INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS EXAM #1 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What is international Relations? - correct answer Collective Interaction of actors in the
international community.
List the two kinds of interactions. - correct answer Positive Interactions- cooperation
over aviation security.
Negative Interactions- 9/11 terrorist attacks
What is the principle of collective action? - correct answer Cooperation by at least two
actors to achieve a common goal
What are the four levels of analysis in IR? - correct answer -Global
-Interstate/Systemic
-State
-Individual
What is the individual level of analysis? - correct answer -emphasizes the role of key
leaders
-leaders seldom make purely rational decisions
-Rational Actor Model
-Bounded rationality
(external and internal boundaries)
-Cognitive consistency: leaders tend to respond to actions/methods that are closely
related to their own ideologies
-Heuristic devices: shortcuts used when there is a lot of information and not enough
time
-emotional factors, personal experiences, and health all affect the decisions of leaders
What is the Rational Actor Model? - correct answer (Part of the individual level of
analysis)
-Optimal Choice:
-considers foreign policy goal of nation
-analyzes options to achieve goal (war, assassination, discussion) and options'
benefits/utility and costs
-ranks the options
-choose option that ranks highest
What is the state level of analysis? - correct answer Domestic characteristics of states
explain IR:
-type of government (citizens, public opinion)
-foreign policy making actors (powerful people):
-Executive branch, congress, interest groups
-political culture/ideology
, What is the system level of analysis? - correct answer Focuses on economy and power,
positioning and interaction with world:
-realities of international system influences foreign policy
-IR is based on the positioning and interaction between states:
-economic realities
-power relationships
What is the global level of analysis? - correct answer -global trends determine
international relations
-trends are general and reflect the movement and attitude in the international arena
-norms, concerns
What is the paradigm of realism? - correct answer The goal of nation-state is to
increase power
What is the goal of classical realism? - correct answer -to help explain what happened
in the first half of the 20th century (crisis of western civilizations)
-to explain the way the world is
-shows why war is a necessary characteristic of IR
What are the principles of Classical Realism? - correct answer 1.) Politics is governed
by objective laws that come from human nature
-objective law: rational, not arbitrary
-human nature: the set of inherent ways of thinking and acting that humans have
-human nature determines how we interact with IR:
-self interest/survival is the most significant characteristic of human nature
2.) The only way for states to protect their self-interest is to increase their power
(through soft power and hard power)- classical realists are most interested in the use of
hard power
3.) Morality should be separated from political obligation
-classical realism is amoral (just want to survive)
-a state's interest whether moral or amoral comes first
What is power? - correct answer The ability to influence an actor according to ones own
objectives.
Allows states to achieve their ultimate aim
What are the two ways to apply power? - correct answer Hard Power strategies: use of
coercive tactics to get a nation to adjust its behavior (economic or military)
Soft Power strategies: use of inducements and attractions to shape the preferences of
others
How is power measured? - correct answer Official Measure: tangible assets- GDP
-military expenditure
-military personnel
-iron and steel production
What is international Relations? - correct answer Collective Interaction of actors in the
international community.
List the two kinds of interactions. - correct answer Positive Interactions- cooperation
over aviation security.
Negative Interactions- 9/11 terrorist attacks
What is the principle of collective action? - correct answer Cooperation by at least two
actors to achieve a common goal
What are the four levels of analysis in IR? - correct answer -Global
-Interstate/Systemic
-State
-Individual
What is the individual level of analysis? - correct answer -emphasizes the role of key
leaders
-leaders seldom make purely rational decisions
-Rational Actor Model
-Bounded rationality
(external and internal boundaries)
-Cognitive consistency: leaders tend to respond to actions/methods that are closely
related to their own ideologies
-Heuristic devices: shortcuts used when there is a lot of information and not enough
time
-emotional factors, personal experiences, and health all affect the decisions of leaders
What is the Rational Actor Model? - correct answer (Part of the individual level of
analysis)
-Optimal Choice:
-considers foreign policy goal of nation
-analyzes options to achieve goal (war, assassination, discussion) and options'
benefits/utility and costs
-ranks the options
-choose option that ranks highest
What is the state level of analysis? - correct answer Domestic characteristics of states
explain IR:
-type of government (citizens, public opinion)
-foreign policy making actors (powerful people):
-Executive branch, congress, interest groups
-political culture/ideology
, What is the system level of analysis? - correct answer Focuses on economy and power,
positioning and interaction with world:
-realities of international system influences foreign policy
-IR is based on the positioning and interaction between states:
-economic realities
-power relationships
What is the global level of analysis? - correct answer -global trends determine
international relations
-trends are general and reflect the movement and attitude in the international arena
-norms, concerns
What is the paradigm of realism? - correct answer The goal of nation-state is to
increase power
What is the goal of classical realism? - correct answer -to help explain what happened
in the first half of the 20th century (crisis of western civilizations)
-to explain the way the world is
-shows why war is a necessary characteristic of IR
What are the principles of Classical Realism? - correct answer 1.) Politics is governed
by objective laws that come from human nature
-objective law: rational, not arbitrary
-human nature: the set of inherent ways of thinking and acting that humans have
-human nature determines how we interact with IR:
-self interest/survival is the most significant characteristic of human nature
2.) The only way for states to protect their self-interest is to increase their power
(through soft power and hard power)- classical realists are most interested in the use of
hard power
3.) Morality should be separated from political obligation
-classical realism is amoral (just want to survive)
-a state's interest whether moral or amoral comes first
What is power? - correct answer The ability to influence an actor according to ones own
objectives.
Allows states to achieve their ultimate aim
What are the two ways to apply power? - correct answer Hard Power strategies: use of
coercive tactics to get a nation to adjust its behavior (economic or military)
Soft Power strategies: use of inducements and attractions to shape the preferences of
others
How is power measured? - correct answer Official Measure: tangible assets- GDP
-military expenditure
-military personnel
-iron and steel production
