Untitled Flashcards Set

1. What are the root conflicts of interest in civil wars, and how can they be described? 2. What are the arguments for and against groups having states of their own? 3. What are the three main factors that help explain the rise of violent opposition groups? Summarize each explanation. 4. Why might foreign governments choose to support or host rebel groups? 5. How do the features of the bargaining problem explain the occurrence of civil wars? 6. Why do rebel groups prefer insurgency tactics over conventional warfare? 7. What is COIN (Counterinsurgency), and how is it relevant to civil wars? 8. In what ways could promoting democracy help or harm efforts to reduce civil wars? 9. Why are terrorists often perceived as irrational actors? 10.What weaknesses do terrorist groups face, and what problems do these weaknesses create? 11.How can terrorism be analyzed through the lens of the bargaining problem? 12.What strategies of violence do terrorist groups use to advance their interests? 13.What challenges arise when attempting to deter terrorist groups? 14.What difficulties do rebel groups and terrorist organizations pose to states?1. What is the difference between a bilateral and a multilateral alliance? 2. How do security dynamics differ between bilateral and multilateral alliances? In which type of alliance are collective action problems and free-riding more likely, and why? 3. What is the difference between asymmetrical and symmetrical alliances? 4. If you are a weak state, should you join a symmetrical or asymmetrical alliance? Why? 5. What is the difference between an offensive and a defensive alliance? 6. Which type of alliance—offensive or defensive—is more common in the modern era? 7. What motivates states to form alliances? 8. Why are alliances costly for states? 9. Under what conditions do alliances work most effectively? 10.How can alliances serve as signals to the international community? 11.What role do alliances play in maintaining the balance of power? 12.Is the balance of power the only reason why alliances exist? 13. What is collective security organization? 14.What is the difference between CSO and alliance? 15.How does collective security work? 16. What is the basic logic of collective security? 17.How do CSOs make war costlier? 18. Why do CSOs experience collective action and joint decision problems? 19.What is the role of veto power in resolving collective action problem? 20.Why can veto power be controversial?1. Explain the bargaining process involved in the decision to go to war. 2. What mistakes can occur when states have poor or incomplete information about each other’s willingness to go to war? 3. Why is it difficult for states to establish credibility in international relations? 4. What types of commitment problems can prevent states from reaching peaceful settlements? 5. What factors could explain the decline in wars over time? 6. Which factors determine whether disputes can be resolved without resorting to war? 7. What are the four primary types of actors within a state? 8. How do leaders' motivations influence decisions about war and peace? 9. Why might the diversionary effects of conflict on domestic politics be weak? 10.In what ways can the military act as an influential actor in the decision to go to war? 11.Why do interest groups focus on shaping their state’s foreign policy? 12.What are some limitations of using interest-group explanations for the causes of war? 13.Does democracy promote peace? Discuss popular explanations for this relationship.1. Why was the world not a meaningful political and economic unit before 1500, and what changed after 1500? 2. Why is the Peace of Westphalia significant? 3. Why did European powers—and later others—seek to colonize nonEuropean lands? 4. How did Cold War tensions between the US and USSR begin, and how did the superpowers consolidate support? 5. What are the three categories of interests, and how are they defined? 6. If cooperation benefits everyone, why don’t actors always choose to cooperate? 7. Why do actors comply with institutional rules despite incentives to defect?