Deck 6: War and Security

Question 1

Which of the following countries became involved militarily in the Syrian civil war that began in 2011?

A) China
B) Russia
C) Canada
D) Yemen

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A war that takes place between sovereign states is called

A) interstate war.
B) intrastate war.
C) unconventional war.
D) conventional war.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The wars that followed the Arab Spring in 2011 are not categorized as civil wars because the government had significantly more capacity to harm the rebels than the rebels had to harm the government.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Which of the following refers to the ability of a state to protect its interests,secrets,and citizens from threats that endanger them?

A) jus ad bellum
B) jus in bello
C) national security
D) asymmetric conflict

Question 5

A key characteristic of terrorism is that it is designed to be psychological in nature.

Question 6

The slogan "fewer weapons means greater security" represents the logic behind deterrence.

Question 7

In the just war tradition,jus in bello deals with the question of when it is legal to go to war,and jus ad bellum deals with questions of what acts are considered legal when fighting a war.

Question 8

The civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that began in 1996 provides an example of

A) a war where the UN Security Council prevented peacekeepers from being sent.
B) an intrastate war that became internationalized.
C) a battle between communists supported by Russia against rebels.
D) a successful use of UN peacekeeping forces,which helped to end the war within just two years.

Question 9

For realists,war is not an inevitable feature of interstate politics.

Question 10

A "hearts and minds" strategy

A) is a strategy that can be effectively used to counter well-organized guerilla resistance.
B) has never been effective.
C) can be used only in conventional warfare.
D) is a strategy used by well-organized guerilla resistance groups against their more powerful,technologically advanced adversaries.

Question 11

Power balancing is only relevant at the international level,not the regional level.

Question 12

The norm of noncombatant immunity has remained a norm; it has not yet been codified into a legally binding treaty.

Question 13

Which of the following is true of recent trends regarding war?

A) The Global Peace Index shows that the world was more peaceful in 2017 than it had been in the previous decade.
B) From 2007 to 2016 there was a significant rise in the number of deaths from conflicts within states.
C) From 2007 to 2016 there was a significant decrease in the number of countries experiencing deaths from internal conflicts.
D) By 2017,internal conflicts had ceased to become internationalized.

Question 14

Liberals argue that economic interdependence does not have an effect on the likelihood of war.

Question 15

In guerrilla warfare,the weaker party augments its capabilities by relying on the help of

A) nuclear weapons.
B) the civilian population.
C) international organizations.
D) collective security agreements.

Question 16

Following the creation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty,several states that previously had nuclear weapons dismantled their programs.

Question 17

Power transition theory argues that it is not just imbalances in power,but also the anticipation of shifts in the relative balance of power that can lead to war.

Question 18

What is one characteristic necessary for international relations scholars to define something as a war?

A) There is random violence.
B) At least three countries are fighting.
C) A clear victor emerges.
D) At least 1,000 deaths occur in a calendar year.

Question 19

________ is a type of warfare where the two parties are of unequal strength.

A) General warfare
B) Limited warfare
C) Asymmetric warfare
D) Civil warfare

Question 20

Which of the following is true of conventional weapons?

A) Their destructive effects cannot be limited in space and time.
B) Their destructive effects can be limited to only legitimate targets of war.
C) World War I and World War II were fought solely with conventional weapons.
D) Nuclear weapons are one important example of conventional weapons.

Question 21

Which of the following is true of cyberwarfare?

A) While building up defenses,the United States has not yet made an offensive use of this type of warfare.
B) Cyberattacks are carried out by governments,but not nonstate actors.
C) China is the only state known to have carried out cyberattacks against another state.
D) States like the United States and China have created special government military units dedicated to dealing with cybersecurity.

Question 22

Some liberal theorists argue that economic interdependence

A) makes states less democratic,and thus more likely to go to war.
B) makes states less democratic,and thus makes war between them less likely.
C) decreases the costs of war,and thus makes war more likely between states.
D) increases the costs of war,and thus makes war less likely between states.

Question 23

According to balance-of-power theorists,

A) balancing only matters at the international level.
B) alliances are not an effective tool for enhancing one's own security.
C) states must view the friendships they have established with allies as expendable.
D) building up one's own military power is the only effective way to manage insecurity.

Question 24

Power balancing is ________ approach to managing state security

A) a realist
B) a liberal
C) a constructivist
D) not a theoretical

Question 25

A key characteristic of all forms of terrorism is that

A) they are carried out only in the Middle East.
B) they are religious in nature and intent.
C) they are a very recent form of warfare.
D) their essence is psychological,not physical.

Question 26

Which of the following is true of international cooperation regarding cyberwarfare?

A) Regional cooperative agreements have not only been forged between European states,but also between states such as China,Russia,and other Eurasian states.
B) Cooperation to deal with cyberattacks has taken place between governments,but not between nonstate actors.
C) Bilateral cooperation agreements have been created between states,but none have yet been created with states that are known to be central sources of cyberattacks.
D) Cooperation at the global level has been more effective than bilateral cooperation.

Question 27

Democratic peace theory posits that

A) democracies are unlikely to go to war with other democracies.
B) democracies are less likely to go to war than nondemocracies.
C) democracies are unlikely to go to war with nondemocracies.
D) democracies are more likely to go to war with other democracies.

Question 28

Which of the following is true of terrorism?

A) Since the 1990s,the infrastructure that supports terrorism has decreased in its sophistication,making terrorism more effective.
B) Since the 1990s,terrorist groups have recruited only young,uneducated individuals because they have learned that they are most easily convinced to believe in their cause.
C) Since the 1990s,terrorist attacks have become more lethal despite the increased dispersion of the terrorist groups.
D) Since the 1990s,terrorists' methods have narrowed,focusing almost solely on acquiring nuclear weapons.

Question 29

The Islamic State (IS)is

A) a Shiite terrorist group.
B) a terrorist group that has effectively controlled territory in Syria and Iraq.
C) a terrorist group that played a key role in the attacks on September 11,2001.
D) a terrorist group that does not engage in more mainstream terrorist acts such as taking hostages for ransom.

Question 30

The three factors highlighted by Immanuel Kant that many liberal theorists believe can foster peace are

A) democracy,economic interdependence,and a balance of power.
B) democracy,a balance of power,and international institutions.
C) democracy,economic interdependence,and international institutions.
D) economic interdependence,a balance of power,and international institutions.

Question 31

After having been defeated in World War I,Germany significantly rose in power and almost achieved parity with France and Britain.That this led Germany to act militarily to secure its new position in the international system would be an argument made by a ________.

A) neorealist
B) power balancing theorist
C) hegemonic stability theorist
D) power transition theorist

Question 32

Power transition theory posits that

A) the existence of a mismatch in material power,alone,will tempt states to go to war.
B) the anticipation of shifts in a relative balance of power tempts states to go to war.
C) the existence of a relative balance in power between states tempts them to go to war.
D) hegemonic states never fight weaker states.

Question 33

Which theory posits that war is natural,and hence an inevitable feature of international politics?

A) realism
B) liberalism
C) constructivism
D) None of these theories posits that war is natural and inevitable.

Question 34

Which of the following is a reason highlighted by liberal theorists to help explain the democratic peace?

A) Democratic leaders are inherently more peaceful than autocratic ones.
B) Transparency in the democratic decision making process provides the other side with trust that a democracy will uphold its commitments to peacefully negotiated agreements to resolve disputes.
C) Democracies are more likely to form alliances,and therefore are less likely to engage in conflict with each other.
D) Democracies are more likely to balance against one another,and that balancing prevents war.

Question 35

The United States' and United Kingdom's formation of an alliance with Russia as Germany rose in power in the lead-up to World War II is an example of ________?

A) power transition theory
B) self-determination
C) nationalism
D) power balancing

Question 36

Why do realists believe that the anarchic international system leads to war?

A) Anarchy has led nondemocracies to become more prevalent than democracies,and nondemocracies are more aggressive than democracies.
B) Under the condition of anarchy there are few rules about how to decide among contending claims and no effective arbiter to do so.
C) Anarchy leads states to have weak armies,so they are attacked by terrorists.
D) Realists do not believe that war is the result of the anarchy of the international system.

Question 37

The argument that the United States went to war against Iraq in 2003 in order to stop Iraq's development of nuclear weapons before it could rise in power through their development and thus threaten U.S.power would be made by a ________.

A) power transition theorist
B) neoliberal institutionalist
C) power balancing theorist
D) neorealist

Question 38

Guerilla warfare and nonviolent resistance are similar in that

A) they both avoid the use of violence.
B) they both deliberately place ordinary people at grave risk of harm.
C) they are not used to pursue political objectives.
D) they are both examples of conventional warfare.

Question 39

The aggressive foreign policy stemming from North Korea's image of itself as standing in opposition to the imperialist United States would be highlighted by which perspective as a potential cause for war?

A) realism
B) liberalism
C) constructivism
D) balance-of-power theory

Question 40

Which of the following is an idea that a people have a right to decide their own future political status,which some constructivists argue can therefore lead to war?

A) terrorism
B) self-determination
C) national security
D) just war theory

Question 41

Which perspective would argue that the socialization of Germany that has taken place in the European Union has made war in Europe less likely?

A) realism
B) liberalism
C) dependency theory
D) constructivism

Question 42

Which of the following is a principle of jus in bello?

A) the idea that self-defense is a legitimate reason for using force against another state
B) the idea that noncombatants can be treated as targets when they are aiding combatants
C) the idea that the UN Security Council is the only international authority that can legitimate the use of force
D) the idea that the means of violence used must be proportionate to the ends to be achieved

Question 43

Which of the following is true of debates about cyberwarfare and jus in bello?

A) Some theorists argue that cyberattacks inevitably violate the principle of noncombatant immunity because they have strong psychological effects.
B) Theorists agree that cyberattacks are attacks that best conform to just war theory because the proportionality of their effects can be easily controlled.
C) Theorists agree that cyberattacks trigger the right of self-defense using conventional weapons.
D) Theorists agree that using cyberattacks can lessen noncombatant casualties in war.

Question 44

What is the key difference between the liberal theory of collective security and the realist idea of deterrence?

A) In liberal theory,states are more likely to calculate their interests collectively as shared interests rather than individually.
B) Collective security requires a balance of power,while realist ideas of deterrence do not.
C) The realist idea of deterrence requires the existence of a hegemon,while liberal ideas of collective security do not.
D) There are no similarities at all between the liberal theory of collective security and the realist idea of deterrence.

Question 45

"Fewer weapons means greater security" is the logic behind

A) deterrence.
B) balance of power.
C) arms control.
D) collective security.

Question 46

The use of nuclear weapons violates just war theory because

A) not all states have the technology to use nuclear weapons.
B) nuclear weapons do not discriminate combatants from noncombatants.
C) their use is not considered an act of self-defense.
D) The use of nuclear weapons does not violate just war theory.

Question 47

Deterrence is

A) the antithesis of balance-of-power theory.
B) a constructivist idea for how to manage insecurity.
C) the mechanism that enables the balance of power to bring about peace.
D) a liberal idea for how to manage insecurity.

Question 48

According to the UN Charter,when may a state legally use force against another state?

A) only when acting in self-defense
B) only when authorized by the UN Security Council
C) only when acting in self-defense or when authorized by the UN Security Council
D) The UN Charter does not consider the use of force against another state legal under any circumstances.

Question 49

When states seek to prevent war by threatening the use of force,they are practicing

A) deterrence.
B) compellence.
C) asymmetric warfare.
D) collective security.

Question 50

Which of the following is among the fundamental assumptions of collective security?

A) It is not always clear who the aggressor is.
B) Only powerful states can respond to aggressors.
C) Threat of military action cannot stop wars.
D) Aggressors are morally wrong and should be stopped.

Question 51

The role that the International Campaign to Ban Landmines played in shifting perceptions about the legitimacy of the use of landmines,which led to a treaty banning their use,would be highlighted by theorists from which perspective?

A) realism
B) liberalism
C) constructivism
D) collective security

Question 52

________ theory argues that states seeking power,including economic power,will be led by self-interest into deeper and broader cooperation with other states,even if punctuated by periods of war.

A) Realist
B) Liberal
C) Deterrence
D) Balance-of-power

Question 53

The requirement that there must be just cause for entering into a war is an example of

A) jus in bello.
B) jus ad bellum.
C) deterrence.
D) compellence.

Question 54

The 1949 Geneva Conventions

A) are designed to outlaw the use of nuclear weapons.
B) state that guerilla warfare is not just.
C) are designed to protect prisoners of war,among others,in times of war.
D) do not include clauses that ban the use of certain types of weapons.

Question 55

Constructivists would argue that the fact that the United States approached the UN Security Council to seek approval for its use of force against Iraq in 2003 demonstrates

A) the existence of a norm of legitimacy regarding a state's use of force.
B) the power of deterrence.
C) the power of collective security.
D) the importance of international institutions.

Question 56

Which of the following is true of deterrence theory?

A) For deterrence to work,states must avoid forming alliances.
B) For deterrence to work,states must present a credible threat of retaliation if attacked.
C) For deterrence to work,states must keep information about their own gains in military power hidden.
D) For deterrence to work,state leaders must be willing to make irrational decisions.

Question 57

"One for all and all for one" effectively captures the idea behind

A) disarmament.
B) compellence.
C) balance of power.
D) collective security.

Question 58

Which of the following types of attacks would the "instrument-based" approach to cyberattacks argue can initiate the right of self-defense?

A) only attacks using military weapons,such as bombing computer servers or cables
B) any cyberattack in which a national infrastructure system is penetrated
C) any cyberattack targeting civilians or government systems
D) none of the above

Question 59

Cyberwarfare has led to debates about when using force in retaliation against a cyberattack is allowed under international law because

A) cyberattacks are more dangerous than attacks with conventional weapons.
B) cyberattacks do not target national infrastructures,and so retaliation is not justified.
C) powerful states are not vulnerable to cyberattacks,so retaliation is not justified.
D) the UN Charter only authorizes actions in self-defense if an "armed attack" has occurred.

Question 60

In 2003,the United States argued that its use of force in Iraq was justified because Iraq was pursuing weapons of mass destruction that it could use against the United States in the future.This argument is based on

A) preemptive self-defense.
B) jus in bello.
C) the Hague Conventions.
D) the Geneva Conventions.

Question 61

Compare and contrast the balance-of-power and collective security approaches to the management of insecurity.What role does deterrence play in each of these approaches?

Question 62

Discuss the gap that exists between the collective security "ideal" and its practical implementation.Is collective security a viable option for managing the security dilemma in the post-Cold War world? Why or why not?

Question 63

Building on international law regarding the right of self-defense,describe the conditions under which you think a cyberattack can trigger the right of self-defense.Why have you chosen these conditions and not others?

Question 64

What are the key characteristics of terrorism,and how does it differ from conventional warfare? Do you think standard approaches to the management of security,including power balancing,deterrence,collective security,and arms control can be effective in fighting terrorists? Discuss each in turn,and use examples to explain why you do or do not think that particular tactic could be effective in fighting terrorism.

Question 65

Realists,liberals,and constructivists all highlight different reasons for the outbreak of war.Which of these perspectives' arguments do you find most convincing for explaining war in the post-Cold War era? Why? Answer the question citing real-world examples.