INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS EXAM #9 FULLY SOLVED
Positivism - correct answer An approach to knowledge based on the scientific method
and the observation and analysis of empirical data
Rational Choice Theory - correct answer An approach to social science, borrowed from
economics, that assumes individuals are rational actors who make decisions intended
to maximize their interests on the basis of cost-benefit calculations, post-positivist,
based on scientific method and data collection
Paradigm - correct answer A conceptual or theoretical perspective or framework
commonly accepted within a scholarly discipline that helps to inform and guide thinking
and research
Realism - correct answer Dominant post- World War II era paradigm; based on the
assumption that international relations is a struggle for power among sovereign states
Human Nature Realists - correct answer Also called "classical realists", scholars who
see the struggle for power as rooted in the essential character of human nature
Structural Realists - correct answer Also called "neo-realists", scholars who see the
struggle for power as rooted in the structure of the international system, especially in the
condition of anarchy
Anarchy - correct answer The absence of an effective world government
Sovereignty - correct answer Condition of supreme, independent political authority
answerable to no higher authority
National Interest - correct answer State objectives and needs that transcend the
particular interests of individuals and groups within a state and that drive state behavior
in the international system
Self-Help - correct answer State efforts to protect their interests through the
accumulation of military power or through the creation of alliances
Security Dilemma - correct answer The notion that what one state does for purely
defensive purposes might appear to other states as threatening to their security and
interests
Balance of Power - correct answer Approach to order that assumes a rough equilibrium
among the great powers helps to maintain stability, since no state can initiate war and
be confident of victory
Liberalism - correct answer Paradigm that suggests global cooperation is possible,
challenges realism's power-oriented view
, Three Types of Liberalism - correct answer Liberal Institutionalism, Commercialism, and
Internationalism
Kantian Triange - correct answer
Constructivism - correct answer Paradigm emphasizing the role that human agency,
norms, and identities play in creating the character of international relations
Balance of Threat - correct answer Modification of the notion of balance of power; it's
the idea that what drives state behavior is the subjective assessment of the treat that
others pose to the national interest
Feminism - correct answer Paradigm that suggests 1) the inclusion of more women in
positions of authority could change the way world politics is conducted and 2) traditional
scholarship especially realism reflects a gendered perspective
Neo-Marxism - correct answer Paradigm that accepts the realist notion that conflict is
inherent in world politics, but sees that conflict as driven more by economic interest
5 Paradigms - correct answer Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism, Feminism, and Neo-
Marxism
State - correct answer A political unit able to exercise effective governance and control
over a well-defined piece of territory and its population
Nation - correct answer Group of people who see themselves, due to shared historical
and cultural experiences, as members of a common group
Nation-State - correct answer A state that exists to provide territory and governance for
a group of people who see themselves as a single nation
Bandwagoning - correct answer Joining sides with a dominant or rising power in order
to be on the winning side- opposite of balancing
Concert of Europe - correct answer Series of Meetings and conferences, and the rules
they generated, that took place among the great powers of Europe from 1815- 1848 and
that were intended to produce stability and order
Balancer State - correct answer In a balance of power system, this state is one with
both an interest and capability to ensure that power is kept relatively in balance
Pax Britannica - correct answer Era of peace produced by British power and hegemony
in the 19th century
Positivism - correct answer An approach to knowledge based on the scientific method
and the observation and analysis of empirical data
Rational Choice Theory - correct answer An approach to social science, borrowed from
economics, that assumes individuals are rational actors who make decisions intended
to maximize their interests on the basis of cost-benefit calculations, post-positivist,
based on scientific method and data collection
Paradigm - correct answer A conceptual or theoretical perspective or framework
commonly accepted within a scholarly discipline that helps to inform and guide thinking
and research
Realism - correct answer Dominant post- World War II era paradigm; based on the
assumption that international relations is a struggle for power among sovereign states
Human Nature Realists - correct answer Also called "classical realists", scholars who
see the struggle for power as rooted in the essential character of human nature
Structural Realists - correct answer Also called "neo-realists", scholars who see the
struggle for power as rooted in the structure of the international system, especially in the
condition of anarchy
Anarchy - correct answer The absence of an effective world government
Sovereignty - correct answer Condition of supreme, independent political authority
answerable to no higher authority
National Interest - correct answer State objectives and needs that transcend the
particular interests of individuals and groups within a state and that drive state behavior
in the international system
Self-Help - correct answer State efforts to protect their interests through the
accumulation of military power or through the creation of alliances
Security Dilemma - correct answer The notion that what one state does for purely
defensive purposes might appear to other states as threatening to their security and
interests
Balance of Power - correct answer Approach to order that assumes a rough equilibrium
among the great powers helps to maintain stability, since no state can initiate war and
be confident of victory
Liberalism - correct answer Paradigm that suggests global cooperation is possible,
challenges realism's power-oriented view
, Three Types of Liberalism - correct answer Liberal Institutionalism, Commercialism, and
Internationalism
Kantian Triange - correct answer
Constructivism - correct answer Paradigm emphasizing the role that human agency,
norms, and identities play in creating the character of international relations
Balance of Threat - correct answer Modification of the notion of balance of power; it's
the idea that what drives state behavior is the subjective assessment of the treat that
others pose to the national interest
Feminism - correct answer Paradigm that suggests 1) the inclusion of more women in
positions of authority could change the way world politics is conducted and 2) traditional
scholarship especially realism reflects a gendered perspective
Neo-Marxism - correct answer Paradigm that accepts the realist notion that conflict is
inherent in world politics, but sees that conflict as driven more by economic interest
5 Paradigms - correct answer Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism, Feminism, and Neo-
Marxism
State - correct answer A political unit able to exercise effective governance and control
over a well-defined piece of territory and its population
Nation - correct answer Group of people who see themselves, due to shared historical
and cultural experiences, as members of a common group
Nation-State - correct answer A state that exists to provide territory and governance for
a group of people who see themselves as a single nation
Bandwagoning - correct answer Joining sides with a dominant or rising power in order
to be on the winning side- opposite of balancing
Concert of Europe - correct answer Series of Meetings and conferences, and the rules
they generated, that took place among the great powers of Europe from 1815- 1848 and
that were intended to produce stability and order
Balancer State - correct answer In a balance of power system, this state is one with
both an interest and capability to ensure that power is kept relatively in balance
Pax Britannica - correct answer Era of peace produced by British power and hegemony
in the 19th century
