizing reverse psychology
B)controlling the agenda
C)assessing consequences
D)applying internal dissonance

Question 26

What aspect of a democracy makes the justification of effort especially prevalent?

A)Many actors exist to keep track of decisions made.
B)Democracies allow for the secrecy of the government.
C)Voters face an overabundance of information.
D)Politicians are judged by the electorate.

Question 27

The part of the population that stays informed about international issues is called the __________ public.

A)international
B)expert
C)savvy
D)attentive

Question 28

Governments survive by relying on __________.

A)legitimacy
B)force
C)persuasion
D)bribes

Question 29

Diversionary foreign policy is __________.

A)trying to confuse an adversary by sending mixed policy signals
B)adopting a foreign policy to distract public attention from domestic issues
C)trying to influence elite opinions,which will,in turn,influence mass opinion
D)lobbying foreign governments to change their foreign policy

Question 30

When students exhibit a tendency not to challenge a professor's arguments because they assume he or she is an expert and knows better,it could be an example of __________.

A)affective bias
B)selective perception
C)cognitive bias
D)groupthink

Question 31

Which statement is an element of prospect theory?

A)Decision makers work to avoid future catastrophic events.
B)Decision makers attach their own feelings onto another actor.
C)Decision makers assess the value of other decision makers.
D)Decision makers use a reference point for comparison.

Question 32

Public support for involvement in a war __________.

A)typically starts low and increases over the long run
B)typically starts high and decreases over the long run
C)typically starts high and continues to remain high
D)typically does not affect the popularity ratings of a country's leader

Question 33

Bureaucrats in the foreign policy decision-making process pursue __________.

A)groupthink
B)democratization
C)national goals
D)political domination

Question 34

Which president warned of the growing influence of the military-industrial complex in his farewell speech?

A)Truman
B)Eisenhower
C)Kennedy
D)Johnson

Question 35

What did Harry Truman's sign "The buck stops here" illustrate about his role in foreign policy decision making?

A)He was not willing to waste money.
B)He was the sole decision maker.
C)Foreign policy decisions were ultimately his responsibility.
D)His opinion was more important than anyone else's.

Question 36

During the Cuban Missile Crisis,members of the Defense Department were unwilling to implement a military solution,while some diplomatic officials favored a preemptive military strike.This situation illustrates the argument that __________.

A)the goal of a bureaucratic agency does not always help predict the preferences of its members
B)preferences of high-ranking officials are more significant than those of lower-level career officials in determining their institution's goals
C)the power of bureaucratic agencies is often determined by their proximity to the president and his or her policy preferences
D)bureaucratic agencies are usually too large and too routinized for even high-ranking officials to control easily

Question 37

Public opinion __________.

A)has greater force in authoritarian governments than in democracies
B)has greater force in democracies than in authoritarian governments
C)influences foreign policy decisions but is not influenced by them
D)has more effect on foreign policy than on domestic policy in democracies

Question 38

Which statement regarding interest groups is correct?

A)They have a nearly endless supply of funding.
B)They are organized in order to influence the outcome in political issues.
C)They are coalitions of people who share a common interest in the outcome of a neighborhood issue.
D)They have a great deal of influence on foreign policy.

Question 39

Some scholars believe that former secretary of state John Foster Dulles had such great personal prejudice against communism that he always assumed the worst of Soviet decision makers.This is an example of __________.

A)misperception
B)wishful thinking
C)cognitive bias
D)affective bias

Question 40

With respect to legislatures playing a role in deciding whether to use military force,__________.

A)most legislators know little about foreign affairs
B)having a legislative debate over the potential use of military force can complicate the issue
C)legislatures can reach decisions quickly on the use of military force
D)debate over the use of military force demonstrates a state's resolve to its adversaries

Question 41

The backing of opposite sides in the Laotian civil war in 1960 by the CIA and the U.S.State Department is an example of __________.

A)interest groups
B)the military-industrial complex
C)interagency tension
D)diversionary foreign policy

Question 42

The military-industrial complex predicts that close relationships between __________,the military,and __________ will encourage spending on weapons systems regardless of strategic or military effectiveness.

A)the president,lobbyists
B)protesters,the media
C)defense contractors,Congress
D)the state department,intelligence agencies

Question 43

Diplomats __________.

A)are career civil servants,not political appointees
B)work in embassies and consulates abroad
C)provide information that goes into making foreign policies but do not carry out those policies
D)are employed by the defense ministry or department

Question 44

The study of foreign policy in various states in order to discover whether similar types of governments have similar types of policies is known as __________.

A)foreign policy studies
B)the foreign policy process
C)comparative foreign policy
D)governmental policy studies

Question 45

A number of agreements regarding its nuclear program have been made and adhered to by North Korea.

Question 46

Former U.S.Defense Secretary William Cohen's statement,"The unrelenting flow of information,the need to digest it on a minute-by-minute basis,is quite different from anything I've experienced before....There's little time for contemplation;most of it is action," is representative of prospect theory.

Question 47

The descriptive area of foreign policy involves an attempt to comprehend how specific mechanisms of foreign policy formation function in various states.

Question 48

Uncertainty rarely plays a role in the rational model decision-making process.

Question 49

The struggle between the Japanese Agriculture Ministry and the Japanese Foreign Ministry over whether or not to allow the importation of sushi from California was an example of the government bargaining model.

Question 50

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict concerns __________.

A)the right of the Israeli state to take part in United Nations peacekeeping missions
B)the right of a Palestinian state to exist
C)the right of Palestinians to access Israeli natural resources at discount rates
D)the right of the Israeli state to deconstruct settler housing

Question 51

Which reason might explain the small size of the attentive public in the United States?

A)lack of access to information
B)American isolationism
C)American educational system
D)lack of a direct connection with foreign policy issues

Question 52

The military-industrial complex consists of __________.

A)governmental agencies,industrial corporations,and research institutes
B)the military,Congress,and the executive branch
C)defense contractors,lobbyists,and research institutes
D)the executive branch,Congress,and the judiciary

Question 53

Information is often screened out as it passes from one person to another in the decision-making process.

Question 54

The planning and pursuit of the Cold War played an integral role in the conception and growth of the American military-industrial complex.

Question 55

"Rally 'round the flag" syndrome is exemplified by the sharp rise in public approval ratings received by President Bush due to the commencing of war.

Question 56

With respect to the role of bureaucratic agencies in foreign policy making,__________.

A)the various agencies of a state are generally in agreement on the foreign policies to be pursued
B)the various agencies of a state always take the same side on an issue (e.g. ,defense ministries always favor military strength)
C)bargaining among agencies suggests that a state does not have a single national interest
D)representatives of agencies promote only the interests of their own bureaucracy

Question 57

A great deal of the information that contributes to the making of foreign policy is provided by diplomats.

Question 58

The ability to access busy officials,pitch cogent rationales for one's case,and trade infusions of cash in return for positive action on an issue are all key elements of successful lobbying.

Question 59

Which of the following is an obstacle to reaching peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

A)unified leadership
B)lack of credible commitments
C)absence of small,extremist parties
D)high costs associated with peace

Question 60

Journalists serve as __________ of information passing from foreign policy elites to the public.

A)proponents
B)promoters
C)filters
D)audiences

Question 61

__________ is the public promotion of a government's policy or belief.

Question 62

The study of individual decision making revolves around the question of __________.

Question 63

Japan is an example of the rare democracy where __________ generally has a strong impact on curtailing the military spending of the government.

Question 64

Because American legislatures hold the __________,they can stop a war in its tracks.

Question 65

When two sides in a conflict maintain very similar enemy images of each other,it is known as a(n)__________.

Question 66

Sometimes leaders purposely designate someone to play __________ in order to prevent groupthink among decision makers.

Question 67

In the __________ model of decision making,decisions result from routine administrative procedures.

Question 68

The __________ is the movement of people back and forth between top-level government and industry jobs.

Question 69

__________ is the subconscious effort to make the world match a logically consistent mental model.

Question 70

When applying __________,the decision maker asks whether he or she can do better than a given reference point,but the value placed on outcomes depends on how far from the reference point they are.