All Free International Relations MCQs with Answers

Every International Relations question in the bank, across all chapters, each with the correct answer and a written explanation. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.

1,618 questions · page 72 of 81

  • A. T.V. Paul
  • B. Fareed Zakaria
  • C. Gideon Rose
  • D. None of these

Explanation: T.V. Paul is associated with prudent realism, which emphasizes cautious, interest-based statecraft and restraint rather than unnecessary…

Correct answer: T.V. Paul
  • A. the sovereign power and authority of national government - the entitlement of states to rule within their own territorial space - being transformed but not necessarily eroded
  • B. a real dilemma: in return for more effective public policy and meeting their citizens demands, whether in relation to the drugs trade or employment, their capacity for self-governance - that is sate autonomy - is compromised
  • C. a new geography of political organization and political power is emerging, which transcends territories and borders
  • D. all of the above

Explanation: The post-Westphalian order involves transformed state sovereignty, trade-offs between effective governance and state autonomy, and…

Correct answer: all of the above
  • A. containment of American military power
  • B. economic reform
  • C. support of developing world communist revolutions
  • D. detente with China

Explanation: Perestroika was Mikhail Gorbachev’s programme of economic restructuring and reform in the Soviet Union.

Correct answer: economic reform
  • A. dominance
  • B. reciprocity
  • C. identity
  • D. favoritism

Explanation: Identity divides people into an in-group and an out-group, and political actors may portray the out-group as threatening or evil.

Correct answer: identity
  • A. tragedy of the commons
  • B. collective action
  • C. free riding
  • D. hegemonyStream History Documentaries

Explanation: The collective goods problem is linked to collective action, free riding and the tragedy of the commons, where actors benefit without…

Correct answer: hegemonyStream History Documentaries
  • A. reciprocity
  • B. dominance
  • C. identity
  • D. polity

Explanation: Reciprocity encourages cooperation because states expect cooperative behaviour to be returned and defection to invite a response.

Correct answer: reciprocity
  • A. interstate
  • B. individual
  • C. global
  • D. nationalGet Study Guides

Explanation: The interstate level examines relationships and interactions among states while setting aside their domestic institutions and individual…

Correct answer: interstate

1428. Realists are:

  • A. Advocates of aggressive foreign policy and war
  • B. Supporters of war when it is necessary to further a rational understanding of the national interest
  • C. Concerned with economic development place
  • D. Afraid terrorism will make the world a less secure placeCompare Local Schools

Explanation: Realists do not glorify war or regard aggression as an end in itself; they accept force when it is judged necessary for a rationally…

Correct answer: Supporters of war when it is necessary to further a rational understanding of the national interest
  • A. A state that is aggressive and always building up its military
  • B. The conditions when there is no actual conflict but a permanent cold war that could become a "real" war at any time
  • C. A situation in which several or neighbouring states are at war
  • D. None of the options given are correctSend Money Overseas

Explanation: In realist and Hobbesian usage, a state of war can exist without active fighting when states remain in a condition of insecurity and…

Correct answer: The conditions when there is no actual conflict but a permanent cold war that could become a "real" war at any time
  • A. Africa is still plagued by civil conflict
  • B. Europe continues to be as divided by national interest
  • C. Human rights assumptions are increasingly seen as a Western agenda backed by economic dollars and military divisions
  • D. b and c

Explanation: Realists point to persistent national divisions in Europe and growing criticism of supposedly universal Western human-rights policies as…

Correct answer: b and c
  • A. Because this world challenge the realist claim that periods of peace are just a preparation for future wars
  • B. It does not undermine realism, since realism predicts they will not go to war with one another
  • C. Because it would challenge the principle of self-help, by which the structure of the system does not permit friendship, trust and honour
  • D. Both a and c

Explanation: A durable liberal peace challenges realism's expectation that anarchy and self-help make lasting trust difficult and that peace may only…

Correct answer: Both a and c
  • A. The need to provide shelter, nutrition and education in a state
  • B. It is the supreme national interest to which all political leader must adhere
  • C. The primary objective of all states
  • D. Both b and cRead Political News

Explanation: For realists, survival is both the primary objective of every state and the supreme national interest guiding its leaders.

Correct answer: Both b and cRead Political News
  • A. Power is based on economic strength
  • B. Power is a relational concept
  • C. Power is a relative concept
  • D. Power is a relational concept and power is a relative concept

Explanation: Power is relational because it concerns one actor's ability to influence another, and relative because states assess their capabilities in…

Correct answer: Power is a relational concept and power is a relative concept
  • A. Very important, as it determines how, or if, a balance of power emerges
  • B. Very important, as it determines if balance of power emerges naturally or must be constructed
  • C. Important, but not crucial to realist understandings of world politics
  • D. Very important because it determines how, or if, a balance of power emerges and it determines if balance of power emerges naturally or must be constructedTake Economics Courses

Explanation: The security dilemma is central to realism because one state's defensive measures can alarm others and stimulate countermeasures.

Correct answer: Very important because it determines how, or if, a balance of power emerges and it determines if balance of power emerges naturally or must be constructedTake Economics Courses
  • A. It is the responsibility realists have towards the world; this creates a more realistic scene in world politics
  • B. It marks the limits of ethics in international relations, this results in decision-makers weighing up consequences and sometimes expecting positive outcomes of amoral actions
  • C. It is a vow politicians take, which requires them to take responsibility for the ethics of their international actions
  • D. None of the options given are correctRead Political News

Explanation: Weber's ethic of responsibility asks political leaders to judge the foreseeable consequences of action rather than rely only on moral…

Correct answer: It marks the limits of ethics in international relations, this results in decision-makers weighing up consequences and sometimes expecting positive outcomes of amoral actions
  • A. The state is the most important actor of international politics and sovereignty is its distinguishing trait
  • B. The state will always seek to ensure its survival in a perilous international environment
  • C. The state behaves morally and in accordance to what its population's values are
  • D. The state is the most important actor of international politics, sovereignty is its distinguishing trait and the state will always seek to ensure its survival in a perilous international environment

Explanation: Realism treats the sovereign state as the primary international actor and sees survival as its overriding aim in a dangerous, anarchic…

Correct answer: The state is the most important actor of international politics, sovereignty is its distinguishing trait and the state will always seek to ensure its survival in a perilous international environment
  • A. States define national interest depending on its people's priorities
  • B. States prioritize national interest insofar as they guarantee the state's survival
  • C. Realists see national interest as homologous to regional interests
  • D. National interest is determined by its degree of economic profitability

Explanation: Realists define the national interest chiefly through the state's need to preserve its survival and security.

Correct answer: States prioritize national interest insofar as they guarantee the state's survival
  • A. there is no point in communication or cooperation between the players because their interests are diametrically opposed
  • B. communication between players is rare because their interests are already in sync
  • C. there is no point in communication or cooperation between the players because their interests are already in sync
  • D. coordination of moves can maximize the total payoff to the players

Explanation: In a zero-sum game, one player's gain equals another's loss, so the players have directly opposed interests and cannot increase their…

Correct answer: there is no point in communication or cooperation between the players because their interests are diametrically opposed
  • A. the policy of containment
  • B. realist philosophy
  • C. neorealist strategy
  • D. the policy of appeasement

Explanation: The Munich Agreement allowed Hitler to annex the Sudetenland in the hope that satisfying his demands would preserve peace.

Correct answer: the policy of appeasement
  • A. population
  • B. real GDP
  • C. geography
  • D. military force

Explanation: Realists emphasize military force as the most immediately usable form of national power because it can directly influence security and…

Correct answer: military force