POLI 105 Midterm – Saladino UPDATED
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Rational Actor Model - CORRECT ANSWER - - Assumes the process is rational and
predictable.
- A formulaic process in which a state:
(1) clarifies goals
(2) prioritizes
(3) lists alternatives
(4) investigates consequences
(5) selects the best or most rational outcome
What is the difference between Deterrence and Compellence? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Deterrence is the use of THREAT to stop a person/state from carrying out an unwanted action.
Compellence is compelling another state to stop their actions by carrying out your threat and
using FORCE.
What are Clausewitz's 3 contributions? - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. 'On War' and politics
by other means.
2. Separation of military and government.
3. Fog of war and hierarchy is necessary.
What is terrorism? - CORRECT ANSWER - - Not state-oriented
- Not declared; we don't know who a terrorist is until after the terrorist act is committed.
- Carried out by individuals
- Targets civilians to inflict terror
- A terrorist cannot return to society; states don't want to associate themselves with terrorists.
,What is the difference between Risk Acceptance and Risk Aversion? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Different individuals have different ideas when taking risks. What one
individual sees as a threat, another may not.
What are Allison's three models? - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Rational Actor (model)
2. Bureaucratic Politics/Government Bargaining model
3. Organization Process Model
After Bismark, what individual(s) took control of Germany? What did they want for the German
state? - CORRECT ANSWER - - Both Bismark and Kaiser Wilhelm I were interested in
maintaining German power; they wanted to make alliances with other states.
- Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted to EXPAND Germany and gain more power. This is a problem
because Germany had no room to expand, and if it wanted to, it had to invade other countries.
Nixon-Kissinger Model - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Leader with a high interest in foreign
policy (Nixon)
2. Leader and main advisor (Kissinger) agrees on foreign policy
3. Domestic and international context allows this to happen.
Case Studies include: Vietnam, Cambodia, China triangulation (sino-soviet split)
What is war? - CORRECT ANSWER - - State-oriented
- Declared
- War is carried out by states' militaries
What do terrorism and war have in common? - CORRECT ANSWER - - Both are rational.
- Although terrorism is not seen as rational, the terrorists see their acts as rational
- Both are goal oriented
What are 3 Biases? - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Perception/Misperception Bias = seeing
, 2. Affective Bias = feeling (Bush and Saddam)
3. Cognitive = thinking (Wishful thinking, justification of effort, enemy image, mirror image)
What is the biggest problem with foreign policy? - CORRECT ANSWER - Individual
rationality.
What was one key difference in the power configuration between WWI and the Cold War? -
CORRECT ANSWER - WWI was a multi-polar system of power; Cold War was a bi-
polar system.
What are the two models that came after Allison's? - CORRECT ANSWER - Presidential
Management Model and Nixon-Kissenger Model.
What was Germany like post-WWI? - CORRECT ANSWER - - Extremely weakened
- Maintained mostly by the US and USSR
- Germany was divided in half; the West run by US, Canada, Britain, France, the East by Russia.
Trinity (name of detonation) - CORRECT ANSWER - Name of bomb: Gadget
Location: Alamagordo, NM
Date: 7/6/1945
Name of plane: None, it was detonated on the ground
Type of bomb: fission
What is the Democratic Peace Theory and how does it tie into WWI? - CORRECT
ANSWER - - Monadic: Democracies are usually more peaceful than non-democracies;
this wasn't true in WWI. France, US, Britain were all involved in the war.
- Dyadic: Two democracies usually don't fight one another; this was proven to be true.
Fat Man (name of detonation) - CORRECT ANSWER - Location: Nagasaki
Date: 8/9/1945
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Rational Actor Model - CORRECT ANSWER - - Assumes the process is rational and
predictable.
- A formulaic process in which a state:
(1) clarifies goals
(2) prioritizes
(3) lists alternatives
(4) investigates consequences
(5) selects the best or most rational outcome
What is the difference between Deterrence and Compellence? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Deterrence is the use of THREAT to stop a person/state from carrying out an unwanted action.
Compellence is compelling another state to stop their actions by carrying out your threat and
using FORCE.
What are Clausewitz's 3 contributions? - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. 'On War' and politics
by other means.
2. Separation of military and government.
3. Fog of war and hierarchy is necessary.
What is terrorism? - CORRECT ANSWER - - Not state-oriented
- Not declared; we don't know who a terrorist is until after the terrorist act is committed.
- Carried out by individuals
- Targets civilians to inflict terror
- A terrorist cannot return to society; states don't want to associate themselves with terrorists.
,What is the difference between Risk Acceptance and Risk Aversion? - CORRECT
ANSWER - Different individuals have different ideas when taking risks. What one
individual sees as a threat, another may not.
What are Allison's three models? - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Rational Actor (model)
2. Bureaucratic Politics/Government Bargaining model
3. Organization Process Model
After Bismark, what individual(s) took control of Germany? What did they want for the German
state? - CORRECT ANSWER - - Both Bismark and Kaiser Wilhelm I were interested in
maintaining German power; they wanted to make alliances with other states.
- Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted to EXPAND Germany and gain more power. This is a problem
because Germany had no room to expand, and if it wanted to, it had to invade other countries.
Nixon-Kissinger Model - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Leader with a high interest in foreign
policy (Nixon)
2. Leader and main advisor (Kissinger) agrees on foreign policy
3. Domestic and international context allows this to happen.
Case Studies include: Vietnam, Cambodia, China triangulation (sino-soviet split)
What is war? - CORRECT ANSWER - - State-oriented
- Declared
- War is carried out by states' militaries
What do terrorism and war have in common? - CORRECT ANSWER - - Both are rational.
- Although terrorism is not seen as rational, the terrorists see their acts as rational
- Both are goal oriented
What are 3 Biases? - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Perception/Misperception Bias = seeing
, 2. Affective Bias = feeling (Bush and Saddam)
3. Cognitive = thinking (Wishful thinking, justification of effort, enemy image, mirror image)
What is the biggest problem with foreign policy? - CORRECT ANSWER - Individual
rationality.
What was one key difference in the power configuration between WWI and the Cold War? -
CORRECT ANSWER - WWI was a multi-polar system of power; Cold War was a bi-
polar system.
What are the two models that came after Allison's? - CORRECT ANSWER - Presidential
Management Model and Nixon-Kissenger Model.
What was Germany like post-WWI? - CORRECT ANSWER - - Extremely weakened
- Maintained mostly by the US and USSR
- Germany was divided in half; the West run by US, Canada, Britain, France, the East by Russia.
Trinity (name of detonation) - CORRECT ANSWER - Name of bomb: Gadget
Location: Alamagordo, NM
Date: 7/6/1945
Name of plane: None, it was detonated on the ground
Type of bomb: fission
What is the Democratic Peace Theory and how does it tie into WWI? - CORRECT
ANSWER - - Monadic: Democracies are usually more peaceful than non-democracies;
this wasn't true in WWI. France, US, Britain were all involved in the war.
- Dyadic: Two democracies usually don't fight one another; this was proven to be true.
Fat Man (name of detonation) - CORRECT ANSWER - Location: Nagasaki
Date: 8/9/1945
