Final Exam Flashcards
Which 9 states have nuclear capabilities?
US, Russia, China, UK, France, Israel, India, Pakistan, NK
What % of the world’s nuclear weapons do Russia and the US share?
90%
What % of a country’s national GDP do they spend on military?
1-3.5%
What are some of the benefits of maintaining a military?
Security (immediate defense), creation of jobs, resource of professionally trained individuals.
What is the US military budget?
739.3 billion
What is the biggest issue with maintaining a military?
Civil-military relations, the distribution of authority between civilian and military leadership. Security dilemma
What country has been hailed as a success in terms of civil-military relations?
Tanzania
What are the three elements of power?
Economic Capabilities, Military Power and Political Will.
What was the motivating factor behind the 9/11 attacks?
Osama bin Laden’s belief that the US had no stomach for casualties and this would cause them to withdraw from the Middle East. (Ex: Beirut withdrawal of troups, Black Hawk Down incident in Somalia.)
What is the greatest test of a state’s security?
War.
Why are International Wars typically fought?
Either to gain or protect territory or resources against existing or nascent threats or to spread or reject ideology or religion.
Why are wars less prevalent?
Wars do not pay. They are no longer about conquest.
What are the implications of interstate wars?
- The conquest only affects one nation. 2. The means by which the war will be fought is very different. More complex and messier, low-tech affairs.
What four conditions over-ride the principle of sovereignty?
- The government requests assistance. 2. If the conflict has concluded and both parties request assistance in maintaining the peace. 3. If the state has failed and the conflict must be contained in the interests of the affected population and neighbouring states. 4. If the government’s mistreatment of its population is so egregious that it cannot be considered a legitimate government and morality dictates that external powers intervene on behalf of the victimized citizenry.
What are the four US security strategies embarked upon by Barack Obama?
- Offshore balancing and a reliance on standoff technologies. 2. Focusing on either balance and containment or actively engaging. 3. Smart Power. 4. Nuclear disarmament by negotiating a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) and working towards nuclear zero.
What are the two main criticisms of offshore balancing?
- It keeps competition local rather than global, not reducing competition overall. 2. Americans use their great wealth and military advantage to buy international influence without having to risk American troops’ lives.
Which two statesmen explained, “regardless of one’s vision of the ultimate future of nuclear weapons, the overarching goal of contemporary U.S. nuclear policy must be to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used.”?
Henry Kissinger and Brent Scowcroft.
What are China’s three transcendences?
Sustainable industrialization, more democratic society, and eschewing global domination (hegemony).
Who has the largest military in the world?
China.
Who’s instability has been one of the most persistent problems on the continent?
Somalia
What was one of Al Qaeda’s successes?
Branding Terrorism
Which two organizations reflect the new transnational strategy?
AQIM and AQAP
Which countries do the terrorists despise the most?
US, Israel and Western Europe
What are the perfect asymmetric technology?
IEDs