Unit 5: Foreign Policy in the Global Village

Question-and-answer flashcards covering key concepts, terminology, historical case studies, and legal measures related to Unit 5 on foreign policy and internationalism.

Define internationalism in general terms.

Placing the concerns of the global community ahead of a country’s own national interests.

What is supranationalism?

Another term for internationalism that implies sacrificing some national sovereignty for global cooperation.

How does multilateralism differ from bilateralism?

Multilateralism involves cooperation among several nations; bilateralism involves cooperation between just two.

What is unilateralism in foreign policy?

When a state acts alone without seeking consent or cooperation from other states.

What is humanitarianism in the context of foreign policy?

Acting internationally to improve human conditions because it is the right thing to do.

Give two examples of humanitarian internationalism mentioned in the notes.

Peacekeeping and peacemaking efforts, notably Canada’s UN peacekeeping since the Suez Crisis.

Define interventionism.

A foreign policy of deliberately interfering in the affairs of another country.

What is isolationism?

A policy of non-involvement in international affairs, focusing on domestic concerns.

Explain protectionism.

Placing taxes or duties on imported goods so domestic products appear cheaper and sell better.

What does appeasement mean in foreign policy?

Avoiding war by giving in to the demands of an aggressor nation to preserve peace.

Name three reasons Britain and France chose appeasement toward Nazi Germany.

War-weariness and WWI debt, military weakness from lack of re-armament, and belief Versailles Treaty had punished Germany too harshly.

What 1938 agreement ceded the Sudetenland to Germany?

The Munich Accord.

What event showed the failure of appeasement in March 1939?

Hitler’s invasion and annexation of the remainder of Czechoslovakia.

What is neutrality, as illustrated by Switzerland in WWII?

Refusing to take sides or participate in a conflict while maintaining political and economic independence.

Why did Hitler choose not to invade Switzerland?

Switzerland’s neutrality benefitted Germany for banking, trade routes, and industrial supplies.

What concept united Swiss citizens against Nazi pressure?

“Spiritual national defence” – strong democratic will to remain independent.

Which early U.S. speech advised ‘as little political connection as possible’ with Europe?

George Washington’s 1796 Farewell Address.

What 1823 doctrine warned Europe not to interfere in the Americas?

The Monroe Doctrine.

How did the Monroe Doctrine later justify U.S. interventionism?

It framed involvement as acceptable if American interests were attacked or people needed liberation from oppression.

Name one territory gained by the U.S. after the Spanish-American War.

Puerto Rico, the Philippines, or control over Cuba’s affairs (any one).

What was the Good Neighbour Policy?

A 1930s U.S. strategy of non-military influence in Latin America to avoid resentment during global tensions.

What 1941 program supplied arms to Allies before U.S. entry into WWII?

The Lend-Lease Agreement.

Which event ended U.S. isolationism in WWII?

Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941.

During what Japanese era (1600-1850s) did isolationism prevail?

The Edo period.

What U.S. commander forced Japan to open ports in 1853-54?

Commodore Matthew Perry.

Define gunboat diplomacy.

Using or threatening military force to obtain diplomatic objectives.

What was the Meiji Restoration’s main foreign-policy effect?

Ending isolation, rapid industrialization, and building a modern military.

Why did Japan pursue colonies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries?

To secure raw materials and equal status with Western imperial powers.

State the slogan summarizing Japan’s view of imperial survival: ‘The strong ____.’

‘…eat up the weak.’

What territory did Japan seize in 1931, leading to League of Nations criticism?

Manchuria.

What was Japan’s rationale for attacking Pearl Harbor?

To neutralize the U.S. Pacific Fleet and secure Southeast Asian resources for the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

Name the Canadian law allowing suspension of civil rights during wartime.

The War Measures Act.

How many Japanese-Canadians were affected by WWII internment policies?

More than 20,000.

What 1942 U.S. executive order mandated internment of Japanese Americans?

Executive Order 9066.

What proportion of U.S. internees were American citizens?

Over two-thirds.

Name one common consequence for internees forced to sell property quickly.

Goods and homes were sold far below market value to opportunistic buyers.

What 2001 U.S. law expanded surveillance powers to fight terrorism?

The USA PATRIOT Act.

Give one controversial power granted by the PATRIOT Act.

Authority to search homes or records without traditional court orders / broadened wiretapping / detain immigrants without charge (any one).

What Canadian statute mirrors the PATRIOT Act in anti-terror powers?

The 2001 Anti-terrorism Act.

What is an ‘investigative hearing’ under Canada’s Anti-terrorism Act?

A court-ordered session compelling someone to give information about terrorist activity under judicial safeguards.

Define ‘recognizance with conditions’.

A preventive court order imposing conditions (or brief detention) on a person thought likely to commit a terrorist act.

What is a sunset clause?

A legal provision that causes a law or section to expire on a set date unless renewed.

Which two ATA provisions expired in 2007 due to the sunset clause?

Investigative hearings and recognizance with conditions.

List two safeguards built into Canada’s Anti-terrorism Act.

Charter compliance; judicial oversight; Attorney-General consent for special powers; annual parliamentary reporting (any two).

What does ‘sphere of influence’ mean?

The extent to which a nation can extend its power or influence beyond its borders.

Differentiate peacekeeping from peacemaking.

Peacekeeping physically separates warring factions after cease-fire; peacemaking seeks to prevent or end conflict through negotiation or force.

Why did Canada initially support appeasement of Hitler?

To avoid another war and prevent internal division over conscription.

What 1931 statute allowed Canada to make its own foreign policy?

The Statute of Westminster.

What term describes diplomacy backed by force, as used by Perry in Japan?

Gunboat diplomacy.

In U.S. history, what war was sparked partly by Spanish refusal to address Cuban independence?

The Spanish-American War (1898).

Name one condition imposed on Cuba by the U.S. after 1898.

U.S. right to intervene in Cuba; prohibition on treaties without U.S. approval; lease of Guantánamo Bay (any one).

What were the Neutrality Acts?

1930s U.S. laws intended to keep the U.S. out of European wars.

How did U.S. public opinion initially regard entering both World Wars?

Public sentiment was largely against intervention until direct attacks on U.S. interests occurred.

What was Canada’s main wartime security measure analogous to U.S. Executive Order 9066?

Internment under orders-in-council via the War Measures Act.

What is racial profiling as discussed post-9/11?

Targeting individuals for law-enforcement action based solely on race or ethnicity rather than evidence.

Which U.S. civil-rights organization critiqued post-9/11 preventive detention?

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Summarize the main motive of Canada’s Anti-terrorism Act.

To deter, disable, and prosecute terrorist activity while respecting rights and fulfilling UN obligations.

What is the significance of a state sacrificing sovereignty for internationalism?

It shows commitment to collective global goals, but may limit unilateral decision-making.