POL 250 Final Exam

What is an externality?

A cost or benefit for stakeholders other than the actor undertaking an action.

What is the International Criminal Court (ICC)?

A court established to try individuals accused of committing serious human rights abuses.

Which set of domestic conditions would make the imposition of sanctions by a state favorable?

A domestic interest group strongly supports the imposition of sanctions on a particular state.

In which of the following cases are states most likely to impose sanctions on violators of human rights laws?

A government arrests and tortures leaders of the opposition party.

Which of the following is most likely to violate the human rights of its citizens?

A multiparty dictatorship.

Which of the following is an example of transitional justice?

A new government setting up a truth and reconciliation committee to illuminate harms done under the previous regime.

What is the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty?

A treaty that allows countries that already have nuclear weapons to keep them indefinitely.

Why are institutions valuable for actors that interact frequently?

Actors can avoid renegotiating rules by having permanent procedures.

Why would domestic labor groups promote international human rights standards?

Adopting such rights would level the economic and political playing fields for workers.

What is a framework convention?

Agreements that establish general principles to which all states can agree.

Why did the requirement that tankers purchase new discharge equipment reduce oil pollution?

Although the new equipment was more expensive than the previous measures, verification of compliance was easier than before.

Which of the following is an example of a prisoner of conscience?

An individual imprisoned for his or her nonviolent political beliefs.

Why are innovations in military technology important for international relations?

Because innovations in military technology can change the distribution of power.

Which of the following statements regarding the Kyoto Protocol to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) is FALSE?

Because of the protocol, global carbon dioxide levels have fallen substantially below 1990 levels.

Which of the following greenhouse gasses is primarily responsible for our current concerns about global warming?

Carbon dioxide.

Which of the following is an example of free riding with regard to environmental issues?

China does not reduce carbon emissions to reduce global warming but expects developed countries to reduce their emissions.

Given the effect of the future on bargaining, in which case is an agreement most likely?

Cooperation to reduce pollution in the Danube River, which is used for drinking water and agriculture in several European countries.

Why is universal jurisdiction controversial?

Countries fear it will be used to create politically motivated "show trials" by other countries.

Why do some countries abstain from acquiring nuclear weapons?

Countries have found other ways to ensure their security as an alternative to obtaining nuclear weapons.

Why have democracies been less likely to sign international human rights agreements?

Democracies have not thought it necessary to sign agreements, because they already protect their citizens' rights.

Which country or area is the greatest source of new pollutants?

Developing countries.

Why is it costly for states to enforce human rights laws?

Economic sanctions on states that violate human rights also reduce the incomes of exporters in the sanctioning state.

What is NOT a strategy to contain China's rise?

Encourage investment into China to grow the capitalist sectors of its economy.

Which of the following is an example of economic globalization?

Exports of U.S. food and agricultural products to Mexico doubled during the 1990s.

How does China's economic development affect its pollution levels?

In the next twenty-five years China will emit more greenhouse gases than all developed countries combined.

Why is preservation of the environment sometimes like a Prisoner's Dilemma?

Individuals have a shared interest in cooperating, but would rather "defect" since their own efforts would have little effect on overall pollution levels.

Which of the following is the best example of how a transnational advocacy network (TAN) can enforce human rights standards?

International nongovernmental organizations caused the United States government to cut aid to Argentina by issuing reports on human rights abuses during the Dirty War.

Which of following best explains Iran's quest to obtain nuclear weapons?

Iran wants to protect itself against the United States.

If two states possess nuclear weapons and credibly commit to using them in a war, what effect does this have on bargaining between the two parties?

It expands the range of acceptable bargains for both parties and should make war less likely.

In terms of acquisition of nuclear weapons, which is true?

It is easier to acquire nuclear weapons or the information to build them now than at any other time in history.

Why has the UDHR been criticized?

It is seen as biased toward a Western conception of rights.

Which of the following would be an example of Amnesty International's core mission?

Launching a campaign to free a Cuban citizen imprisoned for criticizing the government.

Why does the United States object to the ICC?

Leaders in the United States thinks that the judges and prosecutors have too much independence.

How has the participation of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) become institutionalized in the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC)?

NGOs can attend meetings unless at least one-third of the member states present object to their presence.

A warmer climate on Earth, due mostly to humans burning coal and oil, will have all of the following consequences EXCEPT:

North American tectonic plates will shift.

Why is the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty a compromise between nuclear and non-nuclear weapons states?

Nuclear powers keep their nuclear weapons while other states get assistance in developing nuclear energy.

What type of weapon of mass destruction is the most prolific?

Nuclear weapons.

Why might nuclear proliferation cause peace?

Possessing nuclear weapons increases the cost of war compared to what countries would gain by going to war.

What was the basis for many of the rights in the UDHR?

President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal.

What is an important role that TANs have in stopping human rights abuses?

Providing information that sparks public outrage about a certain country's secret human rights abuses.

What are human rights?

Rights that all individuals have, regardless of which country they live in.

What are nonderogable rights?

Rights that cannot be suspended for any reason.

In which of these regions have human rights abuses declined the most in the past twenty-five years?

South America.

What is universal jurisdiction?

States exercise jurisdiction over serious human rights offenses wherever they may be committed and regardless of whether the victim is one of its citizens.

Why do states have an interest in guaranteeing human rights in other countries?

States have an interest in supporting rights that they already respect domestically, thereby making sure other states pay the same costs they already do.

Why might human rights treaties be associated with worse human rights practice?

States sign human rights treaties to mask the fact that they actually commit human rights abuses.

What is the biggest concern about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)?

Terrorist groups will obtain WMD.

What is the International Bill of Rights?

The UDHR, the ICCPR, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

In which of the following ways has the United States NOT responded to China?

The United States has created an East Asian version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Which country has offensively used nuclear weapons?

The United States.

Which of the following would be an example of using a human rights agreement to "lock-in" new institutions?

The new democratic government of Brazil ratifying the UDHR with the hope that the next government will also comply with its provisions.

Which of the following statements about the ozone layer is FALSE?

The ozone layer continues to thin, with no improvement in sight.

What was apartheid?

The policy of the South African government to segregate races and perpetuate inequality.

Which of the following is not an example of a negative externality?

The production of toys by an international corporation produces some waste products that the company pays to have disposed of properly.

Why is the effort to promote humans rights uneven?

There is disagreement about what constitutes a human right.

How are future generations represented in the political bargaining over environmental policies?

There is no mechanism for representing the interests of future generations in today's bargaining.

Which of the following is NOT a reason that we avoid changing our personal behaviors to preserve our environment?

We know that eventually there will be a Pareto optimal or superior outcome.

Why are there ethical concerns about pressuring poor countries to industrialize in an environmentally friendly way?

Wealthy countries already caused the pollution problem while industrializing and are now asking poor countries to pay a higher cost to industrialize without polluting.

The majority of rights enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) are based in what traditions?

Western philosophical thought.

Which of the following is an example of the situation when states are most likely to take action on promoting human rights?

When TANs publish reports of the torture and murder of political opponents in North Korea.

When is a country most likely to acquire nuclear weapons?

When its neighbor tests a nuclear weapon.

When are states most likely to take action on human rights?

When states can reconcile the principle of sovereignty with intervention in the name of human rights.

The relationship between development (as measured in per capita income) and environmental protection suggests that the relationship is:

a mostly positive relationship that rebounds slightly downward towards higher values.

A key marker of progress for interconnectivity in the present that was lacking in the nineteenth century is:

an extensive communication network.

Limiting environmental control (heating and cooling) of personal houses in order to limit environmental consequences is an example of a:

collective action problem.

Environmental groups have opposed globalization for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

environmental groups oppose development in poor countries.

International institutions can do all of the following EXCEPT:

force states to comply with rules.

States violate international human rights law for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

governments do not understand the implications of their human rights agreements.

International environmental institutions can affect cooperation on environmental issues in all of the following ways EXCEPT:

international institutions force states to fulfill their treaty obligations.

The case of ozone depletion indicates that:

progress is sometimes possible, despite the presence of special interests.

Given the relative lack of international environmental cooperation, together with the existence of hundreds of transnational environmental advocacy networks and the success of Al Gore's documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, one could best conclude that:

recognizing the magnitude of the environmental problems we face is not enough to produce effective solutions.

States care about human rights in countries other than their own for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

states can enforce human rights laws and are prone to intervene in other countries.

All of the following are within the jurisdiction of the ICC EXCEPT:

the accused has already been tried and found innocent by the courts of his own country.

All of the following occurred during the Dirty War in Argentina EXCEPT:

the military sent political opponents to work camps in rural areas.

Countries sign human rights agreements for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

transnational advocacy networks can force countries to sign human rights agreements.

Which of the following is NOT a reason that states want to acquire nuclear weapons?

Faster economic development.

Why is it cheaper and easier to prevent environmental damage in developing countries?

Firms in developed countries have already adopted cleaner technologies, but many firms in developing countries are still using older, more polluting technologies.

Why were the European Emissions Trading Scheme credits given to existing companies, rather than auctioned off?

Firms successfully lobbied to have the credits given out for free so that they would not have to pay for them.

In addition to the UDHR, the first international treaty to protect human rights covered which human right?

Freedom from genocide.

Which of the following is an example of a nonderogable right?

Freedom from torture.

What is the relationship between globalization and income inequality?

Globalization causes a slight increase in income inequality within developing countries.

Which of the following is an example of a transnational advocacy network acting as a "fire alarm"?

Greenpeace monitoring Japan's whaling vessels and notifying the International Whaling Commission of any whaling violations that they witness.

What has been the trend in human rights practices in recent decades?

Human rights abuses have not changed much.

Why would it be important to frame a human rights issue in an African country as an anticolonial struggle in order to gain widespread support?

The colonial experience of the country's neighbors makes them especially sensitive to violations of their sovereignty.

What is an accurate portrayal of the history of environmental conventions against oil dumping by oil tankers?

The international community was only successful after several attempts by international law to find the right mechanism to discourage oil tanker operators from dumping oil into the ocean.

Why have WMD become easier to acquire?

The knowledge of how to make the weapons has become easier to obtain.

Which of the following scenarios would threaten the success of mutual nuclear deterrence?

The leader of Pakistan becomes suicidal.

Which of the following is the most important requirement for mutual nuclear deterrence between two countries to work successfully?

The leaders of both countries care about the survival of themselves and their countries.