Deck 16: Geopolitics and Grand Strategy, Stephanie Ortmann and Nicholas Whittaker

Question 1

Grand strategy is an evolution of strategy away from a narrow focus on victory in war towards ______

A) a geographically-based understanding of strategy.
B) a set plan for the future.
C) a much broader, more long-term vision that is essentially political in nature.
D) a greater understanding of the political implications of geographic space.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Geopolitics and grand strategy are academic theories rather than practical political concepts.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

According to Stefanie Ortmann and Nick Whittaker in chapter 17 of Strategy in the Contemporary World, which phenomenon highlighted the importance of geographical factors?

A) The establishment of the nation-state
B) The Industrial Revolution
C) Great power war
D) Imperial expansion

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Who coined the quote, 'Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland; Who rules the Heartland commands the World Island; Who rules the World Island commands the World'?

A) Friedrich Ratzel
B) Halford Mackinder
C) Alfred Thayer Mahan
D) Rudolph Kiellen

Question 5

According to Stefanie Ortmann and Nick Whittaker in chapter 17 of Strategy in the Contemporary World, who coined the term 'grand strategy'?

A) Alfred Thayer Mahan
B) Basil Liddell Hart
C) Halford Mackinder
D) Edward Mead Earle

Question 6

Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski were responsible for rehabilitating which idea(s) in US academic and policy circles?

A) Grand strategy
B) Geopolitics
C) Grand strategy and geopolitics
D) None of the other answers is correct.

Question 7

What is driving the current surge of interest in geopolitics and grand strategy?

A) Russia's renewed challenge to the Western-led order
B) Europe's increasing withdrawal from effective foreign affairs
C) The rise of China and the relative economic decline of the United States
D) The growing importance of African natural resources

Question 8

Classical geopolitical thought links territory to power and sees world politics as a competition between the most powerful states.

Question 9

What is a danger of not having a grand strategic framework?

A) Policy will be based more upon short-term pressures.
B) Biases will remain unexamined.
C) Policy will be based more upon short-term pressures and biases will remain unexamined.
D) None of the other answers is correct.

Question 10

Geography is a fixed and immutable factor in world affairs. Its influence on international politics is not affected by technological change.