POLI 244 Final - All quiz answers

Which of the following is an example of tying hands? A leader accompanying a threat with troop movements near its rival's borders. A leader accompanying a public threat with increased military spending. A leader, during private negotiations, promising war if an adversary does not back down. A threat being accompanied with covert action that undermines a rival. An elected leader publicly promising war if an adversary does not back down.

An elected leader publicly promising war if an adversary does not back down.

What is the most important difference between the international system and national political systems?

Anarchy/hierarchy

A brinkmanship crisis resembles which type of game (from game theory)?

Chicken

The sixteenth through eighteenth centuries were characterized by:

European states trying to overpower and outmaneuver each other.

What did NOT increase under Pax Britannica?

European wars

How did the Great Depression help lead to the outbreak of World War II?

It led to the rise of extreme right-wing, nationalistic governments in several key European nations.

What action did the Arbenz government take in 1954 that the United Fruit Company opposed?

It took control of lands held by the United Fruit Company.

How did incomplete information cause Kuwait to make a mistake when Iraq threatened to attack in 1990?

Kuwait did not know that Saddam Hussein was willing to wage war and decided not to make sufficient concessions.

Why did Britain react so strongly to the Argentine attack on the Falklands/Malvinas Islands?

The British public opposed Argentina's attack and supported the prime minister's aggressive response.

Which of the following is an example of a public good? A free lunch provided by a soup kitchen. Government tax credits for companies that make safer cars. A tariff protecting an important national industry. Electric cars that reduce smog for everyone. The clean air resulting from laws reducing pollution.

The clean air resulting from laws reducing pollution.

Which of the following are reasons why the horizontal proliferation of nuclear weapons may make war more likely?

The costs and benefits of an aggressive use of nuclear weapons are not evenly distributed within the government, so that some actor may benefit from a nuclear attack without paying any of its costs. Nuclear weapons may fall in the hands of actors who are insensitive or even immune to retaliation, such as terrorist organizations. Shielded by its nuclear weapons, a state may become more aggressive and prone to conventional warfare.

Which of the following is the most common reason states have historically gone to war?

Two states claim the same territory

The biggest crisis between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War occurred in 2014 over which country?

Ukraine

Which of the following is the best example of a theoretical statement? - States go to war only when doing so maximizes their national interest. - Wars are caused by the political influence of the military-industrial complex. - The Vietnam war was caused by ideological fear. - A war between China and the United States is very unlikely because they both possess nuclear weapons.

Wars are caused by the political influence of the military-industrial complex.

If not resolved, all of the following can hinder cooperation EXCEPT: large numbers of actors a large sucker's payoff a large cheater's payoff incentives to defect nonrepeated interactions imperfect information

a large sucker's payoff

An actor using agenda-setting power during bargaining:

acts first and therefore changes what choices are available to the other actors.

Institutions facilitate cooperation by doing all of the following EXCEPT: forcing actors to collaborate. resolving disputes. setting standards of behavior. verifying compliance. reducing costs of joint decision making.

forcing actors to collaborate.

Resolve is difficult to measure because it depends on:

how much a state is willing to pay and risk to achieve a particular goal.

The great European powers cooperated more and fought less during the nineteenth century, in part because of:

increasingly free trade between countries.

When a state is significantly more concerned about relative losses than about absolute gains, then:

inter-state cooperation is less likely, the state has less incentives to cooperate in the first place, the state is likely to cooperate only with other states that are driven by absolute gains

Two actors facing a coordination problem are: likely to find a mutually acceptable solution that is difficult to enforce. likely to find a mutually acceptable solution that requires little enforcement. unlikely to find a mutually acceptable solution to the problem. likely to find an acceptable solution that they will not probably honor. likely to find a mutually acceptable solution only if one actor has more power than the other.

likely to find a mutually acceptable solution that requires little enforcement.

When constructing a model about how things work, it is necessary that we:

make assumptions that simplify the processes we are examining.

Constructivism challenges realists by noting that:

many foreign policy decisions are not the result of a rational calculation but instead reflect the enactment of norms state preferences are neither materially determined nor fixed over time the anarchic system can have different "cultures of anarchy" which constrain behavior differently rational choices are not made in a social vacuum state interests are not determined by the material structure of the international system but instead socially constructed through interstate interactions

The Peace of Westphalia in 1648:

marked the beginning of the modern system of states.

As the Cold War began, the United States opposed Soviet influence by all of the following ways EXCEPT: providing economic aid to Western Europe. creating regional security alliances. helping Japan and Germany rebuild their economies. providing military aid to countries in Eastern Europe. promoting free trade among Western countries.

providing military aid to countries in Eastern Europe.

Prospect theory challenges Rational Choice models by noting that:

rational calculations are mediated by cognitive processes that may induce the actor to make choices that do not necessarily maximize their utility.

A state wanting to free ride with regard to ozone depletion would:

sign an agreement to reduce greenhouse gases but continue to produce such ozone-depleting emissions, while other states decreased their own emissions.

A risk-return trade-off is the idea that

states want to minimize the chance of war but also get the best deals they can

Bargaining is a type of interaction: in which no one loses. in which zero-sum calculations do not apply. in which success is determined by institutions. that involves the distribution of a fixed value. in which new value is created.

that involves the distribution of a fixed value.

When bargaining with others, one actor will have an advantage if:

the actor is more satisfied with the reversion outcome than the others.

A major change in the balance of power within nineteenth-century Europe was spurred by the:

unification and growth of Germany.

After World War II, the United States and Western Europe: rejected calls to return to a gold standard-based currency system. sought to create a single, common market between the two regions. sought to increase their security through the Warsaw Pact. increased tariffs and other forms of protection. collaborated in implementing the Bretton Woods System.

collaborated in implementing the Bretton Woods System.

What is the unitary state assumption?

The treatment of states as coherent actors with a consistent set of interests that belong to the state itself.

Which of the following is an example of an interaction? A country decides to lower taxes on imports due to a threat from another country. A country decides to abolish its military. A country decides to dump pollutants into the ocean. A country decides to colonize Mars. A country lowers the taxes it has on imports.

A country decides to lower taxes on imports due to a threat from another country.

Which of the following statements about Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 is true? The United States acted unilaterally when responding to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. A large coalition of countries led by the United States invaded Iraq to end its occupation of Kuwait. A large coalition of countries under the auspices of the United Nations expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Iraqi forces were expelled from Kuwait by forces from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The 1991 war against Iraq revealed the ineffectiveness of the United Nations in coordinating military responses to violations of international law.

A large coalition of countries under the auspices of the United Nations expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait

Which attributes make up the modern "sovereign state"?

A population, an exclusive ruler, territorial boundaries, a hierarchic political system

Which is the best definition of a public good?

A product that cannot be withheld from anyone and whose use does not prohibit anyone else from enjoying it.

Why might preventive war appear attractive to a declining state?

A rising power cannot credibly commit to not use increased power to make future demands.

How does the overthrow of the Arbenz government in Guatemala illustrate the problem of collective action?

A small group like United Fruit can obtain large benefits while the costs of intervention would be spread among taxpayers.

Why is bargaining over future power especially difficult in international relations?

A state cannot make a credible commitment to not use increased power to make further demands.

What is a preventive war?

A war begun by a state to prevent an adversary from being a stronger threat in the future.

What is a preemptive war?

A war initiated by a state because it anticipates an imminent attack from an adversary.

In 1982, what event changed popular discontent in Argentina into widespread support for the government?

Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands.

The most likely outcome for both participants in the Prisoner's Dilemma is:

Both provide evidence against each other and go to jail

What kind of problem does the Prisoner's Dilemma story illustrate?

Collaboration

How was the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union analogous to the Prisoner's Dilemma?

Collectively each side would have been better off if both had fewer weapons, but each side had an incentive to defect.

Which of the following statements about compellence is true? Compellence is an effort to preserve the status quo by threatening to use force. Compellence is an effort to change the status quo by threatening to use force. Compellence is the effort to create an effective international peace agreement. Compellence is the effort to force other actors to fulfill their alliance obligations. Compellence is an effort to force other actors to accept international mediation

Compellence is an effort to change the status quo by threatening to use force.

Which international relations paradigm would most agree with the idea that the goals of actors are determined by their culture and identities?

Constructivism

Why are countries more likely to cooperate when there is iteration?

Countries are better able to threaten reciprocal punishment and cooperation in the future.

How does iteration differ from linkage?

In iteration, an actor can punish another by withholding cooperation in the future, rather than withholding cooperation on other issues.

Why are some interactions considered to be strategic interactions?

In strategic interactions, each actor's plan of action depends on what the other actors are expected to do.

Which of the following is an example of an institution helping to verify compliance? International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors searching for nuclear weapons that would violate the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The United Nations banning the use of satellites and planes to spy on other countries. The United Nations Security Council approving the use of military force to remove Iraqi troops from Kuwait in 1990. The North American Free Trade Agreement having 22 chapters of detailed rules on trade and investment between the member countries. United Nations resolutions clearly banning Iraq from possessing weapons of mass destruction.

International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors searching for nuclear weapons that would violate the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The end of the Cold War was preceded by which event in the 1980s?

Policies of greater openness and economic reconstruction in the Soviet Union.

The commitment problem most resembles which type of game (from game theory)?

Prisoners dilemma

Why do states use brinkmanship?

States can signal a high level of resolve by making a threat that appears likely to trigger extraordinary costs.

In the case of the threat by the United States to attack Afghanistan in 2001, the status quo was:

Taliban control of Afghanistan.

Why did Argentina attack the Falklands/Malvinas Islands?

The Argentine government expected that taking control of the islands would improve its ability to stay in power.

What was the Schlieffen Plan?

The German plan to avoid fighting a war simultaneously with France and Russia.

Which of the following statements about Soviet intervention during the Cold War is true? The Soviet Union rarely intervened in the developing world, because it thought poor countries were likely to become communist without Soviet help. The Soviet Union intervened only in countries with socialist or Marxist governments, since they were already Soviet allies. The Soviet Union refused to send its military to intervene in European countries such as Hungary and Czechoslovakia, because it feared retaliation from the United States. The Soviet Union rarely intervened in civil conflicts outside its own borders, because it was focused on winning the nuclear arms race. The Soviet Union sent arms and advisers to many developing countries in hopes of helping sympathetic groups seize power.

The Soviet Union sent arms and advisers to many developing countries in hopes of helping sympathetic groups seize power.

Which of the following would be an example of détente between the United States and the Soviet Union? The Soviet Union puts missiles in Cuba. The United States agrees to limit its military weapons. The Soviet Union blocks access to Berlin. The United States sends troops to Vietnam. The Soviet Union creates the Warsaw Pact.

The United States agrees to limit its military weapons.

Which of the following explanations of the United States' wars with Iraq relies on a particularistic interest explanation? Spreading democracy in the Middle East would make the threat of war less likely. Stability in the Middle East would make the United States more secure. The United States government undermines regimes that threaten the profits of U.S. oil companies. Oil is an important component of military power, and the United States must safeguard its supply. Oil is critical for the smooth functioning of the economy, and the United States must avoid abrupt changes in oil supply and price.

The United States government undermines regimes that threaten the profits of U.S. oil companies.

Which of the following examples employs realist logic? The United States invaded Iraq because George W. Bush wanted to exceed his father's accomplishments. The United States invaded Iraq to remove the threat of weapons of mass destruction, which were a security risk. The United States invaded Iraq because multinational corporations wanted access to Iraq's oil. The United States invaded Iraq because Saddam Hussein did not find the threats of the United States to be credible. The United States invaded Iraq because it was afraid the United Nations would stop the war from happening.

The United States invaded Iraq to remove the threat of weapons of mass destruction, which were a security risk.

Which of the following is an example of extended deterrence? France obtained its own nuclear weapons, so that it could retaliate if the Soviet Union attacked Paris. West Germany threatened to attack East Germany if the Soviet Union tried to block the railroads and highways connecting West Germany to West Berlin. The United States threatened to retaliate with nuclear weapons if the Soviet Union attacked New York. The United States threatened to attack Moscow if the Soviet Union attacked West Germany. China threatened to attack if the United States entered China from North Korea.

The United States threatened to attack Moscow if the Soviet Union attacked West Germany.

Which of the following is an example of deterrence? The United States threatening to increase tariffs on another country's imports unless that country removes tariffs on U.S. products. The United States threatening to attack Iran if it developed nuclear weapons. China attacking when the United States sent its troops into North Korea during the Korean War. The Soviet Union cutting off trade with Western countries so that they could not use economic sanctions as leverage in arms agreements. The Soviet Union placing missiles in Cuba so that it could threaten the United States.

The United States threatening to attack Iran if it developed nuclear weapons.

Which of the following statements about United States intervention during the Cold War is true? The United States used military and intelligence services to undermine only governments under the direct control of the Soviet Union. The United States rarely used military and intelligence services in Asia, because it feared retaliation from the Soviet Union. The United States used military and intelligence services to prevent countries from electing governments sympathetic to the Soviet Union. The United States rarely intervened in civil conflicts outside its own borders, because it respected the sovereignty of other countries. The United States refused to intervene in democratic countries.

The United States used military and intelligence services to prevent countries from electing governments sympathetic to the Soviet Union.

If the United Nations Security Council decides not to intervene to stop genocide, the reversion outcome would be:

The genocide would continue

According to Robert Gilpin's theory of hegemonic war, the following factors contribute to the destabilization of the international system, EXCEPT: The differential growth rate between a declining hegemon and a rising challenger. The disjuncture between the hierarchy of prestige and the distribution of material power. The increasing balance of power between the hegemon and a rising challenger. The hegemon's inability to provide material and ideological incentives for other states to support the hegemonic international order. The large gap in material power that separates the hegemon from the rest of the great powers.

The large gap in material power that separates the hegemon from the rest of the great powers.

After World War 1: the League of Nations was created to avoid another war. the German economy rebounded relatively quickly. the Austrian and Ottoman empires survived until the next war. the United Nations was abolished after failing to prevent war. few new countries became independent.

The league of nations was created to avoid another war

What is an example of an indivisible good?

The possession of nuclear weapons

According to Charles Tilly and Hendrik Spruyt, which of the following is NOT one of the main reasons why the sovereign state prevailed over alternative forms of political organization (such as city-states or city-leagues)?

The sovereign state was more effective in representing in government the interests of civil society.

During the nineteenth century, the Great Powers of Europe had a common interest in:

opposing revolutionary movements throughout Europe

All of the following are examples of solutions to coordination problems EXCEPT: peacekeepers separate two armies in a civil war to stop the conflict. international airline pilots all speak English to make international communication easier. all firms producing compact discs use a single compatible format. countries allocate international flight paths to avoid midair collisions. drivers in the United Kingdom drive on the left side of the road.

peacekeepers separate two armies in a civil war to stop the conflict.

Why do powerful countries NOT ignore World Trade Organization (WTO) rules that hurt their own economic interests?

powerful countries benefit from the whole system of trading rules and do not want others to also violate the rules.