Deck 1: Power and Systems

Question 1

There were four international relations systems in the twentieth century.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The failure of the balance-of-power system to function after World War I is one of the factors that led to World War II.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

A balance-of-power system requires at least three major players capable of making flexible alliances.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

In a multipolar power system model, the power distribution is layered as the rich and high-tech countries form the top layer, rapidly industrializing countries the second, and countries dominated by crime and chronic instability the third.

Question 5

The possibility of a nuclear war prevented both sides in the bipolar Cold War system from indulging in a direct conflict.

Question 6

The current international system is best characterized as unipolar.

Question 7

If strictly adhered to, the concept of sovereignty permits states to engage in a whole host of actions, even mass murder, without interference from the international community.

Question 8

A state is an entity that has a legitimate monopoly on coercion of its citizens.

Question 9

Both the World War I and the Cold War international systems can be characterized as bipolar.

Question 10

Which of the following is an accurate interpretation of power as defined in the text?

A) a state's possession of military force
B) political, military, and cultural superiority of one over the other
C) the ability to get another to do, or not do, something contrary to their will
D) the ability to get another to do something that they already want to do
E) the ability to negotiate

Question 11

An international system is the ________.

A)way power is distributed around the globe
B) way countries are organized internally
C) world government
D) concentration of global power
E) number of minor powers in the international system

Question 12

A bipolar international system characterizes ________.

A) the pre-World War I period
B) the Cold War period
C) the period between World War I and World War II
D) the post-Cold War period
E) the present international system

Question 13

When does power become force?

A) when military power is used
B) when rational persuasion is used
C) when economic power is used
D) when cultural power is used
E) when technological coercion is used

Question 14

Balance-of-power scholars argue that BOP systems ________.

A) contain at least four major players
B) are more peaceful because states will form alliances to offset the threat of another state
C) are more prone to peace because the powerful states have more to lose
D) contain at least three major players and two minor players
E) are more prone to war

Question 15

The Westphalian system established the concept of ________.

A) sovereignty
B) power
C) force
D) balance-of-power
E) democracy

Question 16

Sovereignty is defined as ________.

A) the ability of actor A to get actor B to do as actor A wishes
B) the way states are organized
C) the lack of an overarching international authority
D) countries' abilities to do as they wish without outside interference
E) the presence of an overarching international authority

Question 17

Globalization ________.

A) did not begin to emerge until after the end of the Cold War
B) is a sign of states' independence
C) involves most countries as economic players in a world market
D) has promoted state sovereignty
E) is inhibited by multinational corporations

Question 18

In his 1993 publication, Samuel Huntington argues that ________.

A)the post-Cold War world is divided into three civilizations
B)post-Cold War civilizations are based primarily on economics
C)the post-Cold War world was dividing into eight "civilizations" based mostly on religion
D)the post-Cold War represents the end of armed conflict
E)the biggest threat to the post-Cold War world is the Sinic civilization

Question 19

Which of the following systems looks at the world as a single, big capitalist market?

A) unipolar system
B) counterweight system
C) stratified system
D) U.S.-China duopoly
E) globalized system

Question 20

Which of the following characteristics best explains a state?

A)It is a group of people who feel as though their identities are tied to one another.
B)It is a group of humans residing in a territory with a government.
C)It lacks the legitimate monopoly on coercion.
D)It is a group of people tied together by ethnicity.
E)It is a nonsovereign entity within the international system.

Question 21

International anarchy is ________.

A)a lack of an overarching international authority that can prevent conflict in the international system
B) a constant state of war between states
C) allowing weak states to organize the world system
D) a power map of the world
E) the absence of state sovereignty

Question 22

After Napoleon's defeat in 1814, Europe's top statesmen met under the guidance of an Austrian prince to restore a balance-of-power system, which was called the ________.

A)Metternichian system
B)Westphalian system
C)Bismarckian system
D)chimera system
E)multipolar system

Question 23

Which of the following was the prevailing international system during the interwar period?

A) duopoly
B) bipolar
C) unipolar
D) anti-balance-of-power
E) balance-of-power

Question 24

Why do some critics label the Cold War era as a "loose bipolar" system?

A)There were many neutral countries that avoided joining either side.
B)There were more than two power centers.
C)There was an arms race between the two superpowers.
D)One power broke apart into pieces that remained loosely affiliated.
E)Both powers avoided any confrontation.

Question 25

________ is the abstract quality of ruling over a country.

A) Supranational entity
B) Sovereignty
C) Nationalism
D) Unipolar system
E) Bipolar system

Question 26

Which of the following is true regarding the Responsibility to Protect (R2P)?

A)It argues that the international community can intervene in another state that is abusing its citizens.
B)It bolsters state sovereignty.
C)It supplements the Peace of Westphalia.
D)It is popular among the majority of the world's countries.
E)It was developed directly following WWII.

Question 27

Which of the following holds true about a multipolar international system?

A) It has at least three major powers.
B) It is characterized by a lack of trading blocs.
C) It has at least three major powers and is characterized by a lack of trading blocs.
D) It is characterized by trading blocs that engage in economic competition.
E) It has at least three major powers but one that is clearly the most powerful.

Question 28

A potential counterweight to U.S. power is ________.

A)China
B)United Kingdom
C)France
D)India
E)NATO

Question 29

According to some experts, "an age of scarcity" will lead the world into ________.

A) the failure of capitalism
B) independent markets
C) resource wars
D) the failure of globalization
E) communism

Question 30

What is sovereignty? Is sovereignty obsolete in a globalized world? Discuss the various threats that globalization could pose to sovereignty and state your opinion on whether these are legitimate threats based on current events.

Question 31

Which international system do you think best characterizes the present period? Is the current international system similar to the one that arose immediately following the end of the Cold War? Why or why not?

Question 32

Did World War I and World War II offer support for the balance-of-power theory or contradict it? Discuss the main tenets of this theory and apply them to the WWI and WWII scenarios.

Question 33

Was the European balance-of-power system inferior to the Cold War bipolar system? Discuss concepts such as alliances, stability, and peace.

Question 34

Was the Cold War sustainable? Discuss at least three of the five reasons why the Cold War could not endure.