International Relations, Trade Policy, and Global Security – Lecture Review

A comprehensive set of Q&A flashcards covering U.S. trade policy, international relations theory, global security issues, and key historical events discussed in the lecture.

What institutional feature allows the Federal Reserve to operate outside ordinary day-to-day politics?

It is an independent agency whose decisions are insulated from normal partisan politics.

Who is the current chairman of the Federal Reserve?

Jerome Powell.

What is protectionism in trade policy?

The practice of protecting domestic industries by imposing high tariffs or other barriers on imported goods.

During what historical period did the United States most strongly follow protectionist policies?

Prior to World War II.

What was the Smoot-Hawley Act?

A 1930 U.S. law that sharply raised tariffs and exemplified pre-WWII protectionism.

Who is the United States' largest trading partner?

Mexico.

What does the concept of comparative advantage state?

If each nation specializes in the goods it can produce most efficiently and trades for others, all participants gain.

Within the United States, who benefits most from the growth of international trade?

Exporters, consumers, and skilled workers.

Which group is generally disadvantaged by expanded international trade in the United States?

Unskilled workers.

How can U.S. trade policy as a whole be characterized?

As a strategic mix of free-trade principles and selective protectionist measures.

What are the three prongs of the U.S. trade strategy?

Global tariff reduction through the WTO, regional integration through agreements like NAFTA/CAFTA-DR, and bilateral trade agreements.

Name one benefit of greater international trade for the United States.

Higher national income as trade deals expand markets. (Other acceptable answers: foreign investment returns, consumer choice, etc.)

Name one disadvantage of greater international trade for the United States.

Job losses in certain sectors. (Other acceptable answers: forcing other states' hands, race to the bottom, etc.)

What is the World Trade Organization (WTO)?

A global body that includes most nations and works to reduce tariffs and regulate trade in goods and services.

What is NAFTA, now called USMCA?

A trade agreement among the United States, Mexico, and Canada that reduces tariffs, eliminates many trade barriers, and promotes investment.

Is the United States a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)?

No.

What is meant by a race-to-the-bottom in international economics?

The movement of capital and technology from countries with high wages, taxes, and regulation to those with lower levels.

Why might someone defend the existence of sweatshops in developing countries?

They argue workers voluntarily choose them because alternatives are even more dangerous or lower paying.

Between which two nations does the world’s largest trade imbalance exist?

The United States and China.

Which three countries lead the world in total dollar value of imports and exports?

China, the United States, and Germany.

What is Thomas Friedman’s Golden Straitjacket theory?

Globalization forces governments to adopt liberal economic and political reforms to attract foreign direct investment.

List one reason some analysts believe China’s rapid growth may not continue unabated.

Resource constraints, environmental problems, political issues, pandemic vulnerability, or underlying economic weaknesses.

Which U.S. trade policies aided China’s economic rise?

China’s admission to the WTO and Congressional approval of Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR).

Which domestic groups in the United States strongly supported these pro-China trade policies?

Business groups.

In the study of global politics, what is the difference between IR (practice) and the theoretical study of International Relations?

IR refers to actual relationships among states, while the theoretical study seeks to explain and predict those relationships.

In International Relations theory, what does anarchy mean?

The absence of a central authority above states that can protect them from one another.

According to realists, what is a nation-state’s foremost goal?

Survival.

Why do realists see conflict as inevitable in the international system?

Because states pursue their own interests in an anarchic system with no overarching authority.

In realist terms, how is power generally defined?

As the interests of a state and its ability to secure those interests.

What are the two components of state power identified by realists?

Actual (tangible) power and latent (potential/future) power.

What is a bipolar international system?

A system dominated by two roughly equal great powers.

What characterizes an unbalanced multipolar system?

Several powers of unequal strength that generate fear and uncertainty.

Which international system do realists consider the most stable?

Bipolar systems.

Which international system is considered most prone to conflict?

Unbalanced multipolar systems.

What was the Cold War?

A protracted economic, political, and ideological struggle from roughly 1945 to 1990 between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Which broad groupings of states were the major actors in the Cold War?

Western Europe led by the United States versus Eastern Europe led by the Soviet Union.

What does MAD stand for in nuclear strategy?

Mutually Assured Destruction.

Define hegemony in International Relations.

A condition in which one state is so powerful that it dominates all others in the system.

Why is achieving global hegemony considered difficult?

A hegemon cannot project sufficient power worldwide without provoking counter-balancing coalitions.

What is regional hegemony?

When one state exercises predominant influence over its neighboring countries.

What is the only modern example of regional hegemony?

The United States in the Western Hemisphere.

Who was Immanuel Kant in the context of International Relations thought?

An influential Enlightenment philosopher whose ideas underpin liberal theories of perpetual peace.

What are Kant’s three definitive articles for perpetual peace?

Republican government, a federation of free states, and universal hospitality.

Which U.S. president drew heavily on Kantian ideas when proposing the League of Nations?

Woodrow Wilson.

According to liberal theory, why are democracies expected to be more peaceful?

Shared democratic norms, economic interdependence, and participation in international institutions reduce incentives for conflict.

What is an international institution?

A body in which three or more states regularly meet to discuss and manage ongoing issues.

Give two examples of international institutions.

The United Nations, NATO, or the Organization of American States (OAS).

Name one way international institutions help states cooperate.

By extending time horizons and encouraging tit-for-tat reciprocity.

Name one way institutions mitigate the effects of anarchy.

They provide security, aid, or establish rules and monitoring that reduce uncertainty.

How did the lecture characterize current U.S. relations with China?

As strategic competition.

From a foreign-policy perspective, has the United States taken a realist approach toward China?

No.

Has the United States largely taken a liberal approach toward China?

Yes.

Did this approach begin to change under President Trump?

Yes.

What obligation is contained in Article II of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)?

Non-nuclear states pledge not to acquire nuclear weapons.

What does Article IV of the NPT guarantee?

The right to peaceful use of nuclear energy.

What does Article X of the NPT allow?

A member state may withdraw from the treaty.

Which international agency monitors compliance with the NPT?

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

List the five states that possessed nuclear weapons before the NPT entered into force.

The United States, Russia (USSR), the United Kingdom, France, and China.

Name the nuclear-armed states that never signed the NPT.

India, Pakistan, and Israel.

Which agreements has North Korea violated in developing its nuclear program?

The NPT, IAEA safeguards, and Six-Party Talks agreements.

Who is the current leader of North Korea?

Kim Jong Un.

What activity leads some to suspect Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons?

Uranium enrichment beyond civilian levels.

How has Iran responded to accusations it seeks nuclear weapons?

It denies the allegations and claims its nuclear program is purely peaceful.

Who is the current Supreme Leader (referred to as President in the notes) of Iran?

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Which group classified by many, including the U.S., as a terrorist organization recently attacked Israel?

Hamas.

What is AIPAC?

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a powerful pro-Israel lobbying group in the United States.

How would you describe the diplomatic relationship between the United States and Israel?

Strong in diplomatic, military, and economic terms.

Why could a conflict between Israel and Iran be particularly dangerous for the United States?

It might draw the U.S. into another Middle East war, jeopardize troops, hurt the economy, and raise terrorism or cyber-attack risks.

What was the Holodomor?

A man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine in 1932-33 that killed millions of Ukrainians.

Briefly describe how Vladimir Putin rose to power in Russia.

Through political appointments, cultivation of a strong public image, and strategic use of national crises.

What was the Pereyaslav Agreement of 1654?

An accord placing Ukraine under Russia’s protection in return for military support against Poland.

Why is the Ukrainian population often described as split?

Because of differences in language, culture, political views, and attitudes toward Russia versus the West, with Western Ukraine differing from Eastern and Southern regions.

What did Ukraine receive under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum?

Security assurances from major powers in exchange for giving up its nuclear weapons.

Why was NATO’s 2008 Bucharest Summit declaration significant for Ukraine?

It stated that Ukraine and Georgia would eventually join NATO.

Which country did Russia invade in 2008?

Georgia.

Waht did Russia Do In respone too the 2014 Ukrainian Cop

Ukraine’s pro Russia leader fled Russia sent troops to Cerine and took it over

According to class discussion, what is the most probable reason for Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine?

expand NATO