GOV 312L Second Midterm

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George Kennan described the Soviet threat as... (Module 11. Activity 20)

Expansionary but cautious - In the Long Telegram, Kennan described the Soviet leadership as expansionary in its aims but also cautious. That is, he expected the Soviets to slowly poke and prod and be patient in their territorial aims. He described them as water, ever pressuring and relentless.

The Soviet Union saw the Marshall Plan as a cheap way to rebuild Western Europe and actually accepted Marshall Plan Aid. (Module 11. Activity 20)

False - The US did offer Marshall Plan Aid to the Soviet Union. Unsurprisingly, the Soviet Union saw the Marshall Plan as an attempt by the US to interfere in the sovereignty of European powers and to insert itself economically into these markets. In other words, the Soviet Union did not see the Marshall Plan as American benevolence but rather as American imperialism and meddling.

Domestic concerns in China about internal political stability or income inequality in China have limited impact on its grand strategy (Module 18. Activity 35)

False - The need to maintain stability in China has greatly affected its foreign policy choices. By settling longstanding territorial disputes and trade issues (often through the WTO), China has sought to prevent any crisis or international issue from derailing its domestic economic growth. China wants peace in the global order so that is can maintain its tremendous economic upswing.

The dollar had served as the chief currency used in international trade from the end of WWII until the foundation of the European economic zone, at which point the Euro overtook the dollar in this role. (Module 18. Activity 34)

False - While the Euro is a valuable foreign currency, the fact is that around the world the dollar is still easily the trade and reserve currency of choice. As of January 2015, China alone owned over 1.2 trillion dollars in America treasury bond debt

According to the logic laid out in lecture, how does the possibility of intervention in a civil war by the US change the dynamics of that war? (Module 14. Activity 27)

In order to entice the US intervention, the losing side may actually allow civilian population to be made more vulnerable and cause a humanitarian crisis - This is a classic moral hazard problem and is laid out by Kuperman. He argues that just the prospect of American intervention can change how the civil wars are carried out. The losing side, believing that the US will intervene if the humanitarian situation gets bad enough, may allow civilians (especially women and children) to be targeted. Thus, the possibility of US intervention may actually cause more deaths

In his statements on contemporary social issues, Pope Francis has... (In the News Activity 5)

Shifted attention away from social and cultural issues - things like abortion and same-sex marriage - and emphasized more political issues such as climate change, social and economic inequality, and immigration - Pope Francis shifted attention away from cultural issues but this was mostly popular with American Catholics and non-Catholics

President Eisenhower threatened the use of massive nuclear retaliation even in small, regional conflicts that had not yet seen the use of nuclear weapons. (Module 15. Activity 28)

True

According to lecture, authority is made up both of coercion and legitimacy. (Module 12. Activity 22)

True - Coercion is not a sufficient condition for authority. That is, a group that has coercive power is not necessarily an authority; it must also have legitimacy.

Political order is the patterns or regularities of social behavior that are induced or set by authority or coercion. (Module 12. Activity 22)

True - This is the basic definition of political order presented in lecture. Note that the patterns of behavior are set by the authority and that these patters can be enforced or reinforced through both relationships and coercion.

Which of the following is an example of public goods that an international hegemony helps to provide? (Module 18. Activity 34)

a. International exchange currency b. Safe shipping lines c. The hegemony acting as a market for distressed good (d.) all of the above

Which of the following schools of thought believes because the international system is defined by anarchy and each state is in charge of its own security, ethical and moral concerns should not play a part in deciding foreign policy? (Module 12. Activity 23)

(a.) Realism b. Liberalism c. Pacifism - Realism believes that international politics are fundamentally different from domestic politics in that domestic politics is defined by the presence of an overarching authority (the government) while international politics is defined by anarchy. Because there is no central authority, every state must be in charge of its own security.

What is the fundamental dilemma of politics as presented in lecture? (Module 12. Activity 22)

A government or organization that is powerful enough to enforce its directives is also strong enough to use this power for predation - If a group is powerful enough to enforce patterns of political orders that it desires, it is also powerful enough to abuse its position and coercive authority to be predatory. Ex. A dictator who uses his authority not to improve his country, but rather as a means to enrich himself and his family.

Foreign policy positions regarding the use of American military intervention presented by republican presidential candidates include: (In the News Activity 7)

A more aggressive foreign policy than is currently being followed by President Obama in which the US would use its military strength to confront adversaries like Russia

When thinking about the causes of war, what is the commitment problem? (Module 14. Activity 26)

Actors are unsure that an adversary has an incentive to honor in the the future any deal constructed in the present - the commitment problem is all about the future. It highlights the challenges associated with contracting over time. Favorable shifts in the distribution of power may tempt one side to demand new concessions in the future. Consequently, the actor with declining power may opt to fight now rather than make more concessions later when it is weaker

According to lecture, terrorism is a major threat to the US homeland because: (Module 17. Activity 32)

Another attack could prompt the American public to pressure government for greater measures to expand the national security state that might include widespread suspension civil liberties - One of the greatest threats of another terrorist attakc on the homeland would be the public response that might include pressure to suspend fundamental civil liberties in an effort to enhance national security. The number of deaths from terrorist attacks is quite low relative to other causes of fatalities in the US

According to lecture, what are the two elements that make up politics? (Module 12. Activity 22)

Authority and the allocation of scarce resources - Politics is made up of authority and the allocation of scarce resources. Authority often rests upon some explicit or implicit coercion, like taxing or the threat of imprisonment. Authority often has a component of legitimacy, meaning that those that abide under the authority believe it to be legitimate. Lastly, in regards to the allocation of scarce resources, sometimes this is done through cooperation and at other times it is done through competition

According to the Krauthammer reading... (Module 17. Activity 33)

Because they break the laws of war and abuse civilians, terrorists do not deserve any protection from torture or harsh treatment if captured - Krauthammer argues that by virtue of deciding to engage in terrorism, a terrorist loses his or her fundamental human rights. That is to say, he or she does not have the same rights as a civilian, or even a combatant. The important concept here is that Krauthammer, in contrast to Mayfield, denies the universality of human rights

In his papal encyclopedia on climate change, Pope Francis argues that... (In the News Activity 5)

Climate change has been primarility the result of human action - Pope Francis argues that climate change was due to human action but argues that technology or economic solutions by themselves will not solve the problem. He also argues that wealthy countries should do more to address climate change than poorer countries

According to the latest polls on the Republican presidential primacy race: (In the News Activity 7)

Donald Trump is leading by about a margin of 10 percentage points over his nearest rival

After two terms of the Obama presidency, Republican primary voters are more concerned with nominating someone who can win a general election than matched their policy positions (In the News Activity 7)

False

Cold War historian John Lewis Gaddis argues that since the end of WWII US generals and presidents have assumed that because of their destructive capabilities nuclear weapons were taboo and would never actually be used. (Module 15 Activity 28)

False

Defense is a physiological process built around issuing credible threats of punishment to convince an adversary to refrain from acting in a certain way. (Module 15. Activity 28)

False

The Cold War experience, particularly the conflictual relations of the Truman and Eisenhower presidencies with Stalin, suggests that the acquisition of nuclear weapons by non democratic regimes like Iran will increase the likelihood of a nuclear strike against the US. (Module 15. Activity 28)

False

When it comes to foreign policy issues, there are no significant differences between conservatives and moderate/liberal Republican voters (In the News Activity 7)

False

According to the hegemonic stability theory, global public goods like safe shipping lanes and a healthy ozone layer would be provided even without the presence of a hegemony in the international system. (Module 18. Activity 34)

False - According to hegemonic stability theory, global public goods like safe shipping lanes and a healthy ozone layer would be provided even without the presence of a hegemony in the international system

According to lecture, American government leaders in the 1990's considered terrorism and terrorists major threats to US security (Module 16. Activity 30)

False - As we talked about, prior to the events of 9/11, American officials did not really consider terrorism as one of the major threats to homeland security, despite several smaller attacks that had been carried out both by domestic and international terrorists. Most of the focus was on a resurgent Russia and so-called pariah states like Iran and North Korea. One of the main effects of the terrorist attacks on 9/11 was to reorient American foreign policy towards viewing terrorism as the chief threat to national security

Beginning on September 11, Bush and his foreign policy advisers drew clear distinctions between terrorist groups and the states that harbor terrorist groups (Module 17. Activity 32)

False - Bush and his advisers did not discriminate between terrorists and states that barbered them. IN other words, because the US was fighting a strategy or ideology rather than a specific group, the scope of possible American military action was very large. States were essentially told that when it comes to the war on terrorism, you are either with the US or against it

In his article, "The Wrong War," Byford argues that the characterization of an act of violence as terrorism depends on whether it targets civilians (Module 16. Activity 30)

False - Byford finds this categorization unhelpful. there are numerous historical examples of states and actors targeting civilians and not being labeled terrorists. Buford argues that we tend to identify terrorists not by their means, but by their goals. That is, if one agrees with the goals of an actor, then he or she may be a freedom fighter, a rebel, or a president. However, if one does not agree with these goals, then he or she is often labeled a terrorist

In her article, Crawford argues that contrary to the opinion of the George W. Bush administration, war has not been transformed by the rise of non-state actors and terrorist organizations. (Module 12. Activity 23)

False - Crawford agrees with the Bush administration that the rise of non-state actors has fundamentally transformed the nature of war. She believes that one key difference is that wars often no longer have a defined beginning and end. This makes the application of just war theory much more difficult

According to lecture, in the past 35 years China has opened politically, moving away from authoritarianism and towards democracy, but has remained close economically, staying true to its communist doctrine (Module 18. Activity 35)

False - Dr. McDonald argues the opposite, that while China has opened up economically, it has not done so politically, it is important to note that communism is an economic ideology that need not necessarily be married to any type of political ideology. Thus, China has moved towards a more free-market economy but its government maintains tight authoritarian control

Reagan's foreign policy during his first term largely revolved around defense cuts and a softening of anti-Soviet rhetoric. (Module 11. Activity 21)

False - In his first term, Reagan massively increased defense spending, particularly on the Strategic Defense Initiative (the Star Wars Program), and sharpened anti-Soviet rhetoric, famously calling the Soviet Union the "Evil Empire"

The events on September 11, 2001 marked the first time that the World Trade Center building in New York had been attacked by a terrorist group. (Module 16. Activity 30)

False - Individuals that were later linked to the 9/11 attacks actually attacked the buildings 14 years earlier in 1993 with a car bomb

In the Long Telegram, Kennan argued that the US should immediately attack the Soviet Union militarily because at that time America had more soldiers and superior weapons. (Module 11. Activity 20)

False - Kennan argues that the US could not defeat the Soviet Union militarily and that the conflict against it would be a long and protracted one. He believed that patience would be necessary to defeat the Soviet Union over a long period of time. The US would not win militarily, but through its superior economic and political systems.

Kydd and Walter argue that groups resort to terrorist tactics because they are uneducated and economically impoverished. (Module 16. Activity 31)

False - Kydd and Walter believe that terrorist are rational, strategic actors that resort to terrorism for two main reasons: terrorism works and they do not have the means to push for their goals in any other way. They argue that terrorists do undergo cost-benefit analysis. This is important because if this viewpoint is correct, counter-terrorism policy can be focused on providing other means through which terrorists can pursue their goals

Based on his comments during the debate with Mitt Romney, John McCain's views align with Krauthammer's in that torture is justified in extreme circumstances like that of the Ticking Time Bomb. (Module 17. Activity 33)

False - McCain advocates a complete ban on torture and states that there is no situation under which hit should be permissible. IN this sense, his views closely align with those of Mayerfield

In his "America Unhinged" article, Mearsheimer argues the US exists in a fundamentally more dangerous position than during the Cold War because of the widespread emergence of non-state actors that engage in terrorism. (Module 14. Activity 27)

False - Mearsheimer argues exactly the opposite. He looks at international politics through a realist lens and casts the US as in a much safer position now than it ever was during World War II or the Cold War. Stemming from this, he believes that political stability in Syria is not a key strategic interest of the US. Consequently, our intervention there is not necessary

Missile defense systems strengthen MAD by bolstering one side's second strike capability (module 15. Activity 29

False - Missile defense systems actually make Mad more unstable because they degrade the certainty of an adversary's second strike capability. If during the Cold War the Soviet Union developed a missile system capable of knocking down American nuclear-armed missiles, the Soviets might then have been tempted to launch a preemptive nuclear strike. Any American nuclear weapons that were not destroyed in the initial Soviet strike could be destroyed after they were launched by Soviet defense system.s The key lesson here is that anything that makes a second strike capability less secure actually weekend MAD

According to Mueller and Stewart, terrorism poses a very severe and imminent threat to the US (Module 17. Activity 32)

False - Mueller and Stewart argue that the threat to the US posed by terrorism is overblown and is actually quite small. They believe that the US spends for too much on counterterrorism efforts. They also state that Al Qaeda got extremely lucky in 2001 and that US policy makers exaggerate terrorists/ abilities to carry out such large-scale attacks

President Vladimir Putin accepted the diminished status of Russia after the Cold War as a natural consequence of the failure of the Soviet system. (Module 13. Activity 24)

False - Putin was dissatisfied with the current territorial status quo and, as his actions in Ukraine would indicate, seems intent on changing that status quo. We discussed in lecture how post-war settlements have varied in their ability to create a stable and long-lasting status quo amongst the great powers.

The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine considers it necessary to prevent violence before it happens but minimizes the responsibilities held by the intervener after the outbreak of violence has occurred. (Module 14. Activity 27)

False - R2P doctrine considers it necessary to prevent violence from happening in the first place but also takes about the role of the intervener in helping to restore order to society in the aftermath of violence. Some see this responsibility as unreasonable or even neo-colonial

According to Mayfield reading, the Ticking Time Bomb scenario is rarely realistic but when it does happen there is a moral justification for the use of torture (Module 17. Activity 33)

False - Remember that Mayfield defends a universal defense on the use of torture. He does argue that the ticking time bomb scenario is unrealistic and improbable, but states that even in a case in which it were real, it is ethically impermissible to torture someone because it would fundamentally violate his or her human rights

During the Cold War, the United States provided foreign aid and intelligence only to fellow democracies. (Module 11. Activity 21)

False - The US provided aid to governments that they thought to be "friendly," whether they be democratic or authoritarian. Egypt and Saudi Arabia received massive amounts of aid and both were highly authoritarian. The key here is that the US was concerned with a regime's stance as anti-communist.

As was the case in the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the US received a resolution from the UN in 2003 endorsing its coming invasion of Iraq (Module 17. Activity 32)

False - The US was unable to get a UN resolution condoning its invasion of Iraq in 2003. As we discussed, this raised questions over whether the invasion was legitimate and provides a clear example of the fundamental dilemma of politics. Is the US restrained in its foreign policy actions or does it simply do as it wished and ignore institutional and organizational constraints

According to lecture, what was the Sinatra Doctrine? (Module 11. Activity 21)

Gorbachev's belief that the Soviet satellite states in Eastern Europe should be allowed to go their own way politically and economically - Sinatra Doctrine describes Gorbachev's view that the Soviet satellite states should be able to choose their own governments, policies, and economic systems. In this way, it is reminiscent of the Sinatra song, "My Way"

Which of the following best describes the US stance on Taiwan's territorial and independence claims? (Module 18. Activity 35)

The Us has flip-flopped its support, leaning towards whichever policy position would maintain stability in the region - The discussion on Chinese-Taiwanese relations covered how the US has not uniformly supported either side. The US will often lean on way or another, depending on which policy position is most likely to maintain stability and the territorial status quo

In relation to the Truman Doctrine, what was the "Domino Theory"? (Module 11. Activity 20)

The belief that the US should not allow any country, no matter how small to go communist because it would make it more likely that its neighbors and other nearby countries would also become communist - The Domino Theory held that if one country went communist, it would inspire others around it do the same. The clearest example was Greece. The Truman administration feared that economic turmoil in Greece would lead to it becoming communist and aligning itself with the Soviet Union. This provided much of the impetus for the Marshall Plan.

According to power transition theory, why is war more likely between a state rising in power and a state declining in power than it is between two states whose power is expected to stay relatively stable? (Module 18. Activity 35)

The declining state, worries about its weakened bargaining position in the future, chooses to attack before its adversary grows too strong and must make concessions - Power transition theory predicts that war will occur because of the commitment problem. With one state declining and one state rising, the rising star cannot credibly commit to upholding in the future whatever deals or negotiations are struck now. Therefore, rather than bargaining from a less powerful position in the future, the declining state chooses to fight now

What best defines sovereignty? (Module 13. Activity 24)

The international norm that external powers will respect the territorial boundaries of another state and not interfere in domestic politics - The international norm of sovereignty is the idea that a state has authority over its territory and should not be interefered with by outside powers. As we will see later on in the semester, this norm has eroded over time as states have claimed that violation of sovereignty should be allowed for humanitarian issues such as genocide, human rights violations, and natural disasters.

According to the "War Games" clip form lecture, what is the only winning move when it comes to nuclear war? (Module 15. Activity 28)

The only winning move is not to play

According to lecture, what was the German Probwem? (Module 11. Activity 20)

The theory that a politically united Germany disrupts stability in Europe because it threatens (and is threatened by) its neighbors. - Germany is surrounded by powerful states, thus Germany feels threatened by the possibility of invasion but these states simultaneously fear aggression from Germany. German problem played a large part in the tension of the first 20 years of the Cold War.

What does it mean to be the indispensable nation? (Module 18. Activity 34)

To be the state that other states rely upon to lead the international system, especially in regards to solving crises and brokering agreements - "Indispensability" defined as something that is completely necessary. here, to be the indispensable nation means to be the country upon which all the other countries in the international system have come to rely. In the current international system, many states wait for the US to take the lead in political negotiations (i.e. a nuclear deal with Iran) or in military endeavors (ISIS)

In the video clip of Donal Trump discussing US foreign policy in the Middle East, Trump took a position similar to that of Russian President Vladimir Putin; namely that countries like Iraq, Libya, and Syria would be better off with stable authoriarian systems than the current status quo marked by violent conflict and instability. (In the News Activity 7)

True

The peace settlements that end long wars have long term implications for international politics by helping to define which political organization possess independence and sovereignty. (Module 13. Activity 24)

True - As was discussed in lecture, often times after long wars the major power determine which states should have their own sovereignty and which should not. A clear example of this is the recognition of Czechoslovakia as a sovereign state by France, Britain, and the United States after WWI.

In his article "The Wrong War," Byford argues that the US is not actually combatting terrorism as a whole but rather certain groups that happen to use terrorism as a tactic. (Module 16. Activity 31)

True - Byford points out that the US has always fought common nouns such as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. Although it claims to be combating terrorism, the US is not pursing terrorist groups that are attacking governments in Sri Lanka or India. Buford believes the US should use less grandiose wording when talking of its foreign policy goals and instead focus on eliminating group, not the tactic overall.

Proponents of hegemonic stability theory argue that the post-1945 peace between major powers has been the result of American hegemony (Module 18. Activity 35)

True - Hegemonic stability theory argues that a hegemon helps maintain both economic and political stability in the international order. Proponent point to the period after WWI, at which point American returned to isolationism, and the return to great power war in WWII as an example of what happens when there is no hegemony to lead the system

Ikenberry argues that the two chief mechanisms that the US has used to bind its own power and make its authority legitimate, are international organizations and its democratic form of government. (Module 12. Activity 22)

True - Ikenberry believes that the two main factors that the US has used to constrain its own power are is democratic system of governance and its joining into international organizations like NATO. He questions what he views as President George W. Bush's eschewing of international organizations and a propensity to overstep America's self-imposed constraints

The slow fuse scenario refers to the capture of a terrorist who possesses information about terrorist attacks but an attack is not imminent. (Module 17. Activity 33)

True - Note here the important difference between the ticking time bomb and the slow fuse scenario. In the ticking time bomb situation an attack is imminent whereas in the slow fuse, an attack is planned but it may be quite a while before it is carried out. This distinction is important for our discussion on torture because some argue that torture is ethically permissible in a ticking time bomb scenario but not in a slow fuse scenario

Hegemonic stability theory implies that global trade flows could go down as the size of the Chinese, Indian, and the combined European economies approach that of the United States. (Module 18. Activity 34)

True - One facet of hegemonic stability theory is that trade flows are increased by the presence of a hegemon. In other words, when there is one state that is considerably more powerful than the others, the global economic system has more trade than if there are a number of states that are relatively equal. Therefore, hegemonic stability theory would predict that if the Indian, Chinese, and combined European grew to approach that of the US, global trade flows would decrease

Two of the political uses for war as described in lecture re to extract concessions from an adversary and to disarm an adversary. (Module 12. Activity 23)

True - One reason a state may go to war is to extract concessions from an adversary. For example, state A may attack state B because it wants some of state B's territory. By inflicting enough damage on it, B might capitulate to A and rather than continuing in war, cede it the territory. Another reason that a state may go to war is t completely disarm an adversary and then use the opportunity to remake the adversary's political system,as was the case with the victors against Germany in WWII.

Deterring a terrorist group is more difficult that deterring a state because terrorists have no "home address," making threats of retaliation credible because of the uncertainty over where or against whom they might be directed. (Module 16. Activity31)

True - One way in which terrorists differ from states is that they are often incredible difficult to locate. They can often easily cross boarders and use difficult terrain to hide their activities. This makes deterrence very difficult because deterrence relies upon a credible threat of retaliation. If terrorists cannot be located, then threats of retaliation against them are not credible

Pope Frances makes an explicit connection between climate change and inequality arguing that climate change harms the poor disproportionately. (In the News Activity 5)

True - Pope Francis connects these two issues - climate change and inequality - in a critique of global capitalism

A papal encyclical is an official statement by the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church on an issue that he deems to be of great importance. It is intended to be present the Catholic Church's position on the issue and raise awareness. (In the News Activity 5)

True - Pope Francis' papal encyclical on climate change was just one example of how the pope uses the instrument to speak out on moral and political issues

Private information about the distribution of military power between two sides can lead to war by making leaders overestimate their military power and bargaining leverage in a dispute. (Module 14. Activity 26)

True - Private information was discussed as one of the key factors that inhibits efforts to construct a peaceful compromise. Mistakes in asserting the distribution of military power can lead one side to offer insufficient concessions. The opposing side then opts for war to obtain more of the issue in dispute than being offered.

Those who argue that nuclear deterrence is morally justified follow utilitarian logic based on consequences, claiming that nuclear deterrence has produced no human casualties through a nuclear strike (Module 15. Activity 29)

True - Proponent to the ethical nature of deterrence point to the fact that nuclear war has never occurred. Thus, the ends (nuclear pace) justify the means (threatening to kill hundred of millions of people.) This focus on consequences and an action brining about the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people comes from the utilitarian framework

Pope Francis' positions on climate change are problematic for some Republicans, especially those who are Roman Catholic themselves, such as Jeb Bush and Rick Santorum (In the News Activity 5)

True - Republicans who typically agree with the pope find themselves having to explain why they disagree with him on climate change

The termination of civil wars is often inhibited by the risks associated with disarming after a peace agreement has been struck. (Module 14. Activity 27)

True - Risks associated with disarming after civil war can be understood through the logic of the commitment problem. A major difference between interstate war and civil war is that in interstate war once a deal is brokered the losing side does not necessarily need to completely disarm. Think of Iraq after the first Gulf War. Saddam Hussein was defeated militarily by the United States but the peace deal did not require a totally demobilization of Iraqi forces. The same is not true in civil war. Because the winners and losers share a state, the losing side has to disarm to prevent further insurrection. Because the losers cannot be sure that they will not be attacked and destroyed after they're disarmed, they may instead choose to continue fighting.

During the Cold War, the US faced more opposition to its political and military intervention in the Third World than it did to its intervention in Europe. (Module 11. Activity 21)

True - The US had much greater difficulty in its containment efforts in the developing world than it did in Europe. Two main reasons for this: history of Western imperialism in these regions and the nature of the domestic threat of communism. Often, communist ideology was intertwined with civil wars and independence movements.

During the Cold War, Soviet possession of intercontinental ballistic missiles that could strike New York City challenged the viability of the US's nuclear deterrent threat to protect its allies in Western Europe against a Soviet attack. (Module 15. Activity 29)

True - The credibility of the American threat to protect Western Europe with nuclear weapons rested on one major question: would the US be willing to sacrifice a major American city like New York to protect a European city like Paris? If the Soviet Union invaded Paris, was an American president really willing to retaliate against the Soviet Union with nuclear weapons and thereby put American cities at risk of a nuclear attack? Allies in Western Europe worries that this American threat was not credible. One step that the US took to make the threat more credible was to station American troops in Western Europe to act a trip wire. If the Soviet Union invaded West Berlin, they would have to kill American soldiers, which would help to justify an American nuclear response to the American public.

The attacks on September 11, 2001 helped prompt the formation of a new national security infrastructure, most notable the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. (Module 16 Activity 30)

True - The formation of the Department of Homeland Security is one example of the new security infrastructure put into place after 9/11

An important assumption of the bargaining model of war is that war is costly. (Module 14. Activity 26)

True - The key assumption of the bargaining model of war is that war is costly, this may mean monetary, repetitional, or human costs. This assumption helps generate a puzzle that needs to be understood as part of any explanation for the outbreak of war. Because war is costly, there always is a potential bargain that would leave both sides better off with peace than war. Explanations of war should then account for the factors that prevent two sides from reaching this mutually beneficial peaceful compromise.

Delegating control over nuclear weapons to subordinates can strengthen the credibility of nuclear deterrence through something called the "threat that leave something to chance". (Module 15. Activity 29)

True - The risk of delegating and leaving something to chance signals to an adversary that a reader is so resolute and that his or her threat is so credible that he or she is willing to cede some direct responsibility to another party. The willingness to gamble and lose control over events then helps to demonstrate resolve relative to the issue at stake. The demonstration of resolve helps to make nuclear threats to achieve that goal more credible

The three tenants that make up just war theory are just initiation, just conduct of war, and justice after the war. (Module 12. Activity 23)

True - These cover going to war, the manner in which it is carried out, and the result of the war

According to lecture, the post-war settlement after WWII, unlike the settlement made after WWI, created formal security agreements between the United States and key western European countries (Module 13. Activity 24)

True - Unlike WWI, where it largely pursued a policy of isolationism, in the period following WWII the US created formal collective security agreements with states in western Europe, most notably through the Marshall Plan and the formation of NATO. Truman and other believed these security agreements, as well as the economic policies enacted through GATT and Bretton Woods would help prevent the breakdown of the international system and a return to great power war.

In the Tick Time Bomb Scenario... (Module 17. Activity 33)

a. A known terrorist is captured b. A terrorist attack is imminent c. The captured terrorist has information that could prevent an attack (d.) All of the above - Mayerfield and other attack these promises, especially the fact that the suspect is known to have knowledge, arguing that torture assumes the guilt of the suspect and that those tortures often make up information just to have the treatment stop. These critics say that the ticking time bomb scenario only truly happens in TVshows and movies

According to the strategic model of terrorism, strategies of terrorist groups include:

a. Attrition b. Provocation c. Spoiling (d.) All of the above - The strategic model of terrorism provides several rationales for terrorism as a strategy. Terrorism can be used to slowly wear down an opponent (attrition), provoke an adversary to take a certain course of action (provocation), spoil a deal between other parties, or prove a group's dedication to cause through outbidding

According to lecture, what was the justification that the Bush administration cited for invading Iraq in 2003? (Module 17. Activity 32)

a. By bringing democracy to Iraq, the Us could help democratize the entire region and thereby bring stability b. Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction c. Iraq was part of the Axis of Evil and a major enemy to the US (d.) All of the above - It is hard to establish one specific reason for which the US went to war with Iraq in 2003. All of the above are reasons that were stated at one time or another by the Bush administration. In addition, Chaney argued that terrorism as a tactic was not going to go away, and so it was better to battle terrorists on their home turn than on American soil, where more Americans would die

Which of the following was discussed as a source of the commitment problem in war? (Module 14. Activity 26)

a. Imbalances in ethnic or religious identity among groups within a society b. A shift in the balance of political power between contending groups, often prompted by some change in government c. Shifts in internal distribution or wealth among groups within a society (d.) All of the above were described as leading to the commitment problem in war - Three different factors can lead to exacerbate the commitment problem within states and lead to civil war. They are ethnic imbalances, significant differences in the distribution of income/access to economic resources, and shifts in the internal distribution of political power. Under these conditions in any of these three factors, it is very difficult for either side to credibly commit to honor indefinitely any compromise that is formed between the two sides

Which of the following was NOT described in lecture as a proxy war that occurred during the Cold War? (Module 11. Activity 21)

a. Korea b. Russian occupation of Afghanistan c. Vietnam (d.) British Involvement in the Falkland Islands

According to lecture, how did the end of the Cold War affect the incidence of civil wars? (Module 14. Activity 26)

a. Many regimes lost great power support - attributable to the larger Cold War conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. The absence of external support prompted dissent and internal challenges, some of which resulted in civil war b. The dissolution of the Soviet Union created many new states, many of which were ethically diverse. these ethnic differences often created political conflict over which ethnic group would have more influence over the government in these new states. Sometimes this political conflict ultimately led to civil war. (c.) Both answers are true - Both answers were described as contributing to the increased level of civil war after the end of the Cold War. Regimes that one relied upon great power aid and support in order to maintain stability no longer received this support. Seeing the regimes as weak, inter actors have challenged the regimes. Secondly, many of the states created in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union were very ethnically heterogenous. Various groups within these states have agitated for self-determination and independence, leading to more civil war.

According to nuclear proliferation pessimist, how do new entrants to the club of nuclear states differ from existing nuclear states (Module 15. Activity 29)

a. New members tend to be poorer and have fewer nuclear weapons b. New members may not have the organizational capacity to control their nuclear arsenal (c.) Both of the above are true - Nuclear proliferation pessimists argue that new nuclear states like Pakistan are fundamentally different from existing nuclear states like the United States in that they are poorer and do not have the same organizational capacity to manage their nukes. They argue that the smaller number of nuclear weapons and the lack of a clear command and control structure makes preemptive strikes and accidental launches more probable. They also believe that the pursuit, not necessarily procurement, of nuclear weapons may actually make war more likely. They point to Israeli strikes on Iraqi nuclear sites as an example of this.

Which of the following is an example of the moral hazard problem? (Module 14. Activity 27)

a. People who drive notoriously safe cars (like Volvos) speed and rive recklessly because they believe the vehicle will still keep them safe in a crash b. American banks make more loans to borrowers with bad credit believing that importance of the financial sector to the broader domestic economy will force the government to compensate banks (through a bailout) for significant losses from bad loans c. People in their mid 20's who have health insurance are more likely to take up dangerous hobbies like mountain biking, water rafting, or downhill skiing than those who do not (d.) All of the above - The moral hazard problem implies that insurance against losses of some catastrophic event may actually encourage risky behavior that makes that catastrophic event more likely. Because one knows that there is a proverbial safety net, individuals make riskier decisions than if the safety net were not there.

Which of the following is described in lecture as distinguishing terrorist groups from states? (Module 16. Activity 31)

a. Terrorist groups are less educated overall than citizens in states b. Terrorist groups have more intimidating names than states do. (c.) Terrorist groups typically have more limited goals than states - We outlined four main ways that terrorists tend to differ from states. 1.) Thet are typically weaker militarily than states. 2.) They tend to have more limited goals than states. 3.) They are more difficult to deter. 4.) They often utilize different tactics and strategies than states do

In his review of prevailing definitions of terrorism, which of the following is NOT described by Byford as a characteristic that is commonly used to determine whether a person or group is a terrorist (Module 16. Activity 30)

a. The group is a non-state actor b. The group intentionally targets civilians (c.) The group originates from an underdeveloped country d. The group uses suicide attack as a tactic. - Byford provides four characteristics that are often used to determine whether or not a group or person utilizes terrorism. 1.) The terrorist is a non-state actor. 2.) The tactics utilized are intended to inspire terrorism. 3.) The person or group intentionally targets civilians. 4.) Uses specific tactics such as suicide attacks. Note that Byford finds that all of these characteristics are ultimately unsatisfactory conceptualizations of what makes a terrorist. He argues that the goals, not necessarily the means, are how we most often decide who is and is not a terrorist.

According to just war theory, which of the following is NOT a factor when considering f the reasons for war are just (jus ad bellum)? (Module 12. Activity 23)

a. War is undertaken by legitimate authority b. Just cause or right intention (c.) Discrimination of targets and non-targets d. War is taken as last resort - Discrimination of targets vs. non-targets calls under jus in bello, or just conduct in war. In order for a war to pass the requirements for jus ad bellum, it must be because of a just cause, undertaken as a last resort, ordered by a legitimate authority, done with the right intention, and carried out with proportionality, meaning the goals of the war must be proportional to the means of the war.

Which of the following was NOT discussed in class as a great power war that helped to remake the structure of international politics? (Module 13. Activity 24)

a. World War I b. Word War II (c.) Korean War - The Korean War did not result in any major shifts in the international political system, unlike World War I and World War II. There was no territorial flux between the major powers, no shifts in international norms or the distribution of power amongst the major states, and no change in the regime types of the major states


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