Midterm Vocabulary

Question 1

Rational Model (Decision-Making)

Answer 1

Based on a series of actions including generating possible solutions and evaluating their pros and cons;

Question 2

Bureaucratic Politics Model

Answer 2

The fight over trade policy formation that takes place within the government between the ministries of agriculture, industry, and labor;

Question 3

Anarchy and Security Dilemma

Answer 3

Two states are defensive realist states that do not intend to threaten each other’s security; result in an arms race

Question 4

Power Transition Theory

Answer 4

Suggests that war is most likely when a challenger to a dominant state approaches parity in its level of power and is not satisfied with the current system;

Question 5

Prospect Theory

Answer 5

People are risk-averse regarding gains, but risk-acceptance regarding losses;

Question 6

Bounded Rationality

Answer 6

Cost of seeking and processing information to find the best option;

Question 7

Groupthink

Answer 7

Tendency for groups to reach decisions without accurately assessing the consequences;

Question 8

Bargaining and War: Commitment Problem

Answer 8

Credibility regarding not to use force to revise the terms of the settlement at a later date;

Question 9

Bargaining and War: Private Information

Answer 9

Incentive to misinterpret information;

Question 10

Balancing vs. Bandwagoning

Answer 10

Balancing - concerns regarding its survival and more autonomy/influence
Bandwagoning - states join forces with those who are stronger in a conflict;

Question 11

WWI and WW2: Offense-Defense Balance

Answer 11

The ratio of the cost of the forces the attacker requires to take territory to the cost of the forces the defender has deployed;

Question 12

WWI and WW2: Alliance Behavior in Multipolarity

Answer 12

Chain-ganging and buck-passing - chained into others behavior and passing down the responsibility to others;

Question 13

Issues Regarding Alliances

Answer 13

Alliance Cohesion - diverse interest and identities
Burden Sharing - share a lot more burden –> give them money
Credibility (Willingness/Capability) - whether the country would come in times of need
Entrapment - chained into others behavior
Buck-passing - passing down the responsibility to others;

Question 14

Prisoner’s Dilemma

Answer 14

A situation where two parties separated and unable to communicate, must each choose between cooperating with each other or not;

Question 15

Democratic Peace Theory

Answer 15

“Democracies never go to war with each other.”

Question 16

Diversion Strategy

Answer 16

Takes people’s attention away from problems like economic troubles or scandals by creating a crisis;

Question 17

Rally Effect

Answer 17

People tend to become supportive of their government where there is a dramatic international event, like a war;

Question 18

Nuclear Weapons: Second-Strike Capability

Answer 18

Some of your weapons survive and you still have some weapons to retaliate;

Question 19

Nuclear Weapons: Non-proliferation treaty

Answer 19

Treaty that took effect in the 1970s that was signed by major nuclear and non-nuclear powers to help spread nuclear technology; recognized five nuclear powers

Question 20

Ethnic Conflicts: Why do they happen?

Answer 20

Ethnocentrism - thinking of something positively, while others will think negatively
Conflicts of Interest - economic exploitation
Opportunities - weak governments
Manipulation by greedy politicians/leaders

Question 21

Ethnic Conflicts: How to end them (evaluations)

Answer 21

Military Victory - one side dominance
Partition - each group holds its own sovereign state
Power-sharing institutions - successful for long lasting conflicts with few casualties

Question 22

Ethnic Conflicts: Rwanda Case

Answer 22

Genocide case where more than 800,000 Rwandans were brutally killed by fellow citizens targeting the Tutsi ethnic group

Question 23

Terrorism: Causes

Answer 23

Urbanization: easy and accessible targets and anonymity
Development of transportation and communication: mobility and publicity
Globalization: rapid and widespread movement of people, money, technology, ideas
Social facilitation: making it morally and politically justifiable
Political factor: government’s inability or willingness
Grievances of subgroups
Lack of opportunity for political participation

Question 24

Terrorism: (Immediate) purposes

Answer 24

To gain recognition or attention: advertisement of the cause
To affect the public attitude
To disrupt and discredit the government: weakening it administratively
To provoke a counter-reaction from the government

Question 25

Terrorism: Regime type implications (Democracies vs. Authoritarian regimes)

Answer 25

Publicity
Repression/retaliation
Getting information (about terrorist groups/plans)
Legal process/human rights
The public influence on the government
Cost tolerance
Easier targets