Test on International Relations: Realism and Anarchy

Question 1: Under unipolarity, the security dilemma ceases to operate, ensuring that a dominant state's efforts to enhance its security do not diminish the security of other states.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: The security dilemma continues to operate under unipolarity, as steps taken by the United States to enhance its security will decrease the security of other states.

Question 2: According to the study materials, which of the following statements is true regarding the historical incidence of security-driven expansion?

A. The historical record contains many cases where states pursued security-driven expansion.

B. Defensive realists typically classify the expansionist behavior of Napoleonic France as security-driven.

C. States seldom engage in security-driven expansion.

D. Security-driven expansion, over the long run, is generally considered self-defeating by defensive realists.

Explanation: The study materials state that 'The historical record abounds with cases of states that pursued security-driven expansion or preventive war,' making option 0 correct. It also notes that 'Few defensive realists would classify the expansionist behavior of Napoleonic France and Nazi Germany as security driven,' making option 1 incorrect. Option 2 contradicts the statement that the historical record 'abounds' with such cases. Finally, the materials mention that 'Defensive realists note that states will sometimes engage in security-driven expansion, but that over the long run, self-aggrandizement will prove self-defeating,' which implies security-driven expansion can be self-defeating, making option 3 correct.

Question 3: Security-seeking states have historically precipitated international crises or wars due to uncertainty about adversaries' intentions and impending power shifts.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: The provided text indicates that the Peloponnesian War, the War of the Spanish Succession, the Seven Years' War, the French Revolutionary Wars, Russia's mobilization in the July 1914 crisis, the 1962 Sino-Indian War, the 1965 and 1971 Indian-Pakistani Wars, and the 1990 Kashmir crisis are all cases where security-seeking states precipitated international crises or wars in part because of uncertainty about adversaries' intentions and impending power shifts.

Question 4: According to Kydd's model, which of the following actions are characteristic of a security-seeking great power?

A. Signaling disinterest in conquest and domination for its own sake.

B. Pursuing unilateral arms control and moderate military policies.

C. Underestimating the difficulty of discerning states' future intentions.

D. Provoking international crises due to uncertainty about adversaries' intentions.

Explanation: Kydd's model states that a security-seeking great power signals disinterest in conquest and domination for its own sake, and will pursue unilateral arms control and moderate military policies. The study materials indicate that Kydd underestimates the difficulty of discerning states' future intentions, which is a criticism of his model, not a characteristic of the state within his model. Provoking international crises due to uncertainty about adversaries' intentions is presented as a counter-example to Kydd's assertions by defensive realists, not an action by a security-seeking state in Kydd's model.

Question 5: The Marco Polo Bridge Incident in July 1937 reduced Japan's dependence on the United States, Great Britain, and the Netherlands for oil and raw materials.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: The July 1937 clash near the Marco Polo Bridge escalated into a full-scale war, which increased Japan's dependence on the United States, Great Britain, and the Netherlands for oil and raw materials, rather than reducing it.