Making Foreign and Defense Policy

A bilateral treaty is one in which two countries sign a treaty with a third country, while multilateral treaties involve more than three countries.

False

Which of the following are types of treaties into which countries enter? (Select all that apply.)

trade treaties criminal justice treaties peace treaties

The United States does not recognize Taiwan as a nation, since the U.S. has diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, as do most of the countries of the world. The U.S. does have economic and cultural ties with Taiwan. What does this mean for American citizens who travel to Taiwan?

Americans have no official diplomatic protection in Taiwan.

How does the possession of nuclear weapons in the modern era change the nature of conflict between and among nations?

Nations are less safe because of the threat of nuclear weapons, which makes diplomacy important.

Which of the following are nonstate actors? (Select all that apply.)

The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) Palestine

The president can give a secretary of state the duties of a plenipotentiary.

True

Although American males still have to register with the Selective Service System, the United States abolished the draft in 1973. This means that currently males are not required to do military service. Which of the following is not an advantage of having a strictly volunteer military force?

a volunteer force is more expensive because they are paid more than draftees

nations associated with each other to achieve a common goal such as trade or national defense

allies

the process of negotiating with representatives from other groups, in order to influence their behavior

diplomacy

the act of officially recognizing that a state is sovereign

diplomatic recognition

the way countries protect their national interests in dealing with other countries

foreign policy

Approximately how many people work for the Department of Defense

more than 3 million

The Department of Defense was established in 1947 to replace _____.

the Department of War

Based on your reading of the following, choose the best answer.ISIL is a terrorist group that first emerged in 1999. Initially referred to as al-Qaeda in Iraq, the group subsequently was called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The president has insisted on the name ISIL, or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. This name also is closer to the name the group gives themselves in Arabic. The Levant traditionally referred to "Great Syria," which included the countries of Syria, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, and parts of Turkey. ISIL is responsible for the public beheadings of civilians as well as other terrorist acts.Why does the president think it's important to call this group ISIL?

to highlight ISIL's goal is to establish an Islamic state in a region containing established countries