INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
What is the goal of classical realism? - 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? - 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? - 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? - 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? - ANSWER-Official Measure: tangible assets- GDP
-military expenditure
-military personnel
-iron and steel production
-energy consumption
-urban population
-total population
What does Structural Realism (or Neorealism) explore? - ANSWER-Under what
conditions is peace most likely
What are the basic assumptions of Neorealism? - ANSWER--states are the most
important actors
, -the world is anarchic (no central global authority), believed anarchy was the problem as
opposed to classical realism which states the human nature and self-interest is the
problem
-the main goal of states is survival
-states are rational actors
GIVEN ASSUMPTIONS: the best chance for survival is power because the more
powerful a state is relative to others, the more likely it is to survive, thus states
continuously seek to shift power in their favor
Explain the Balance of Power theory. - ANSWER--Balancing-states respond to an
increase in power by others by increasing their power
-equal distribution of capabilities reduces the likelihood of war and leads to stability
LOGIC: victory becomes problematic under a condition of parity (cannot predict victory
with high certainty) and uncertainty deters aggression
What are two ways to balance power? - ANSWER-Internal Balancing
External Balancing- forming alliances
Explain polarity. - ANSWER--balancing leads to polarity in the global system
-polarity: when a few powerful states dominate the system
-unipolarity: one dominant state
-bipolarity: two dominant states
-multipolarity: many dominant states
Explain bipolarity as it relates to the Balance of Power theory. - ANSWER-Best for
peace:
-uncertainty causes mistakes/miscalculations
-war results from miscalculations
-bipolarity reduces uncertainty because each superpower has one main adversary and
so they would know what to expect
-establishes a system with the two states with basically equal power, so the chance of
victory is slim
-therefore, war is less likely
(war will occur when there are not 2 great powers)
What does the Power Transition theory seek to answer? - ANSWER-What leads to war
and under what condition is peace most likely?
What assumptions does the Power Transition theory make? - ANSWER-Neorealist
assumptions:
-states are important actors
-states are rational actors
Deviations from neorealist assumptions:
-hierarchy
-rules govern international system (e.g. U.S. created this system)
QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
What is the goal of classical realism? - 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? - 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? - 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? - 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? - ANSWER-Official Measure: tangible assets- GDP
-military expenditure
-military personnel
-iron and steel production
-energy consumption
-urban population
-total population
What does Structural Realism (or Neorealism) explore? - ANSWER-Under what
conditions is peace most likely
What are the basic assumptions of Neorealism? - ANSWER--states are the most
important actors
, -the world is anarchic (no central global authority), believed anarchy was the problem as
opposed to classical realism which states the human nature and self-interest is the
problem
-the main goal of states is survival
-states are rational actors
GIVEN ASSUMPTIONS: the best chance for survival is power because the more
powerful a state is relative to others, the more likely it is to survive, thus states
continuously seek to shift power in their favor
Explain the Balance of Power theory. - ANSWER--Balancing-states respond to an
increase in power by others by increasing their power
-equal distribution of capabilities reduces the likelihood of war and leads to stability
LOGIC: victory becomes problematic under a condition of parity (cannot predict victory
with high certainty) and uncertainty deters aggression
What are two ways to balance power? - ANSWER-Internal Balancing
External Balancing- forming alliances
Explain polarity. - ANSWER--balancing leads to polarity in the global system
-polarity: when a few powerful states dominate the system
-unipolarity: one dominant state
-bipolarity: two dominant states
-multipolarity: many dominant states
Explain bipolarity as it relates to the Balance of Power theory. - ANSWER-Best for
peace:
-uncertainty causes mistakes/miscalculations
-war results from miscalculations
-bipolarity reduces uncertainty because each superpower has one main adversary and
so they would know what to expect
-establishes a system with the two states with basically equal power, so the chance of
victory is slim
-therefore, war is less likely
(war will occur when there are not 2 great powers)
What does the Power Transition theory seek to answer? - ANSWER-What leads to war
and under what condition is peace most likely?
What assumptions does the Power Transition theory make? - ANSWER-Neorealist
assumptions:
-states are important actors
-states are rational actors
Deviations from neorealist assumptions:
-hierarchy
-rules govern international system (e.g. U.S. created this system)
