international affairs exam 2

war

An event involving the organized use of military force by at least two parties that reaches a minimum threshold of severity.

interstate war

A war in which the main participants are states.

civil war

A war in which the main participants are within the same state, such as the government and a rebel group

security dilemma

A dilemma that arises when efforts that states make to defend themselves cause other states to feel less secure; can lead to arms races and war because of the fear of being attacked.

crisis bargaining

A bargaining interaction in which at least one actor threatens to use force in the event that its demands are not met.

coercive diplomacy

The use of threats to advance specific demands in a bargaining interaction

bargaining range

The set of deals that both parties in a bargaining interaction prefer over the reversion outcome. When the reversion outcome is war, the bargaining range is the set of deals that both sides prefer over war.

compellence

An effort to change the status quo through the threat of force

deterrence

An effort to preserve the status quo through the threat of force.

incomplete information

A situation in which actors in a strategic interaction lack information about other actors’ interests and/or capabilities.

resolve

The willingness of an actor to endure costs in order to acquire a particular good.

risk-return trade-off

In crisis bargaining, the trade-off between trying to get a better deal and trying to avoid a war.

credibility

Believability. A credible threat is a threat that the target believes will be carried out. A credible commitment is a commitment or promise that the recipient believes will be honored.

brinkmanship

A strategy in which adversaries take actions that increase the risk of accidental war, with the hope that the other will “blink” (lose its nerve) first and make concessions.

audience costs

Negative repercussions for failing to follow through on a threat or to honor a commitment.

preventive war

A war fought with the intention of preventing an adversary from becoming stronger in the future. Preventive wars arise because a state whose power is increasing cannot commit not to exploit that power in future bargaining interactions.

first-strike advantage

The situation that arises when military technology, military strategies, and/or geography give a significant advantage to whichever state attacks first in a war.

preemptive war

A war fought with the anticipation that an attack by the other side is imminent.

indivisible good

A good that cannot be divided without destroying its value.

nationalism

A political ideology that prioritizes attachment to one’s nation, where nations are groups defined by common origin, ethnicity, language, or cultural ties.

bureaucracy

The collection of organizations—including the military, diplomatic corps, and intelligence agencies—that carry out most tasks of governance within a state.

interest groups

Groups of individuals with common interests that organize to influence public policy in a manner that benefits their members.

rally effect

People’s tendency to become more supportive of their country’s government in times of dramatic international events, such as crises or wars.

diversionary incentive

The temptation that state leaders have to start international crises in order to rally public support at home.

military-industrial complex

An alliance between military leaders and the industries that benefit from international conflict, such as arms manufacturers.

democratic peace

The observation that there are few, if any, clear cases of war between mature democratic states.

democracy

A political system in which candidates compete for political office through frequent, fair elections in which a sizable portion of the adult population can vote.

autocracy

A political system in which an individual or small group exercises power with few constraints and no meaningful competition or participation by the general public.

accountability

The ability to punish or reward leaders for the decisions they make, as when frequent, fair elections enable voters to hold elected officials responsible for their actions by granting or withholding access to political office.

alliances

Institutions that help their members cooperate militarily in the event of a war.

balance of power

A situation in which the military capabilities of two states or groups of states are roughly equal.

bandwagoning

A strategy in which states join forces with the stronger side in a conflict.

entrapment

The condition of being dragged into an unwanted war because of the opportunistic actions of an ally.

NATO

An alliance formed in 1949 among the United States, Canada, and most of the states of Western Europe in response to the threat posed by the Soviet Union. The alliance requires its members to consider an attack on any one of them as an attack on all.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance formed in 1955 to bring together the Soviet Union and its Cold War allies in Eastern Europe and elsewhere; dissolved on March 31, 1991, as the Cold War ended.

league of nations

A collective security organization founded in 1919 after World War I. The League ended in 1946 and was replaced by the United Nations.

UN

A collective security organization founded in 1945 after World War II. With over 190 members, the UN includes all recognized states.

collective security organizations

Broad-based institutions that promote peace and security among their members. Examples include the League of Nations and the United Nations.

genocide

Intentional and systematic killing aimed at eliminating an identifiable group of people, such as an ethnic or religious group.

humanitarian interventions

Interventions designed to relieve humanitarian crises stemming from civil conflicts or large-scale human rights abuses, including genocide.

P5

the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: the United States, Great Britain, France, Russia (formerly the Soviet Union), and China.

veto power

The ability to prevent the passage of a measure through a unilateral act, such as a single negative vote.

peace-enforcement operation

A military operation in which force is used to make and/or enforce peace among warring parties that have not agreed to end their fighting.

peacekeeping operation

An operation in which troops and observers are deployed to monitor a cease-fire or peace agreement.

united nations security council

The main governing body of the UN, which has the authority to identify threats to international peace and security and to prescribe the organization’s response, including military and/or economic sanctions.

civil war

A war in which the main participants are within the same state, such as the government and a rebel group.

terrorism

The use or threatened use of violence against noncombatant targets by individuals or nonstate groups for political ends.

asymmetrical warfare

Armed conflict between actors with highly unequal military capabilities, such as when rebel groups or terrorists fight strong states.

separatist

An actor that seeks to create an independent state on territory carved from an existing state.

irredentist

An actor that seeks to detach a region from one country and attach it to another, usually because of shared ethnic or religious ties.

proxy wars

Conflicts in which two opposing states “fight” by supporting opposite sides in a war, such as the government and rebels in a third state.

insurgency

A military strategy in which small, often lightly armed units engage in hit-and-run attacks against military, government, and civilian targets.

extremists

Actors whose interests are not widely shared by others; individuals or groups that are politically weak relative to the demands they make.

coercion

A strategy of imposing or threatening to impose costs on other actors in order to induce a change in their behavior.

provocation

A strategy of terrorist attacks intended to provoke the target government into making a disproportionate response that alienates moderates in the terrorists’ home society or in other sympathetic audiences.

spoiling

A strategy of terrorist attacks intended to sabotage a prospective peace between the target and moderate leadership from the terrorists’ home society.

outbidding

A strategy of terrorist attacks designed to demonstrate superior capability and commitment relative to other groups devoted to the same cause.

Territory

The most common issue that states fight over is

Option A Territory

Option B Economics

Option C Religion

Option D Power

Maintaining the status quo

Deterrence is fundamentally about

Option A Maintaining the status quo

Option B Changing the status quo

Option C Initiating a preventive war

Option D Proliferation of nuclear weapons

Bipolar system.

the Cold War never turned into a hot war and scholars attribute this fact to the nature of the system during the Cold War. Which system structure was present from 1945-1991?

Option A Bipolar system.

Option B Multipolar system.

Option C Unipolar system.

Option D Hegemonic system.

War happens when two states are unequal in power.

the balance of power theory of war says:

Option A War happens when two states are unequal in power.

Option B War can happen under any distribution of power.

Option C IGOs are important actors for achieving a satisfactory international balance of power.

Option D Power is irrelevant for understanding war and peace.

The inability to divide a good without destroying its value.

To what does the term "issue indivisibility" refer?

Option A The inability to divide a good without destroying its value.

Option B The belief that one side does not need to give concessions on an issue.

Option C The idea that some issues are nonnegotiable.

Option D The idea that dividing a good makes both sides worse off.

war happens when two states are unequal in power

The balance of power theory of war says:

Option A War happens when two states are unequal in power.

Option B War can happen under any distribution of power.

Option C IGOs are important actors for achieving a satisfactory international balance of power.

Option D Power is irrelevant for understanding war and peace.

increasing the costs of war.

Once the Soviet Union and United States acquired large supplies of nuclear weapons, the chances of direct military conflict between the two decreased. This is an example of which strategy states can use to reduce the likelihood of war occurring?

Option A Increasing the costs of war.

Option B Increased uncertainty about preferences.

Option C Increasing the number of actors in a conflict.

Option D Dividing apparently indivisible goods.

The possible outcomes that are acceptable to both sides without going to war or having a dispute.

Which of the following defines the bargaining range?

Option A The possible outcomes that are acceptable to both sides without going to war or having a dispute.

Option B The types of demands that a state makes in a crisis.

Option C The amount of territory that a state claims in a dispute with its rival.

Option D The number of actors involved in a dispute.

Tying hands

Sometimes leaders send credible signals by saying things that makes it harder for them to back down from a fight. This strategy is known as

Option A Tying hands

Option B Brinksmanship Option

C Interdependence

Option D Commitment problems

A stronger state cannot be expected to abide by an agreement it made in the past when it was weaker.

Which of the following describes a commitment problem?

Option A A stronger state cannot be expected to abide by an agreement it made in the past when it was weaker.

Option B A state is unsure of its adversary's intentions.

Option C A state refuses to sign a cease-fire to end a war.

Option D A state is unsure of its rival's willingness to go to war over a specific good.

All of the above

The decline in the number of interstate wars can be attributed to which of the following factors?

Option A The decline in interest to fight over territory

Option B Democratic and international institutions

Option C Rising costs of war

Option D All of the above

All of the above

Which of the following are key domestic actors in foreign policy? Option A Bureaucracy

Option B Leaders Option

C Interest groups Option

D All of the above

Leaders in democracies are more easily punished if they engage in unpopular policies.

One of the big reasons that we think autocrats and democrats are different in terms of foreign policy behavior is because

Option A Leaders in democracies are more easily punished if they engage in unpopular policies.

Option B Autocratic institutions are responsive to public feedback on policies.

Option C Democratic institutions create incentives for leaders to engage in unilateralism.

Option D There is no difference in foreign policy behavior between democrats and autocrats.

The Military-Industrial complex

One of the most influential interest groups when it comes to issues of using military force is

Option A The Military-Industrial complex

Option B AAA Option

C NATO Option

D Senate Armed Forces Committee

Rally round the flag effect.

Diversionary war theory relies on the infusion of patriotism in a country's citizens. This increase in support for a state's political leader in the face of a conflict is known as

Option A Rally round the flag effect.

Option B Wag the dog effect.

Option C In-group/out-group effect.

Option D Gambling for resurrection effect.

Their activities create more opportunities for conflict by shrinking the bargaining range.

Which of the following statements about hawkish narrow-interest groups is true?

Option A Their activities create more opportunities for conflict by shrinking the bargaining range.

Option B Their interests almost never conflict with the national interest.

Option C They are less likely to achieve their policy goals than the general public is.

Option D They are often extremist because their issue positions are so narrowly defined.

information problems.

Which bargaining problem can the transparency of democratic institutions help alleviate?

Option A Information problems.

Option B Unitary actor assumption.

Option C Issue indivisibility.

Option D Small bargaining range.

All of the above.

Organized interests often succeed in getting their preferred policies enacted because

Option A They tend to be better funded than any one representative of the general public.

Option B Special interests are highly organized.

Option C Special interests often have expertise in issues of foreign policy.

Option D All of the above.

Countries with democratic governments are unlikely to fight other countries that also have democratic governments.

What is the democratic peace?

Option A Countries with democratic governments are unlikely to fight other countries that also have democratic governments.

Option B Democratic states are less likely to experience civil conflicts.

Option C Autocratic countries don't go to war against democracies.

Option D Democratic countries are usually hegemonic.

Democracies were more peaceful overall than other types of states.

The Monadic version of the democratic peace argued that

Option A Democracies were more peaceful overall than other types of states.

Option B Autocracies were more peaceful overall than other states.

Option C Democracies are more peaceful only when they interact with other democracies.

Option D Regime type has no effect whatsoever on whether states use force or not.

A temptation to start an international crisis to create greater public support at home.

What is a diversionary incentive?

Option A A temptation to start an international crisis to create greater public support at home.

Option B An attempt to avoid war by creating a distraction.

Option C An opportunity to change international agreements with other states when they are preoccupied with a conflict.

Option D A temptation to switch trading partners to get a better deal.

About 60-70% of the time.

Allies live up to their commitments

Option A About 60-70% of the time.

Option B In every case.

Option C 5% of the time.

Option D About as often as collective seurity is successful.

Both A and C.

Collective Security has been central to the security efforts of which international organization?

Option A The League of Nations Option

B The Concert of Europe.

Option C The United Nations.

Option D Both A and C.

Being dragged into a conflict they didn't necessarily want to fight.

States make alliance commitments that are less than 100% solid because the state fears

Option A Being dragged into a conflict they didn't necessarily want to fight.

Option B Having their reputation challenged in the international arena.

Option C Having to go in front of the Security Council if alliance is not lived up to.

Option D Paying the costs of negotiating a new alliance if the current one fails.

Join your ally in attacking another state.

When states sign an offensive alliance they promise to

Option A Join your ally in attacking another state.

Option B Providing advice to your ally about how best to fight an opponent.

Option C Vote in their favor on Security Council resolutions regarding a conflict.

Option D Provide money to help offset the costs of a conflict the ally is engaged in.

All of the above.

Alliances establish credibility by

Option A Increasing the costs of not living up to your alliance commitment.

Option B Resolving conflict between allies and deepening ties between them.

Option C improving countries' ability to fight effectively together. Option D All of the above.

All of the above.

Collective Security involves which of the following elements of international relations?

Option A Compellence.

Option B Defense.

Option C Deterrence.

Option D All of the above.

Peacekeeping.

When the UN Security Council uses troops to monitor a cease fire it is called what type of operation?

Option A Peacekeeping.

Option B Peace-enforcement.

Option C Collective Security.

Option D Bandwagoning.

The Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente.

The two alliances that drove international relations prior to World War I are

Option A NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

Option B The Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente.

Option C The Kellogg-Briand Pact and the Treaty of Tlatelolco.

Option D The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the Treaty of Versailles.

Bandwagoning

Question 9 When a state joins the stronger side in a conflict it is called

Option A Bandwagoning.

Option B Balance of power. Option

C Alliance politics.

Option D Power preponderance.

Balance of power.

One way that interests manifest in alliance formation is that states seek to form a

Option A Balance of power.

Option B Collective security organization.

Option C Free trade agreement that includes security obligations.

Option D Peacekeeping operation.

A separatist group.

A rebel group that wants to create its own independent state is called

Option A A separatist group.

Option B An irredentist group. Option

C A rebel group.

Option D A self-determinist group.

Terrorist organizations have many incentives to misrepresent their commitment and power.

Terrorism is often characterized by information problems because

Option A Terrorist organizations have many incentives to misrepresent their commitment and power.

Option B States often have good intelligence so they have clear ideas about how powerful terrorist organizations are.

Option C Terrorist organizations are too weak to prevent states from gathering comprehensive information about them.

Option D The free press refuses to cover terrorist activities for fear of giving them too much publicity.

Asymmetric conflicts.

Terrorism and civil wars both represent conflict situations where one side is much weaker than the other. These situation are known as

Option A Asymmetric conflicts.

Option B Interstate wars.

Option C Military interventions.

Option D Self-determination wars.

Greed and grievance.

the two most common factors that we use to understand when civil wars happen are

Option A Greed and grievance.

Option B Territory and economy.

Option C Political opportunity costs and transaction costs.

Option D None of the above.

Spoiling

The terrorist strategy that works by sabotaging a potential peace between actors is called

Option A Spoiling.

Option B Outbidding.

Option C Fomenting.

Option D Collaborating.

All of the above

A group level explanation for how rebel groups form is

Option A Ethnic or religious groups have greater trust so are less willing to free ride.

Option B Rebel groups with greater resources can provide material incentives to overcome free riding.

Option C Forcible recruitment of fighters.

Option D All of the above.

Defensive measures

The creation of the Department of Homeland Security and altering security at airports are examples of which type of strategy for dealing with terrorism?

Option A Defensive measures.

Option B Retaliatory measures.

Option C Military measures.

Option D Strategic measures.

Insurgency

The strategy that involves lightly armed units using hit-and-run strategies against governments and civilians is known as

Option A Insurgency.

Option B Siege.

Option C Attrition.

Option D Shock and awe.

Terrorists have no clearly identified territory against which the targets of terrorism can respond.

Deterrence doesn't work against terrorists in part because

Option A Terrorists have no clearly identified territory against which the targets of terrorism can respond.

Option B States without nuclear weapons have trouble deterring terrorists.

Option C Terrorist organizations use their wealth to pay off those who would want to punish them.

Option D The UN prefers that states use compellent strategies in these cases.

Whether a country is democratic or autocratic.

One country level factor that affects the occurrence of civil war is

Option A Whether a country is democratic or autocratic.

Option B The number of veto players in a country's political system.

Option C Whether a country has a parliamentary or presidential democracy.

Option D How long the leader of the country has been in power.