Deck 16: American Foreign Policy

Question 1

What is a foreign policy that is virtually the opposite of isolationism, one that advocates economic and military actions to secure boundaries and interests worldwide?

A) expansionism
B) internationalism
C) manifest destiny
D) secularism
E) militarism

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which political ideology opposes American interventions in distant wars or involvement in permanent military alliances?

A) isolationism
B) pacifism
C) expansionism
D) conservatism
E) containment

Answer 2

A

Question 3

By the end of World War I _____________________________.

A) the European Allies owed more than $11 billion to the United States
B) America was creditor nation for the first time in its history
C) other countries looked to the United States for guidance and resources to help construct a new international order
D) the Treaty of Versailles was drafted, calling for the creation of a League of Nations
E) All of these choices are correct.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

The presidential proclamation in 1823 that there would be no attempt to colonize North and South America by European powers and that such action would be cause for military action was called ___________________.

A) the War Powers Resolution
B) the Monroe Doctrine
C) the Truman Doctrine
D) the Treaty of Versailles
E) manifest destiny

Question 5

The power to receive ambassadors, negotiate foreign treaties, and serve as commander-in-chief during the course of a war is the exclusive authority of ________________.

A) the president of the United States
B) Congress
C) individual state governments that are affected by events
D) the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
E) the secretary of defense

Question 6

What term is used to encompass all of a nation's activities that are directed at conducting relations with other countries, including military operations and diplomatic activities?

A) international exchange
B) defense policy
C) foreign policy
D) comprehensive policy
E) state of the union

Question 7

What has been the response of the presidents since the passage of the War Powers Resolution in 1973?

A) They have willingly complied with the act.
B) Every president has either circumvented or ignored the act.
C) Most presidents have complied with the act but purposely waited until the end of the 60-day period before reporting to Congress.
D) The presidents who have had a cooperative Congress have complied with the act.
E) They have not had to deal with it because the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the executive branch by invalidating the act.

Question 8

President Wilson played a major role in drafting the agreement that ended World War I. What was the name of this agreement?

A) League of Nations
B) Warsaw Pact
C) NATO Accords
D) Treaty of Versailles
E) European Common Union

Question 9

In the 1800s and early 1900s, many Americans viewed the nation's defining ideology as acquiring lands and occupying the entire continent from ocean to ocean. What was this ideology commonly called?

A) expansionism
B) manifest destiny
C) continentalism
D) blitzkrieg
E) isolationism

Question 10

Though President Wilson was instrumental in creation of the League of Nations following World War I, the United States never joined the League. Why?

A) The defeated Germany was felt to have received too many concessions from the League.
B) President Wilson quickly became disillusioned with the process of international alliances.
C) The U.S. Senate rejected Wilson's recommendation to adopt the treaty and returned the nation to an era of isolationism.
D) The United States realized that it would subordinate its military to a foreign power.
E) Other League members wanted to allow former enemy nations into the League.

Question 11

When the United States entered World War I, it joined the war on the side of the Allies. Which of the following countries was not a member of the European Allies?

A) ​Great Britain
B) ​France
C) ​Italy
D) ​Russia
E) ​Germany

Question 12

Aaron Wildavsky's "two presidencies theory" posits that ______________________________.

A) the president can use the "bully pulpit" to communicate policies and generate support
B) the senate would exert a strong influence over the nation's foreign policy
C) a unitary chief executive can respond quickly and forcefully to sudden changes
D) separation of the power to command from the power to fund the military was to check the war power from being abused
E) the president has more power in foreign affairs than in the domestic sphere

Question 13

The power to raise armies, punish maritime crimes, regulate commerce, and fund wars is the exclusive authority of ___________.

A) the president of the United States
B) Congress
C) the state governments
D) the secretary of state
E) the secretary of defense

Question 14

Though World War I began in Europe in 1914, the United States did not enter the war until 1917. What was the primary reason for this delay?

A) The United Nations had forbidden the United States to intervene.
B) The United States had no allies at the time among the European nations.
C) The United States advocated a policy of isolationism and neutrality until its shipping was directly attacked by Germany.
D) The United States saw the war as a European problem and thus stayed clear of intervention.
E) The United States did not have the military personnel or equipment to fight a major war.

Question 15

The status of the United States as a military superpower ____________________.

A) is unaffected by advances in communication
B) is negated by advances in transportation
C) has given it far more leverage in its relations with foreign powers
D) has lessened the required expenditure of resources and energy necessary to navigate the foreign policy landscape
E) is unimportant because America is physically isolated from allies and enemies

Question 16

Which of the following refers to the doctrine of increasing the territory or economic influence of one's own country?

A) isolationism
B) expansionism
C) manifest destiny
D) pacifism
E) militarism

Question 17

While the president has the power to make treaties with foreign countries, who or what body has sole authority to ratify these treaties?

A) the chief justice of the United States
B) the U.S. House of Representatives
C) the secretary of state
D) the U.S. Senate
E) the U.S. Supreme Court

Question 18

In the first two decades of the twentieth century, European imperialism increased and the United States took action to protect its interests. As a result, which of the following nations was not one of those in which the United States intervened with military action or threat of action during these two decades?

A) Haiti
B) Iran
C) Nicaragua
D) Venezuela
E) Dominican Republic

Question 19

Which of the following would not be an accurate description of America's isolationist policy prior to its involvement in World War I?

A) The United States refrained from all military engagement during this time.
B) The United States actively opposed imperialist pursuits of other nations.
C) The United States occupied Haiti in 1915 to prevent German influence over the Republic of Haiti.
D) The United States intervened in a dispute in 1895 over the boundaries between Venezuela and British Guiana.
E) The United States fought wars in 1812, 1846, and 1898 on lands that bordered within U.S. boundaries.

Question 20

Pacifism is a policy that ______________________.

A) authorized the United States to fight wars in lands that bordered on the nation or lay within U. S. boundaries
B) opposed involvement in permanent alliance
C) refused to sanction any military conflict and opposes all war making
D) opposes intervention in wars outside the Western Hemisphere
E) views the United States as authorized to intervene militarily anywhere in the world because of its exceptional status among nations

Question 21

The "new world order" declared by president George H. W. Bush in 1991 was a(n) ______________________.

A) invasion of communist countries
B) initiative in which numerous nations would work together to secure collective peace and security
C) new military program created to defeat the Soviet Union
D) worldwide government created to replace all existing national governments
E) attempt to do away with all evil in the world

Question 22

Which agency has the primary responsibility for most foreign relations contacts and policy programs?

A) Department of Homeland Security
B) Attorney General's Office
C) Department of Defense
D) Department of State
E) United States Embassies

Question 23

The __________ was a proactive and aggressive action by the United States following World War II to provide $13 billion in aid to help rebuild the nations of former allies who were ravaged by the war.

A) League of Nations
B) United Nations
C) Marshall Plan
D) Warsaw Pact
E) North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Question 24

Which of the following statements about the "Vietnam syndrome" is incorrect?

A) The Vietnam Syndrome was cured shortly after the end of the Vietnam War.
B) The Vietnam Syndrome produced pacifism on the part of American leaders.
C) The Vietnam Syndrome promoted a fear among politicians of prosecuting another war in which public support was flimsy.
D) The Vietnam Syndrome promoted a fear among politicians of unclear military objectives.
E) The Vietnam Syndrome promoted a fear among politicians of another war in which the exit strategy was ill defined.

Question 25

Which agency plays a critical role in helping formulate and implement U.S. foreign policy by managing the nation's military?

A) Department of Homeland Security
B) Attorney General's Office
C) Department of Defense
D) Department of State
E) United States Embassies

Question 26

In 1945, the United States joined the newly created __________, an international organization formed to promote and maintain international peace​.

A) United Nations
B) ​League of Nations
C) ​NATO
D) ​Truman Doctrine
E) ​Monroe Doctrine

Question 27

Arms limitation treaties and reduced tensions with the Soviet Union in the 1970s gave way to increased tensions and confrontations in the early 1980s. President Reagan outlined a new initiative called the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). What was the basic goal of SDI?

A) The United States, it was later determined, intended to launch preemptive attacks on the Soviet Union from outer space using SDI.
B) The SDI would take the realm of war into space versus the earth's surface, thus future war would destroy only equipment and not lives.
C) There would be an antimissile system based on the use of lasers and particle beams to shoot down Soviet nuclear missiles in outer space.
D) The SDI was to be a military base on the moon that could launch stealth responses to threats on Earth.
E) There would be no need for infantry units, as military actions would be fought from vast distances using virtual technologies.

Question 28

Which of the following was not true of the U. S. intervention in Iraq in 2003?

A) There was a failure to unearth "weapons of mass destruction" cited as a partial justification for the war.
B) Critics of the Iraqi intervention argued that U. S. interests in the region were just as unclear as they had been in Southeast Asia in the 1960s.
C) The U.S. military failed to contain rebel insurgents even after taking control of Baghdad.
D) The United States tried to interdict the Iranian nuclear program.
E) President Bush proclaimed that the United States had removed a brutal dictator.

Question 29

Even with the collapse of the Soviet Union's status as superpower in the early 1990s, there still existed a communist nation that was a crucial market for U.S. goods and products, given that it contains one-fifth of the world's population. Which nation was this?

A) Canada
B) Mexico
C) Vietnam
D) Taiwan
E) China

Question 30

In the 1970s, a period of somewhat eased tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union led to several strategic arms treaties. This period of eased tension was referred to as ______________________.

A) demilitarization
B) perestroika
C) détente
D) delimited nuclear treaty
E) manifest destiny

Question 31

Created in 1949, which alliance bound the United States to the military defense of Western Europe and placed it squarely at odds with the Soviet Union?

A) Warsaw Pact
B) North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
C) League of Nations
D) Strategic Air Command (SAC)
E) Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

Question 32

What was an American foreign policy following World War II that restricted Soviet power and resisted efforts to expand communism?

A) de-expansionism
B) isolationism
C) manifest destiny
D) containment
E) strategic isolation

Question 33

Which of the following was not true of the U. S. policy toward Israel?

A) U. S. officials have been forced to confront the dilemma of what to do with uprooted Palestinian refugees.
B) The United States has been committed to its support for Israel as a political haven for the Jews.
C) Israel has emerged as a modernized democratic presence in a region dominated by countries largely hostile to the West.
D) The United States has completely withdrawn its military presence from the Middle East.
E) U. S. support for Israel has assured the United States a friendly ally in the Middle East.

Question 34

Though the balance of powers between the legislative and executive branches has been the source of controversies, there are positives to having a presidential dominance over foreign policy. Which of the following is such a positive element?

A) The president has the ability to act quickly and unilaterally to stop the formation of upstart governments that are hostile to U.S. interests.
B) A presidential dominance allows for the U.S. government to act immediately and decisively in response to developments abroad.
C) A large body such as Congress is rarely capable of reaching a suitable solution in the necessary amount of time.
D) Congress rarely gets beyond partisan politics in making decisions on foreign policy, so a strong president needs to act in the place of Congress.
E) Allowing Congress to override presidential prerogatives serves only to encumber the process of responding decisively.

Question 35

Out of World War II emerged two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, which became locked in a half-century struggle of indirect hostilities. This struggle was referred to as ________________.

A) the Communist resistance
B) American expansionism
C) the Russo‑European War
D) the Cold War
E) the East‑West alliance

Question 36

What was a military alliance of Eastern European nations that lay within the Soviet Union's sphere of influence?

A) Warsaw Pact
B) North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
C) Alliance of Communism
D) Strategic Air Command (SAC)
E) Alliance of the Red Star

Question 37

Which theory referred to the policy held by certain U.S. presidents, positing that the Communist takeover of Vietnam or Korea during their respective wars would lead to the fall of other Asian countries as well?

A) expansion theory
B) domino theory
C) Asian theory
D) anti-Communist theory
E) American sphere of influence theory

Question 38

The United States was not involved in plots to assassinate which of the following foreign leaders?

A) Patrice Lumumba, Prime Minister of the Congo
B) Fidel Castro, Cuban communist leader
C) Yitzhak Rabin, Israeli Prime Minister
D) Rafael Trujillo, Dominican Republic leader
E) Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda leader

Question 39

The October, 1962, tense standoff with the Soviets that nearly ignited a nuclear war was caused by _____________.

A) the United States airlifting supplies to West Berlin
B) U. S. military involvement in the Korean War
C) U. S. involvement in the Vietnam War
D) JFK's demands for removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba
E) the domino theory applied to Southeast Asia

Question 40

What is the presidential advisory group that includes the chief military personnel of all four branches of the armed forces?

A) Joint Chiefs of Staff
B) President's Cabinet
C) Homeland Security
D) Joint Executive High Command
E) West Point Advisory Team

Question 41

What is significant about the UN Security Council?

A) It serves as the judicial arm of the UN and settles disputes submitted to it by international entities.
B) It serves as the military arm of the UN and can be deployed when called upon by the General Assembly.
C) It helps to maintain the value of foreign currencies during times of crisis.
D) It collects the dues owed by member countries of the UN.
E) It provides each of the five permanent members with an absolute right to veto decisions.

Question 42

During the 1980s, Representative Charlie Wilson (D-TX) worked behind the scenes with the CIA to arm and sustain a rebel group to revolt against occupation by the Soviet Union in which foreign country?

A) Afghanistan
B) Iran
C) Russia
D) Iraq
E) North Korea

Question 43

Currently, defense spending makes up about what percentage of the overall U.S. budget?

A) ​10 percent
B) ​20 percent
C) ​40 percent
D) ​50 percent
E) ​75 percent

Question 44

Which of the following serves the purpose of maintaining the value of foreign currencies during times of crisis?

A) The World Bank
B) The International Monetary Fund
C) The World Trade Organization
D) The Federal Reserve Bank
E) OPEC

Question 45

Ideological individuals who advocate that diplomacy rather than military action should be the preferred means of protecting U.S. interests abroad are often referred to as ________________.

A) hawks
B) republicans
C) realists
D) socialists
E) isolationists

Question 46

Although many now view America as the world's lone remaining superpower, in which of the following ways is Russia still considered a threat?

A) Russia's landmass is nearly twice the size of the United States.
B) Russia maintains most of the nuclear capabilities of the former Soviet Union.
C) Russia continues to use military force.
D) Russia's landmass is nearly twice the size of the United States, Russia maintains most of the nuclear capabilities of the former Soviet Union, and Russia continues to use military force.
E) The United States does not view Russia as a threat.

Question 47

The National Security Council (NSC) was established in 1947. What is its purpose?

A) As an advisory body to the president, it coordinates information about foreign, military, and economic policies that affect national security.
B) It is an advisory board to the United Nations on issues related to U.S. interests.
C) It is a division of the Department of Homeland Security that is charged with tracking terrorist cells in the United States.
D) It consists of the chief officers of the four branches of the armed forces, and delivers the president's orders to the military commands involved in a particular operation.
E) It is a federal auditing agency that ensures the military is at peak performance and is utilizing resources appropriately.

Question 48

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was created by the National Security Act of 1947. Which of the following is not an official duty of the CIA?

A) coordinating worldwide intelligence information affecting national security
B) performing public relations functions for the U.S. government
C) disseminating propaganda on behalf of the U.S. government
D) engaging in covert activities at the direction of the president
E) assassinating rogue dictators

Question 49

By law, which of the following is not a required member of the National Security Council?​

A) ​national security advisor
B) ​secretary of state
C) ​president
D) ​secretary of defense
E) ​vice president

Question 50

According to the preemption doctrine _____________________.

A) wars should be kept classified as top secret until after the fighting has ended
B) the United States had a right to use advance strikes to stop rogue states from developing weapons of mass destruction
C) self-defense is the only justification for using force against another nation
D) all previous wars have been discredited
E) presidents should have unlimited authority when dealing with foreign policy, but limited in the domestic sphere

Question 51

Which of the following is considered a fundamental paradox of the theory of preemption?

A) ​The United States will never be able to use it.
B) ​It was a Cold War strategy that ceased to be relevant at the end of the Cold War.
C) ​Members of Congress will not support a declaration of war.
D) ​It requires use of nuclear weapons and the United States has entered into nuclear reductions treaties.
E) ​It can be effectively applied only to a country that lacks the capacity to retaliate.

Question 52

__________ is the term used for the vast network of defense industries in the United States, such as manufacturers of weapons, missiles, aircraft, submarines, and their bureaucratic allies.

A) Civilian military influence
B) AFL-CIO
C) Military-industrial complex
D) Aerospace industry
E) Academic-industrial alliance

Question 53

Which governing body supports all the other UN governing bodies by carrying out tasks as directed?

A) The General Assembly
B) The Economic and Social Council
C) The International Court of Justice
D) The Secretariat
E) The Security Council

Question 54

Which of the following is not a governing body of the United Nations?

A) General Assembly
B) Secretariat
C) NATO
D) Security Council
E) Economic and Social Council

Question 55

The five permanent members of the Security Council include ___________________________________.

A) France, Germany, Great Britain, the United States, and China
B) China, the United States, France, Great Britain, and the Russian Federation
C) the Russian Federation, Japan, India, Spain, and South Korea
D) Japan, Australia, China, North Korea, and Germany
E) the United States, Spain, Italy, Greece, and France

Question 56

Which of the following organizations was created in 1945 to extend credit to nations for purposes of building and economic development?

A) The United Nations
B) NATO
C) OPEC
D) The World Bank
E) The Federal Reserve Bank

Question 57

Though the CIA still functions as an intelligence gathering agency, in recent years there have been concerns that the CIA is poorly suited to coordinate intelligence coming from multiple parts of government. How was this concern addressed in 2004?

A) Duties of the CIA were delegated to the Department of State.
B) The Central Intelligence Agency was placed under the direction of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
C) The CIA was dissolved and its duties were distributed to other agencies.
D) A new position, Director of National Intelligence, was created.
E) The CIA was dismantled and the duties devolved to the states.

Question 58

At present, how many member states make up the General Assembly?

A) 5 permanent, 10 nonpermanent members
B) 54 members
C) 192 members
D) 452 members
E) 538 members

Question 59

Politicians and presidential advisors who call for aggressive military action wherever hostile forces may be found are often referred to as ______________________.

A) doves
B) hawks
C) realists
D) precursors
E) pacifists

Question 60

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created in 2002. Which of the following federal agencies is not subordinate to this department?

A) U.S. coast guard
B) U.S. border patrol
C) federal emergency management agency
D) U.S. foreign embassy service
E) U.S. secret service

Question 61

Many actors and institutions attempt either formally or informally to influence American foreign policy. Describe the role of the executive branch, including the President, Department of State, Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, National Security Council, Central Intelligence Agency, and Department of Homeland Security.

Question 62

​Describe the constitutional framework of American foreign policy. What is the "two presidencies theory"? Explain the purpose of the War Powers Resolution and how it affected the distribution of powers related to foreign policy.

Question 63

What was the Cold War and how did it originate? Who were the major players in this era? What roles did NATO and the Warsaw Pact play? How did the Cold War end?

Question 64

Explain "internationalism" as a theory of foreign relations. How and when did America adopt a theory of internationalism? Include an understanding of the Marshall Plan, NATO, and the Truman Doctrine in your answer.

Question 65

Analyze the operation of each of the parts of the United Nations. Discuss arguments in favor of and opposed to the proposition that the United Nations still serves an important function in global affairs.

Question 66

Describe the differences between the ideologies of isolationism, expansionism, pacifism, and internationalism. Which do you believe would be the best approach for America in its current foreign policy approach? Explain why and provide examples of foreign policy that would help achieve this goal.

Question 67

Explain "isolationism" as a theory of foreign relations. How and when did America adopt a theory of isolationism? Include an understanding of the Monroe Doctrine in your answer.

Question 68

Describe the theory of "preemption," and how it was used to craft American foreign policy in the early twenty-first century. What is the fundamental paradox of the doctrine of preemption?

Question 69

Explain "expansionism" as a theory of foreign relations. How and when did America adopt a theory of expansionism? Include an understanding of "manifest destiny" in your answer.

Question 70

Many actors and institutions attempt either formally or informally to influence American foreign policy. Describe the role of the legislature in this process, including an understanding of committees that directly work on issues related to foreign policy. Provide an understanding of how the private sector plays a role in influencing foreign policy. Explain the term military‑industrial complex.