Deck 15: Foreign and National Security Policy

Question 1

The view that the United States is in a position to force others to follow rules on proper behavior, but does not have to abide by those rules itself, reflects the __________ perspective of foreign policy.

A) isolationist
B) progressive
C) neoliberal
D) neoconservative

Answer 1

neoconservative

Question 2

Which group advocates the unilateral use of force and the pursuit of a value-based foreign policy?

A) conservatives
B) neoconservatives
C) isolationists
D) neoliberals

Answer 2

neoconservatives

Question 3

Which group believes that the United States must be prepared to act militarily to protect its interests and that military power is most effective when others view it as legitimate?

A) liberals
B) neoconservatives
C) isolationists
D) conservatives

Answer 3

conservatives

Question 4

Which group was glad to see the downfall of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein but asserted that, before engaging in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it would have been preferable to use nonmilitary means for controlling or removing those regimes?

A) conservatives
B) neoliberals
C) isolationists
D) transformers

Question 5

Which group generally supported the war in Afghanistan because it was in response to 9/11 but saw little value in the war in Iraq, because they believe focusing on homeland security is more productive than trying to build democracy in the Middle East?

A) neoconservatives
B) conservatives
C) isolationists
D) neoliberals

Question 6

Which of the following accurately describes the war in Iraq?

A) The United States participated in the war but did not lead it.
B) Political and economic setbacks occurred that were unforeseen by the war's planners.
C) Saddam Hussein launched the war through an attack on Iran.
D) The United States went to war as retribution for Iraq's involvement in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Question 7

Which of the following best describes the neoconservative view of the United States as a world superpower?

A) The United States shares superpower status with several nations, all of which should be responsible in their behavior because they are role models for other countries in the world.
B) Because the United States is the sole remaining superpower, it is in a position to force others to follow rules of proper behavior but does not have to abide by those rules itself.
C) The United States may not be the sole superpower for long, as the economic progress in other countries is threatening to make other countries superpowers as well.
D) The United States and China are heading toward a cold war similar to that between the previous two world superpowers.

Question 8

Which of the following is most consistent with the foreign policy of isolationism?

A) a preference to not intervene in an armed conflict between two other countries unless U.S. national security is at stake
B) a country's willingness to use diplomatic sanctions to pressure another country to address human rights violations
C) the George W. Bush administration's policy of actively rooting out terrorism before a threat has fully developed
D) multilateral trade agreements

Question 9

Which of the following would be most likely to support using diplomacy, economic sanctions, and other nonmilitary means before resorting to military action?

A) isolationists
B) conservatives
C) neoconservatives
D) neoliberals

Question 10

Why have isolationists been dissatisfied with U.S. foreign policy since 9/11?

A) The United States has not exhausted nonmilitary means such as economic sanctions and weapons inspections before using military intervention in other countries.
B) The U.S. military has been involved in too many other countries when its purpose should be to function as a shield in homeland security.
C) The United States invaded Iraq without a postwar plan to institute democracy, which should be one of the prime goals of U.S. intervention in another country.
D) The United States has taken actions of which its allies have disapproved and will now have difficulty getting help from them in the war on terror.

Question 11

The George W. Bush administration's stated reason for __________ was the danger posed by weapons of mass destruction.

A) the war in Afghanistan
B) the war in Iraq
C) the formation of the Department of Homeland Security
D) the bombings in Kenya and Tanzania

Question 12

The __________ is an international agreement to address the problem of global warming.

A) Byrd Amendment
B) Quadrennial Defense Review
C) Kyoto Protocol
D) North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Question 13

The term __________ refers to the expansion of economic and social interactions between countries.

A) covert action
B) globalization
C) deterrence
D) containment

Question 14

What is the primary concern of those who oppose the USA PATRIOT Act?

A) It does not go far enough to protect the United States from terrorists.
B) It infringes on Americans' civil liberties.
C) It hampers the ability of law enforcement to safeguard U.S. interests.
D) It ignores the principles laid out in the Geneva Convention.

Question 15

How have attempts to advance workers' civil rights through violence generally been received in the United States?

A) favorably, since American domestic and foreign policy both emphasize individual legal rights and civil liberties above all else
B) unfavorably, as Americans prefer legal and electoral means of promoting the legal rights and civil liberties emphasized by both domestic and foreign policy
C) unfavorably, since the reaction is negative when the violence is within U.S. borders, but apathetic or tolerant when it is in other countries
D) favorably, since American domestic and foreign policies emphasize legal rights and civil liberties, and protest, even violent protest, is one way these things are attained

Question 16

Which of the following is true of lobbyists from foreign firms that operate in the United States?

A) They are concerned only about laws that affect international activity.
B) Their concern lies with laws that affect national and international business, but not state or local business.
C) They are concerned about laws at the national level and at the state and local levels.
D) They are concerned about laws at both national and state levels, but not local levels.

Question 17

Why do many developing countries refuse to engage in international trade agreements with the United States as long as America provides subsidies to its farmers?

A) The European Union refuses to provide subsidies to farmers, so the U.S. subsidies upset the balance of trade.
B) They believe their farmers should get the subsidies, because those farmers need more help than U.S. farmers do.
C) The subsidies go to small family farms that do not deal internationally, rather than the agribusinesses that trade with developing countries.
D) They believe the subsidies give U.S. farmers unfair advantages in international markets.

Question 18

The expectation that Americans will unite behind the nation's leaders in times of crisis is referred to as the __________ effect.

A) superpower
B) homeland security
C) rally 'round the flag
D) flag waving

Question 19

In the face of international conflicts, the "rally 'round the flag" effect refers to which of the following scenarios?

A) Military personnel are immediately deployed to problem areas.
B) Americans have formal ceremonies around flags at federal, state, and local government sites.
C) Public opinion is mobilized as a united resource behind the president.
D) International travel is suspended except for government officials.

Question 20

Which of the following is one of the most influential of the ethnic-identity interest groups?

A) National Association of Arab Americans
B) American Israel Public Affairs Committee
C) German American National Congress
D) League of United Latin American Citizens

Question 21

What were protesters demonstrating against when they clashed with police in Seattle at a 1999 meeting of the World Trade Organization?

A) North American Free Trade Agreement
B) Kyoto Protocol
C) war in Serbia
D) globalization

Question 22

Which of the following represents the belief that the American experience during a particular war made the public unwilling to support the use of military force when it will result in significant casualties?

A) Gulf War syndrome
B) Vietnam syndrome
C) posttraumatic stress disorder
D) No More Iraqi Wars movement

Question 23

How does the ONE campaign, co-founded by Bono of U2, seek to reduce poverty in Africa?

A) by promoting democracy over conflict in exchange for debt forgiveness
B) by encouraging birth control to reduce overpopulation
C) by replacing inherently unstable democratic governments with benevolent but stable dictators
D) by encouraging citizens of industrial democracies to immigrate to Africa

Question 24

Concern over the Vietnam syndrome would be most likely to cause the president to do which of the following?

A) enter into a military conflict to counter communist influences
B) avoid a potentially unwinnable military conflict with significant American fatalities
C) use conventional military weapons and tactics instead of diplomacy
D) promote foreign policy goals using executive agreements rather than treaties

Question 25

Which of the following have become key players in U.S. foreign policy during the administrations of the past three decades?

A) the Cabinet secretaries and the secretary of defense
B) the White House chief of staff and the vice president
C) the president's foreign policy advisers and the Cabinet secretaries
D) the secretary of defense and the secretary of state

Question 26

Which term describes Congress after it ceded much of its authority in foreign policy decisions to the president following 9/11?

A) strategic
B) disengaged
C) competitive
D) supportive

Question 27

What can Congress do to influence foreign policy if it is not satisfied with the way the president has handled foreign policy?

A) Congress can fire ambassadors who are not executing foreign policy according to Congress's wishes.
B) Congress can reduce appropriations for executing the president's foreign policy.
C) Congress can command the military to execute foreign policy according to Congress's wishes.
D) Congress can change foreign policy with a joint declaration of two-thirds of each chamber, which does not require the president's signature.

Question 28

The president can ignore conditional limitations Congress has set on foreign aid to a particular country by certifying that assistance to that country is in which of the following interests?

A) interests of free trade
B) U.S. military interests
C) U.S. national interests
D) human rights interests

Question 29

What is the relationship between the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the various other agencies that constitute the U.S. intelligence community?

A) By law, the CIA operates without consulting the other agencies in the intelligence community.
B) The CIA is in charge of the various other agencies in the intelligence community.
C) The CIA does not always share its intelligence with the other agencies in the intelligence community.
D) The CIA has primary responsibility for gathering intelligence, but the other intelligence agencies have primary responsibility for acting upon that information.

Question 30

One of the turf wars in the intelligence community that has developed since 9/11 involves which of the following issues?

A) weapons of mass destruction, because the CIA believes spies should be used to locate them while the Department of Homeland Security prefers to use satellite technology
B) covert action, which was traditionally carried out by the CIA but is increasingly being carried out by the military
C) decentralization of authority since 9/11, because the CIA is rapidly losing its standing within the intelligence community as the National Security Agency takes over more of its traditional roles
D) communication, which was better under the pre-9/11 organizational structure of the intelligence community, since it encouraged the various agencies to work collaboratively

Question 31

The __________ calls for the decisive use of the American military only when there is clear public support for the use and an exit strategy in place.

A) Powell Doctrine
B) North Atlantic Treaty Organization
C) National Security Act
D) McNamara Doctrine

Question 32

The __________ permits limited and graduated use of military force, with or without public support, when there is a recognized problem demanding a military response.

A) USA PATRIOT Act
B) War Powers Resolution
C) National Security Act
D) McNamara Doctrine

Question 33

If the U.S. Supreme Court were to hear a case involving a U.S. foreign policy conflict between a state law and a treaty, the Court would be most likely to rule that the __________ takes precedence.

A) one recommended by the National Security Council
B) one recommended by the president
C) state law
D) treaty

Question 34

Which of the following best describes the nature of the second transformation of terrorist groups within the past two decades?

A) from groups operating under government control to radical groups operating independently of government control
B) from groups trained primarily in the Middle East to groups trained primarily in Europe and America
C) from highly centralized groups under the direction of a single leader to independent agents linked by the Internet
D) from groups operating under government control to independent agents linked by the Internet

Question 35

Who would have the power to rule that the United States must cancel an amendment enacted by Congress to help an ailing U.S. industry and that other countries can impose penalties on U.S. exports until the United States complies?

A) Federation of International Trade Associations
B) U.S. Department of State
C) U.S. Supreme Court
D) World Trade Organization

Question 36

If the United States received information about widespread genocide within a country, would U.S. foreign policy demand immediate involvement?

A) yes, because U.S. policy is to intervene immediately in countries in which genocide is taking place
B) yes, because part of the United Nations requirements for membership is a willingness to stop genocide when it happens
C) no, because the United States does not have a policy on dealing with genocide
D) no, because the United States cannot act in that situation without NATO approval

Question 37

Why has the United States taken a keen interest in China in recent years?

A) The United States wants to ensure that China does not fall into communist rule.
B) The United States wants China to be a bastion of democracy in an otherwise volatile area of the world.
C) China has a large supply of oil that can be exported to the United States.
D) China is a large market in an increasingly global economy.

Question 38

The strategy of __________ threatens a state-based enemy with swift and overwhelming retaliation for actions such as nuclear attacks or acts of aggression.

A) terrorism
B) deterrence
C) economic embargos
D) diplomacy

Question 39

The war in Iraq was an example of __________, which is a means of dealing with terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by striking first in self-defense.

A) terrorism
B) diplomacy
C) economic embargos
D) preemption