Deck 7: The Threat of Armed Conflict to the World

Question 1

The communist theory of imperialism argues that war is a result of capitalism's need for new markets to generate capital.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The most impoverished nations have been the least likely to start wars with their neighbors.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Over time, the average duration of civil wars has decreased dramatically, and the prevalence of enduring internal rivalries has dropped.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Perpetrators of terrorism most often strike military targets because terrorists tend to have superior military capacity and power than their opponents.

Question 5

Although conflict in international relations is inevitable and can even be productive, armed conflict is always destructive in some way.

Question 6

Poverty, high levels of income disparity, and gender inequality are strong predictors of state failure.

Question 7

Realists believe that war is a policy instrument that transnational actors can use to advance their positions and resolve conflicts.

Question 8

The Sudanese government undertook the task of state-sponsored terrorism to instill fright in neighboring countries.

Question 9

A 2013 Global Peace Index report showed that, in most regions, the world is actually becoming a more peaceful place.

Question 10

Cultures that tend to have a higher probability of violence tend to have higher incidences of gender discrimination.

Question 11

Strong nationalist sentiments keep states from engaging in war out of a fear of diminishing the state's resources through a lengthy conflict.

Question 12

According to the power transition theory, war is most likely when there is an even distribution of power among several strong states.

Question 13

Terrorism is senseless, premeditated violence.

Question 14

Numerous failed states offer out-of-the-way places for terrorist groups to locate and train.

Question 15

Intraspecific aggression hypothesizes that humans are one of the few species that conducts routine killing of their own kind.

Question 16

"Youth bulge" refers to the fact that a large portion of the population under age 35 in Global North nations is statistically overweight.

Question 17

To ascribe the traits of a particular state leader, such as Adolf Hitler or Barack Obama, to all people in the state they lead is to commit the error of ecological fallacy.

Question 18

When individuals feel they are being exploited by those at the top, they usually seek a peaceful solution and rarely resort to war.

Question 19

Although many people think of armed conflicts as something that occurs between two sovereign states, in reality, civil war is far more common than interstate war.

Question 20

According to a constructivist interpretation, counting the number of terrorist acts that occur is difficult because people define terrorism and interpret terrorist acts differently.

Question 21

Which of the following represents a cause of war at the individual level of analysis?

A) Leaders' choices and emotions
B) Democratic government
C) Trade policy
D) Cycles of war and peace

Question 22

The collective characteristics ascribed to the people within a state are known as the state's

A) socialization.
B) nationalism.
C) national character.
D) demography.

Question 23

Those who believe that aggression is an instinctive part of human nature point to the fact that

A) humankind is one of the few species that practices intraspecific aggression.
B) humankind is not one of the few species that practices interspecific aggression.
C) evolution illustrates that life is a struggle for survival of the fittest.
D) Both statements A and C are true.

Question 24

Which of the following is NOT considered in danger of becoming a failed state?

A) Somalia
B) Sudan
C) Chad
D) None of these are true.

Question 25

In contrast to the nationalist theory of war, the feminist theory of international relations states the foundation of war

A) would not exist if there were no men in the world.
B) comes from an intense commitment to power and prosperity for the state.
C) is most prevalent where gender discrimination, inequality, and violence towards women occur.
D) All of these are true.

Question 26

The formal assistance training and arming of terrorists by a state in order to achieve foreign policy goals are known as

A) freedom fighters.
B) state-sponsored terrorism.
C) the conciliatory approach to terrorism.
D) realism.

Question 27

Which of the following explanations of war is NOT at the global level of analysis?

A) Power transition theory
B) Long-cycle theory
C) Globalization
D) Nationalism

Question 28

Immanuel Kant's ideas influenced which of the following political thinkers?

A) James Madison
B) Thomas Jefferson
C) Woodrow Wilson
D) All of these are true.

Question 29

In Perpetual Peace , Immanuel Kant outlined the basis of the theory of democratic peace, which states that

A) democratic leaders are constrained by the public from initiating foreign wars.
B) democratic leaders initiate conflict abroad to divert the public's attention from domestic problems.
C) democratic leaders can act more quickly to prevent wars from erupting.
D) democracies are more likely to go to war against other democracies.

Question 30

In his famous dictum, Karl von Clausewitz noted that war

A) is becoming a less likely way to settle disputes.
B) is an extension of diplomacy by other means.
C) should be the first resort for state leaders.
D) is immoral and should be made illegal.

Question 31

The outbreak of war in Europe since 1945

A) has occurred with greater frequency, starting with the former Yugoslavia, Russia, and finally Georgia.
B) has shifted to the developing countries of the Global South.
C) has occurred roughly once a year.
D) has diminished, making the Global South a safer place to live.

Question 32

What is the most common type of armed conflict?

A) Civil war
B) Interstate war
C) World war
D) Trade war

Question 33

The power transition theory maintains that

A) weak states are more likely to initiate aggression than strong states.
B) war is most likely when a dominant great power is threatened by the rapid growth of a rival's capabilities.
C) the prospects for international peace increase when power is evenly distributed among the major states in the system.
D) All of these are true.

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT a possible cause of state failure?

A) Food scarcity
B) Absence of human rights protections
C) Egalitarian economic policies
D) High numbers of underemployed youth

Question 35

The idea that national unity will rise when a foreign rivalry exists was echoed by

A) Machiavelli.
B) Hermann Goering.
C) John Foster Dulles.
D) Both statements A and C are true.

Question 36

Three-fourths of all civil wars after World War II

A) last for only a short period of time.
B) have a longer peace spell between wars.
C) have a low casualty rate.
D) consist of enduring internal rivalries.

Question 37

Which philosopher argued in Perpetual Peace that countries in which citizens are allowed to choose their leaders are far less likely to go to war than those with autocratic leaders?

A) Woodrow Wilson
B) Immanuel Kant
C) Thomas Jefferson
D) Karl Marx

Question 38

According to long-cycle theory,

A) a great power rises to power every 80 to 100 years.
B) a hegemon rises after a hegemonic war.
C) the new hegemon dominates military power, trade, and determines rules for the world system.
D) All of these are true.

Question 39

For a long period of modern history, many believed that civil wars would be the primary type of armed conflict in the world.  What major event changed the way security analysts thought about strategies and the realities of military conflict?

A) The September 11th terrorist attacks
B) The outbreak of World War I
C) The election of Barack Obama
D) The end of the Cold War

Question 40

The liberal idealist school of ethical thought that recognizes no conditions justify the taking of another human's life, even when authorized by a head of state is known as _____.

A) realism
B) feminism
C) pacifism
D) universalism

Question 41

War is often said to be rooted in multiple sources located at various levels of analysis. Select two levels of analysis (individual, state, or global) and compare the contributions that theories at each level have made to our understanding of the causes of war.

Question 42

John Foster Dulles noted that "The easiest and quickest cure of internal dissension is to portray danger from abroad." What did he mean by this? Do you agree? Cite historical examples that demonstrate your opinion.

Question 43

Failed states are often considered a problem to the entire world, as tumultuous failed states provide places for terrorists or transnational criminals to hide or host operations.
(a) What is the role of the United States in preventing or aiding potential failed states?
(b) What is the role of the international community and international organizations such as the United Nations?

Question 44

Economic conditions have historically been both a cause of war, both interstate and civil, and a cause of peace.
(a) What are economic factors that lead to war?
(b) What are economic factors that facilitate peace?

Question 45

Reducing the incidence and effectiveness of terrorism while maintaining civil liberties will be difficult because

A) today's globalized world makes terrorism easier to practice.
B) the possibility that terrorists will obtain weapons of mass destruction will create unprecedented opportunities to commit unspeakable atrocities.
C) some failed states offer out-of-the-way- places for terrorist groups to locate and train.
D) All of these are true.

Question 46

We tend to dismiss "world peace" as a Miss America contestant's answer, but is world peace something that could be achieved in the future?
(a) What is the role of pacifism and non-violence in achieving a more peaceful world?  (b) In a globalized economy such as ours, could economic and financial sanctions replace military action as a way to resolve conflicts? Why or why not?

Question 47

Which of the following is NOT considered a motive for terrorist groups?

A) Anticolonialism
B) Separatism
C) Financial gain
D) Religion

Question 48

The September 11 terrorist attacks exposed what new feature of terrorism?

A) Terrorists were more interested in spreading their religious message.
B) There was a greater desire to create political theater, with a lot of people watching but few being killed.
C) Terrorists were seeking not only to coerce changes in enemies' policies but also to kill many people.
D) All of these are true.

Question 49

The 2013 Global Peace Index found the greatest gains in peacefulness in the _____ region.

A) North American
B) Northern African
C) Asia-Pacific
D) Middle Eastern

Question 50

Terrorism is

A) a tactic used by groups or states facing a much more powerful opponent.
B) used to obtain some political or social objective.
C) used by diverse groups.
D) All of these are true.