Deck 13: Foreign Policy

Question 1

Formal political and military bonds forged between nations are called __________.

A) international organizations
B) executive agreements
C) international alliances
D) executive orders

Answer 1

international alliances

Question 2

According to political scientists Robert Art and Robert Jervis, what is the fundamental fact of international relations?

A) anarchy
B) conflict
C) cooperation
D) hegemony

Answer 2

anarchy

Question 3

International __________ refers to a supranational institution that consists of member states but does not formally report to a particular country.

A) agreement
B) organization
C) treaty
D) regime

Answer 3

organization

Question 4

In regard to international organizations and alliances, at minimum, scholars agree that these institutions __________.

A) exercise consistently meaningful influence over the decisions and actions of states in the international system
B) reflect the military power of individual states in international politics
C) are the primary source of conflict between states in the international system
D) establish settings in which states may work through at least some of their differences

Question 5

Which of the following best illustrates the principle of isolationism in foreign policy?

A) Spanish?American War
B) Cuban Missile Crisis
C) Monroe Doctrine
D) democratic peace theory

Question 6

What was the core argument advanced in Alfred Mahan's work?

A) Naval power could turn a nation into an empire.
B) Democratic states do not fight other democratic states.
C) Isolationist policies improve state economies.
D) Excessive entanglements with Europe would lead to war.

Question 7

Which of the following would be an appropriate foreign policy under the Monroe Doctrine?

A) developing a large standing army and aggressive posturing toward neighboring states
B) limiting military growth while nurturing close relations with powerful European states
C) maintaining a clear distance from the intrigues of European politics and keeping the military relatively small
D) challenging European hegemony across through globe by developing a large and powerful military

Question 8

The doctrine of __________ holds that states should minimize their involvement in foreign affairs and instead focus on domestic matters.

A) globalization
B) democratic peace
C) interventionism
D) isolationism

Question 9

What was a consequence of the American Civil War on US foreign policy?

A) It instilled in the minds of citizens the benefits of isolationism.
B) It convinced a generation of the virtues of overwhelming military superiority.
C) It generated a renewed interest in the opportunities presented through globalization.
D) It reinforced in the minds of national leaders that America should embrace the Monroe Doctrine.

Question 10

Which statement about American military capabilities is accurate?

A) Since the beginning of the Republic, the superiority of American firepower has always been unrivaled by other states.
B) For much of its infancy and adolescence, the United States compensated for weak military capabilities by exploiting its geographic advantages.
C) Although its capabilities have been challenged by rising global power, the military capabilities of the United States have remained unchanged throughout history.
D) In its infancy and adolescence, the United States relied heavily on naval superiority but has recently abandoned that in favor of land troops.

Question 11

The Cold War involved a standoff between the United States and __________, in which proxy wars were waged between the two but there was no direct conflict.

A) Vietnam
B) the Soviet Union
C) the United Kingdom
D) China

Question 12

Military expenditures by the United States total more than the combined expenditures of the next __________ highest-spending nations.

A) three
B) five
C) seven
D) ten

Question 13

Which of the following could be considered a cost of an international alliance?

A) Alliances automatically lead to attempts at world hegemony, which destabilizes international relations.
B) Alliances create well-defined protocols that rationalize and strengthen diplomacy, making states outside those alliances suspicious.
C) Alliances tend to spur counteralliances, which increases international tension and leads to more conflict.
D) Alliances complicate the ability of states to share information with one another, which increases the chances of misperception and conflict.

Question 14

Democratic peace theory is rooted in which school of thought?

A) isolationist theory
B) Realist theory
C) Liberal theory
D) globalization theory

Question 15

The democratic peace theory was used as justification for which of the following?

A) the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement by the United States
B) the decision of the United States to invade Iraq in 2001
C) the veto by President Nixon of the War Powers Resolution
D) the conflict between the United States and the UK in the War of 1812

Question 16

If you were arguing against the democratic peace theory, which statement would best support your position?

A) The very definitions of the theory's key terms are up for debate.
B) There is no evidence to support its core findings.
C) Evidence shows that democratic states often wage war against autocracies.
D) It is impossible to predict the actions of states in the international system.

Question 17

How does the democratic peace theory inform presidential actions in foreign policy?

A) The assumptions of the theory have no dramatic or noticeable effect on presidential decision making in foreign affairs.
B) The beliefs surrounding democracy make presidents inherently more aggressive toward other democratic states.
C) The core principles embedded in the American understanding of democracy makes presidents pacifists.
D) The utopian ideal of American democracy fuels the repeated exertion of American global power.

Question 18

The set of rules and conventions that govern interstate relations and impose obligations on how states treat populations within their borders is known as international __________.

A) agreements
B) organizations
C) law
D) protocol

Question 19

What is the most revolutionary change to international law and the source of much of its recent growth?

A) acknowledgment that political rights can be revoked without consequence
B) recognition that human rights transcend state sovereignty
C) codification of the democratic peace theory
D) identification of the right of states to engage in torture

Question 20

Which statement expresses a major weakness of international law?

A) It is difficult to hold states and their leaders accountable for transgressions.
B) It is completely inflexible and slow to evolve in the face of new challenges.
C) It applies only to democratic states and has no authority over nondemocratic governments.
D) It stabilizes norms in international politics, making cooperation between states unlikely.

Question 21

The decision by Bill Clinton to sign the treaty creating the ICC without the ratification of the Senate supports which claim?

A) Presidents only sign an international treaty in their second year of office.
B) International law does not require approval by the legislative branch.
C) Presidents are much more accepting of international law than Congress.
D) Policymakers in the United States tend to avoid broad international agreements.

Question 22

Which of the following would illustrate the US commitment to economic liberalization?

A) support for the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights
B) implementation of the Monroe Doctrine by James Madison
C) Bill Clinton's fight for, and eventual passage of, NAFTA
D) the signing of the ICC treaty without ratification by the Senate

Question 23

The catch-all term used to refer to the increasingly complex ties among nations is __________.

A) isolationism
B) democratization
C) globalization
D) conventions

Question 24

The strength of the US economy allows presidents to champion American national interests in an international setting by threatening to __________.

A) increase tariffs on US goods in the international markets, thereby forcing regime change in authoritarian states
B) suspend or cut trade relations, which gives them the leverage necessary to force concessions
C) increase economic liberalization, thereby forcing states to sign join international organizations
D) expand US economic hegemony, which forces states to join competing states in a military alliance

Question 25

The realist position on increased global trade holds that interdependence among states makes them __________.

A) vulnerable and thus makes war more likely
B) inherently warlike
C) more likely to cooperate
D) less likely to go to war

Question 26

What is meant when politicians use the expression "politics stop at the water's edge"?

A) The partisanship that characterizes domestic policy is suspended in the foreign policy arena.
B) The politicization that characterizes the domestic policy bureaucracy does not apply to agencies involved in foreign policy.
C) The imbalance of power that exists between the president and Congress in domestic policy does not apply to questions of foreign policy.
D) The effects of globalization in foreign policy do not apply to domestic policy questions.

Question 27

In foreign policy, which of the following enjoys a major institutional advantage?

A) Congress
B) the president
C) the judiciary
D) the media

Question 28

The enactment of a supplemental foreign assistance appropriations act during the Vietnam War illustrates the ability of __________.

A) the president to compel Congress to fund international organizations
B) Congress to hold a president criminally responsible for war-time actions
C) the president to force Congress to fund unpopular military actions
D) Congress to use appropriations to constrain presidential war-making options

Question 29

The decision by Congress to only appropriate $170 million of the $270 million for military assistance in Rwanda demonstrated the ability of Congress to use appropriation power to __________.

A) prevent military action
B) enhance military strategy
C) empower unilateral military action
D) increase military efficiency

Question 30

Which of the following is a formal way that Congress can restrict the president's foreign policy powers?

A) making media appearances to critique US foreign policy
B) passing legislation aimed at redirecting US foreign policy
C) giving speeches challenging the direction of US foreign policy
D) leaking information to the media that damages US foreign policy

Question 31

What ended the Vietnam War?

A) Smith-Mundt Act
B) North American Free Trade Agreement
C) Paris Peace Accords
D) War Powers Resolution

Question 32

How did the Neutrality Acts restrict escalating American involvement in World War II?

A) They required the president to submit any request to the people for approval.
B) They stated that all supportive actions must be approved by Congress.
C) They eliminated the president's power to declare war.
D) They limited the president's ability to financially support American allies.

Question 33

What is demonstrated by the Fulbright Program?

A) the ability of the legislative branch to use its formal appoint powers to shape the bureaucracy
B) the power of Congress to use the traditional legislative process to influence foreign policy by jumpstarting a new global initiative
C) the power of strategic leaks to shape the content of foreign policy legislations
D) the mechanisms by which a president can advance his or her foreign policy goals over Congress

Question 34

How does the appointment process empower Congress in foreign policy?

A) All foreign policy nominees are selected by the House of Representatives.
B) Most foreign policy appointees are former members of Congress.
C) Many foreign policy positions require approval by the US Senate.
D) Some foreign policy posts do not require congressional action.

Question 35

What explains the Democratic filibuster of John Bolton's nomination to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations?

A) He was a Republican and too partisan.
B) He would alienate US allies.
C) He was unqualified for the job.
D) He would end the Iraq War.

Question 36

The claim that the appointment role of Congress is powerful even though congressional revolts against foreign policy nominees are rare is supported by the fact that presidents often reject nominees __________.

A) because they could not survive the process
B) because they are not qualified
C) who are supported by members of their own party
D) who are endorsed by members of the opposition party

Question 37

Who became Secretary of State after Hillary Clinton stepped down from the office?

A) Frank Church
B) Susan Rice
C) John Kerry
D) John Bolton

Question 38

How do codels affect the ability of Congress to influence the foreign policy process?

A) by strengthening the role of Congress in reorganizing the foreign policy bureaucracy
B) by expanding the foreign policy areas in which Congress exercises oversight
C) by streamlining the legislative process surrounding foreign policy
D) by increasing the information about world affairs held by members

Question 39

The trip to Russia led by Representative Rohrabacher illustrated __________.

A) congressional criticism of a president's foreign policy choices
B) supportive actions by Congress to end a major conflict
C) congressional attempts to create a separate foreign policy
D) deliberate actions to bolster world opinion of US foreign policy

Question 40

The foreign policy speeches made by Senators Marco Rubio and Rand Paul best demonstrate how members of Congress may use foreign policy speeches to __________.

A) increase the foreign policy knowledge of citizens
B) influence the opinions of political elites
C) generate support for the president's foreign policy
D) bolster their own political aspirations

Question 41

Congress often determines __________.

A) where American troops are placed around the globe
B) how the black budget is spent on covert operations
C) what foreign policy issues are covered by the media
D) which foreign nations with whom the president negotiates treaties

Question 42

An effect of congressional media appearances on foreign policy is that the media __________.

A) now regularly ignores the opinions of congressional members on foreign policy
B) now routinely relies on members of Congress to determine which criticisms of a president's foreign policy are legitimate
C) no longer views members of Congress as experts on foreign policy issues
D) now routinely offers critical commentary on the foreign policy views expressed by congressional members

Question 43

The __________ allowed President Roosevelt to loan arms to allied nations that could repay the United States back at a later, undetermined date.

A) Lend-Lease Act
B) 1935 Neutrality Act
C) 1937 Neutrality Act
D) War Powers Act

Question 44

Roosevelt's mobilization for total war __________.

A) enhanced the distinction between foreign and domestic policy
B) eliminated any meaningful difference between congressional and presidential powers
C) expanded the differences between foreign policy and domestic policy goals
D) erased any clear distinction between foreign and domestic policy

Question 45

Which of the following would be considered an intra-branch check on presidential foreign policymaking?

A) congressional media appearances
B) military pushback
C) the black budget
D) congressional hearings

Question 46

What was revealed by the Pentagon Papers?

A) government misinformation campaign prior to the war in Iraq
B) history of secret American involvement in Southeast Asia
C) details of covert operations in Central America
D) involvement of Kennedy in the Cuban Missile Crisis disaster

Question 47

What is demonstrated by the decision of Truman to relieve MacArthur of his command?

A) the power of Congress to resist presidential overreach
B) the effect of bureaucratic drift in foreign policy
C) the consequences of military pushback against the president
D) the legacy of strategic leaks in the executive branch

Question 48

The expressed mission of WikiLeaks is to publicize and common on government reports and classified information __________.

A) leaked by anonymous sources
B) provided by the director of the Central Intelligence Agency
C) published by the New York Times
D) leaked by named sources

Question 49

Which of the following best illustrates the daunting challenge of presidents to control the effects of intra-branch checks on their foreign policymaking?

A) Frank Church's Senate committee investigations
B) John Kerry's nomination as Secretary of State
C) John McCain's media appearances
D) Edward Snowden's classified leaks to the press

Question 50

Discuss the changing nature of American military capabilities, including the effect of the isolationist tendencies of early American policymakers. Provide examples.

Question 51

Do you find the evidence supporting the democratic peace theory to be compelling, or do you support the criticisms set forth by Realist theory? Be specific in your answer.

Question 52

If you were to asked to make a speech on the effect of economic considerations on the president's foreign policy, what would you say, and how would you illustrate your points? In your answer, identify how the economy has evolved and how that has affected the power of the president in relation to foreign policy.

Question 53

Who has the primary advantage in foreign policymaking, Congress or the president, and why? What formal mechanisms can Congress use to check presidential foreign policymaking power? How successful has Congress been in using those methods?

Question 54

Of the various mechanisms for checking the foreign policymaking powers of the president, which do you think has been the most effective and why? Use specific examples from the text to support your argument.