Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

POLI 381 > TopHat Questions Pre-Midterm > Flashcards

TopHat Questions Pre-Midterm Flashcards

1
Q

What comprises the foundational elements of the nation-state?

A
  • people
  • territory
  • government
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Negative sovereignty (which begins to emerge in the Treaty of Westphalia) is best captured by the following definition:

A
  • recognition in law of territorial integrity and freedom from external interference in domestic affairs
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Fundamental tenets that most realists would agree on would include

A
  • an ethic of responsibility to protect the state may require amoral actions by leaders
  • states are the most important actors in world politics
  • states exist in a condition of anarchy and self-help
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Central assumptions of realism

A
  • sovereign states are principal actors
  • self-help & survival are top priority
  • states should be considered unitary, rational actors operating in an anarchical system
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Liberalism as a political philosophy emerge din 17th and 18th Europe and supports the following precepts

A
  • human nature is basically good, people are perfectible
  • states thrive in a world governed by morality and laws, at home and abroad
  • reason and rationality compels states to cooperate for absolute gains
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Some characteristics of IR theory that would derive from Karl Marx’s 19th Century writings include the following

A
  • you cannot separate politics, economics, and international relations in the analysis of world history
  • class is the key unit of analysis, not states
  • globalization might be the catalyst for class consciousness and eventual transformation of exploitative modes of production
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Neorealism (also called structural realism) is a parsimonious approach to explaining state behaviour. What elements are a part of a neorealist explanation or theory?

A
  • the distribution of capabilities (i.e., power) across units (i.e., great powers) is the key variable necessary to understand international outcomes/balance of power
  • states are security maximizers (sometimes referred to as “defensive realism”)
  • domestic politics is not important for explaining great power behaviour
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Which of the following would be the best description of the significant changes in the major institutions of international society between the Concert of Europe era (1815-1914) and the post WWII era (1945-1990)

A
  • shifts from a multipolar balance of power system that outlawed slavery but supported imperialism to a bipolar system that ultimately recognized de jure sovereignty of all previous colonies
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

The lineage of realism can be traced back to the work of who?

A
  • Thucydides & Hobbes
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Some examples of elements of Wilson’s 14 Points (enumerated in January 1918)

A
  • freedom of navigation on the high seas, during peace or war
  • promotion of the removal of economic barriers to trade
  • Collective security designed to create mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

In Waltz’s (1959) level of analysis schema, the 3rd image refers to what?

A
  • state behaviour driven by the assumption of survival in an anarchic international system
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Common criticisms of realism in general:

A
  • can be seen as a self-fulfilling prophecy
  • the role of anarchy/international system too deterministic
  • no agreement among realists about best form of balance of power for peace and stability
  • even the name of “realism” unfairly positions it as explaining the “real” world
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Characteristics shared between classical/neoclassical realism

A
  • anarchy creates an environment of self-help for state survival
  • states are the most important actors in world politics
  • balance of power dynamics provide some stability to the international system
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What characteristic is NOT shared between classical/neoclassical realism and structural/neorealism?

A
  • regime type and personalities of leaders matter in terms of state behaviour
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Statements that are supportive of Democratic Peace Theory

A
  • independent, constitutional republics with elected government’s don’t fight each other
  • the spirit of commerce or pursuit of economic prosperity (self-interest) makes war disruptive
  • authoritarian states (whether monarchies, dictators, military gov’ts) are not constrained by public opinion
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

A variant of dependency theory suggests a triple alliance exists in periphery states to reduce the chances of local wealth redistribution. Which are a part of the triple alliance?

A
  • MNCs/TNCs
  • local capitalist elites
  • state bourgeoisie
17
Q

If realism’s basic driving question is “how can stability or security be achieved in an anarchic world”, and liberalism’s driving question might be “How can peaceful change and prosperity be promoted in an interdependent but anarchic world?”, what might be the best question below that underpins Marxist-influenced IR theory?

A
  • How do global modes of production eliminate harmony of interest among workers and lead to underdevelopment in the periphery?
18
Q

The Prisoner’s Dilemma game is useful to conceptualize what kind of problem in global politics?

A
  • the challenge of reaching a best possible shared outcome if each player has a possible better individual outcome
19
Q

While neorealist and neoliberal theories share many starting assumptions rooted in a rationalist approach, they do not share this assumption:

A
  • International competition is always a zero-sum game of conflicting interests
20
Q

Which list best captures the chronological or historical order for significant contributers to liberal theory?

A
  • Locke, Kant, Smith, Ricardo, Angell, Wilson, Monnet, Keohane, & Nye
21
Q

Economic structuralist perspectives generally agree on what assumptions?

A
  • the hierarchical structure of the international system includes core, periphery, and semi-periphery states
  • share realism’s assumption that International politics is inherently and inevitably conflictual
  • economics are the driving force in international politics; states are simply tools for the dominant class
22
Q

According to constructivists, what fundamentally shapes the identity and interests of actors such as states?

A
  • international treaties and organizations
  • level of material capabilities
  • anarchy and security dilemmas
23
Q

What claims about the English School approach are made in Chapter 7?

A
  • can be seen as a bridge linking insights from both positivist/rationalist and critical/post-positivist approaches
  • while state is still an important actor, English School acknowledges that the point of states is the protection of individuals/communities
  • significant attention is paid to the historical analysis of how an international society of states is created, maintained, and sometimes decays
24
Q

The following are all generally shared assumptions of various forms of critical and postcolonial IR theory

A
  • not only interested in understanding the world, but also interested in changing it
  • the Westphalian (Eurocentric) sovereign state itself is an obstacle to change and emancipation for humanity given its exclusionary foundations
  • theory is always for some one and for some purpose; thus, objective theorizing is impossible
25
Q

Components of empirical theory approach to IR include the following

A
  • carefully defining your concepts, variables, and scope condiitons
  • looking for evidence that would falsify your hypothesis
    formulating a testable hypothesis
26
Q

From ma constructivist approach, anarchy isn’t an objective independent thing influencing state behaviour. Which of the following statements aligns with a constructivist understanding of anarchy?

A
  • states/leaders have options but these are constrained by prevailing ideas
  • the international system does not inevitably have to result in competition or security dilemmas
  • rules/norms shaping state behaviour are rooted in practices/institutions states themselves create
27
Q

The work of leading feminist IR scholar, Cynthia ENloe, aligns with the following insights

A
  • where are the women?
  • women often played important but invisible supporting roles in the provision of military and economic power
  • women’s lack of profile in IR theoyr and practice was originally justified as a “natural” consequence of women’s biological roles
28
Q

Foreign Policy ANalysis, as developed in Hudson’s (2005) article, employs what level of analysis?

A
  • individual
  • domestic/state
  • system
29
Q

The following claims are part of the challenge Non-Western IR Theory offers to mainstream (mostly Western derived) IR analysis

A
  • non -western states may have different problem-solving priorities than Western ones
  • the theory and practice of IR (including a central concern with nation-state sovereignty) serves Western hegemonic and world order interests
  • Rationalism and empiricism may ignore factors and variables of relevance including the inability to be completely objective

POLI 381 (8 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions