I update the chapter questions throughout the semester, so be sure to review the study guide for each chapter before taking each quiz

 Remember that the final is comprehensive

Chapter 6: Power and Diplomacy; Watch the Ben Barber clip;  rewatch Fog of War: Reexamining our Reasoning clip & A/E #34

1. Discuss the characteristics of a state, including sovereignty, territory, and recognition.
2. How do you measure power?  How does "situational power" reflect the ease of defeating the Iraqi military but problems fighting unconventional attacks? 
3. Has the use of "hard power" in Iraq damaged America's "soft power?"
4. What was the debate between Powell and Wolfowitz at Camp David in September 2001 (rewatch the DC 9/11 clip)?  How did the debate illustrate different views on the utility of using hard power in Iraq? 
5. According to King Frederick the Great, “Diplomacy without arms is like music without instruments."  What do you think he meant?
6. Discuss two-level game theory and the importance of appeasing domestic political actors in negotiations. The world was overwhelmingly opposed to the Iraq invasion.  Given that opposition, was it likely for President Bush to get countries to support the invasion?  (For a game-theorist perspective, watch this Colbert interview with Bruce Bueno de Mesquita)
7. Watch the  Benjamin Barber on NOW (shorter version on WebCT). According to Barber, how does Bin Laden use our power against us (jujitsu)?
8. Read article #34 in the A/E reader.  What does Kaplan argue regarding US foreign policy towards Iran?
   
9. Watch this clip on "American freedom packages."   Explain the premise of Stewart & Oliver (be sure to give examples of inconsistent policies).  Would our inconsistency suggest that the US takes a RealPolitik or idealist foreign policy approach?

Chapter 7 Intergovernmental Organizations & EU Minilecture -- for fun, watch this Daily Show clip ; go here for more on the EU

1. Compare functionalism with Neofunctionalism.   
2. List the 6 reasons for growth of IGOs.
3. Discuss the role of the UN Security Council, the General Assembly and the Secretariat. 
4. Who are the permanent members of the UN Security Council?  What are the concerns with regards to membership of the Security Council?  Would you make it more democratic (such as including more members or limiting veto power)?
5. How should voting the in UN be allocated?  Would you make it more democratic?  What do you think the US position would be with regards to democratizing the UN? 
6. Is the US a "Santa" or a "Scrooge" when it comes to the UN?  Explain the arguments for both perspectives.
7. Explain how functionalism was the basis for the EU.
8. Explain the basic structure of the EU (European Parliament, European Court of Justice, European Council and the European Commission). 
9. Why does Roesler argue that the EU is an economic giant, a political dwarf and a military worm?

Chapter 8: International Law & Human Rights; 60 Minutes clip on Chevron
also watch  Part 2 of the History of The ICC clip & watch Fox's Shepard Smith clip on torture; 

1. Laws have processes for law-making, enforcement and adjudication.  Is international law really "law?"
2. What are the issues that are debated around joining the ICC?  Should the US join?
3. Distinguish between proscriptive and prescriptive human rights.  Which type does the US emphasize? Is access to food and health care a human right? 
4. Considering that UN Security Council resolutions are usually the basis for actions to enforce international law, how would this explain inconsistency in applying international law? Specifically explain how that could explain UN action (sanctions, no-fly-zone...) against Libya but not against Syria, Bahrain or Saudi Arabia
5. Watch the ICC clip (especially part 2). Why did the Bush Administration (specifically UN Ambassador Bolton), fight the creation of the ICC and seek to have it "wither and collapse"?  Why do so many US politicians (of both parties) oppose a court that could punish terrorism and genocide? Re-read the  Richard Perle article.
6. What is the "just war" theory?  Was the US invasion of Iraq a just war (just cause and just conduct)?
7. Read this article and watch the 60 Minutes clip on Chevron in Ecuador.  Why is the Chevron/Texaco case being tried in Ecuador?   Go here for an update on the Chevron case, including the ruling in Ecuador.  How can the victims collect damages?  How does the Chevron case reflect the difficulty of punishing wrongdoing by international players?   Should US corporations abide by human rights and environmental standards?
8. Watch this Daily Show Clip on the UN Human Rights Council.  What are his objections?  How does that reflect the problem with International Law and Human Rights?
9. Read the Ratner article on some of the myths of the Geneva Conventions. Discuss 3 of the"myths" Ratner discusses and how Ratner responds to them.
10. Does torture work, according to FBI interrogator Ali Soufan?   Common article 3 of the Geneva Convention bans "outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment." Does the US treatment of prisoners in the war on terror violate that ban?   What does Shepard Smith' argue?
11. Repeat: Kiesling writes that "Laws, treaties, organizations, and shared values sets limits on our foes far more effectively than it ever constrained America’s ability to defend its interests."   What does he mean?  Would Soufan and Shepard Smith agree? 

Chapter 9: Security & Terrorism & 3 Fog of War clips: belief & seeing, Rexamining our Reasoning & proportionality clips (chs 13, 18-23; 27 on the DVD); Terrorism Minilecture;

1. Briefly explain the three levels of analysis on the causes of war. 
2. Clausewitz argued that war was a continuation of diplomacy by other means.  What are the three principles that leaders should adhere to when using military force (see page 257).  Did the US fail to meet any of them?  Could that explain why the Iraq war has not been a success?
3. George W. Bush withdrew the US from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty.  This treaty banned countries from having a defense against incoming missiles. Why would anyone agree to NOT defend one's country from nuclear attack?   How could withdrawing from this treaty affect MAD?   Was G.W. Bush a believer in MAD or NUT?
4. Read/listen to this NPR article on Stuxnet.   How is it a "game-changer?" Was it worth using it against Iran?  Is this the future of warfare?
5. With regard to nuclear proliferation, what arguments could you make to support the claim that “more is better?"
6. Look at the chart on "World Arms Exports" on the text website:  who are the top 3 arms exporters?  How does this relate to this Colbert clip on US exports.
7. McNamara argues that belief and seeing are often wrong.  Discuss how misunderstandings led to the Vietnam war.  
8. Based on the proportionality clip from Fog of War, are there rules of war or only victor's justice?
9. What is the "fog of war?"  What are the problems with using cost-benefit analysis to justify war?  Do we accurately predict all that will happen once a war starts?
10. Watch this Allison Stanger interview and explain the problems with using private contractors to fight our wars, especially in Afghanistan.
11. The text points out that the world spends $878 on national security for every $1 spent on peacekeeping.  How does this clip of "Why We Fight" (from 4 minutes to the 10 minute mark) illustrate the power of the "military industrial complex" and our over-emphasis on military power.
12. According to the minilecture, what is terrorism?  Why does Roesler argue that the Fort Hood attack in 2009  was NOT terrorism, even if Major Nasan was under direct orders from Osama Bin Laden?  (note: the same logic applies for the attack on the Cole)
13. What does Pape's research tell us about the motivations of terrorists?  How does this Colbert interview of Michael Scheuer reflect this persepective?
14. Listen to this NPR clip on torture-induced confessions and watch this Daily Show interview of "Matthew Alexander."  Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was waterboarded six times a day for a month yet did NOT give up key information that he must have known at the time of his questioning, such as the 2005 train bombing in Madrid; nor did he reveal anything about the al-Qaida sleeper cells in Britain and Europe. What do these illustrate about ticking time bomb scenario and the effectiveness of torture?
15. Watch the Daily Show’s “Big Bang Theory”.  How Radical is Obama's approach to nuclear weapons?

Read "Lifting the Veil..." by Munson , rewatch the NOW interview of Barber on Fear's Empire (there's a shorter version on WebCT)

1. Explain the two "hypotheses" that Munson gives for explaining why Muslims hate the US.  Which one does Munson argue is the reason for hostility towards us?  Explain his reasoning. 
2. What does Barber mean when he says that "radical religion is normal religion under seige?"
3. Ben Barber discusses Bin Laden's "Jujitsu."   How does he believe  the US should stop terrorism?
4. Reread The Fiction Behind Torture Policy.  How does this help explain American's support for torture even though most experts agree that it is not effecitve?  
5. NEW: Watch this Colbert clip on the new TSA screening  (or you can read Goldberg's blog of the search of his "resistance").  Many experts argue that this is not likely to be effective since there are easy ways to thwart the technique.  How does this fit with Barber's argument on Bin Laden's jujitsu?

 
Chapter 10 & Development minilecture & "Life & Debt" clips on WebCT (or entire film on reserve) & this Buy American 60 Minutes clip

1. Compare economic nationalism to economic liberalism (internationalism) and economic structuralism (dependency theory). 
2. How do countries use economic means for economic and political purposes?
3. Discuss ways governments use to restrict trade.  Watch this Colbert Clip on Mad Cow testing.  Many countries have restricted access to US beef stating "safety concerns."  Do you think those fears are legitimate or just a way to prevent competition?
4. What are the core ideas of the NIEO?  How has the North responded to the Doha principles?
5. What economic system dominates the world today?  What are the only two truly communist countries left in the world? 
6. Discuss the reasons for economic nationalism in the North and South.  Is the world is heading towards more globalization or economic nationalism?
7. What are the benefits and advantages to a strong dollar?  A weak dollar?
8. Be able to explain the following terms: competitive advantage, GDP, PPP, Real dollars.
9. Explain how cross-conditionalities helped drive Jamaican dairy farmers out of business.

10. Watch the "Buy American" 60 Minutes clip (http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5037292n&tag=related;photovideo ) .  What do Dan Demico, CEO of Nucor Steel, and Jim Owens, the CEO of Catepillar, think about free trade?  Explain how this relates to the debate on economic nationalism and liberalism.  Do you favor the "buy American" steel clause of the stimulus bill? 

11. Discuss tariff and nontariff barriers to trade.  What does the Life & Debt clip argue about US dairy subsidies?  Why do you think politicians try to protect domestic agriculture?  Is it fair to force LDCs to open up their domestic agriculture to EDC-subsidized crops?

12. Read this Kevin Horrigan article on iphone production.  What did he argue about moving the iPhone production to the US? 

Chapter 11  & minilecture & Palast "Sell the Lexus" (pp 143- 159) & Article 3 (Easterly: "Ideology of Development") 

1. Watch this Daily Show interview of Muhammad Yunus and explain how the Grameen Bank works. 
2. How generous is the US in terms of aid (you can go here or find it on my minilecture)?   Optional clip: Colbert interview of Peter Singer on ending world poverty.
3. Read the "Join the Debate" article on the text website (ch11).  The 2005 G8 summit promised debt relief to some of the poorest nations, but included strings attached, such as privatization of water and education.  Explain both sides of the debate.
4. Explain the mission of the WTO, World Bank and IMF.  
5. Discuss the criticisms of the IMF and World Bank in the text as well as in the Palast reading and in the minilecture (Chua).  Pay attention to Perkins' views, as well (from the Economic Hitman clip or this interview)
6. What are typical conditions imposed on LDCs?  How does the text's discussion compare to the "IMF's four steps to economic damnation" in the Palast reading?  How does "Life & Debt" reflect this?
7. According to Palast, how did the IMF cure AIDS?
8. Discuss the North-South disagreements at the Doha Round of trade negotiations.  What was the end result of the talks?
9. Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of NAFTA.  
10. Compare the assumptions and prescriptions for development for Modernization theory (promoting liberalism) and Dependency Theory.  Watch the first 1/2 of is Colbert interview of Niall Ferguson: what is Ferguson's point regarding the 6 institutions (which we monopolized for 500 years) that helped the West rule the world?  Is he a modernist or dependency theorist?
11. What does Easterly argue about the "ideology of development?"
12. How do these articles from the Christian Science Monitor on development in Afghanistan illustrate the failurs of USAID as well as how alternatives fare? How well does the National Solidarity Program (NSP) work?

•   http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2010/0728/Afghanistan-war-How-USAID-loses-hearts-and-minds    
• http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2010/0728/Afghanistan-war-Successful-foreign-assistance-lets-Afghans-pick-their-project  
•  http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/editors-blog/2010/0805/How-an-ugly-American-can-win-the-hearts-and-minds-war

 
 Chapter 12 & Environment minilecture & 60 Minutes clip & other clips on WebCT ; Don't forget to read the other assigned readings (on Climate; Water of Life & Population); For fun, watch this Colbert clip on Fracking

1. Explain the sustainable development dilemma that faces the earth's carrying capacity (see the formula on p350).
2. Explain the options for sustainable growth as laid out in the text (pp352-354).  How would you solve the conundrum of sustainable development?  
3. Discuss efforts to limit global population growth.  Watch this Daily Show interview of Fred Pearce.  What is his take?
4. Explain the link between educational and economic opportunities for women and birth rates.
5. Is water  a “common good” or do the countries that it passes through “own” it?  Watch the NBCnews clip on the Mekong river.  What is the impact of overuse of the Mekong on downstream farmland?
6. Go to this website and watch the video of lake Chad over the past 3 decades.  What has happened to the lake?
7. Watch the NBC news clip on Chinese pollution.  How does this explain China's push to build the 3 Gorges Dam?  What are the benefits of the dam?
8. Watch this 60 Minutes clip:  http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5274959n  ("The Wasteland").  What's the problem with recycling e-waste?  Give examples of e-waste reclying from the clip.  How does this illustrate how MNCs use weak environmental laws in developing countries to their advantage?   
9. Based on the "Wasteland" clip and this Colbert clip on garbage in the Pacific, discuss the impact of American consumerism.  Should we "turn off the spigot" and consume less or simply find a better way to dispose of our waste?
10. What do we know and what is in dispute regarding Global Warming (Climate Change)? 
11. Read this article on Russia and the Arctic.  Discuss the impact of Global Climate Change on international boundaries.
12. Explain how Kyoto treats EDCs and LDCs differently.  Why does it do so?
13. Watch this NPR/PBS series on Carbon (especially parts three, Four & five).  How does breaking Carbon lead to civilization? Give an example of how breaking Carbon bonds are used to supply energy. How does this process lead to more CO2?  What "naturally" reduces CO2 (also called "carbon sinks")?   Discuss other options for reducing CO2, such as Carbon Sequestration & Carbon Scrubbing.
14. Discuss the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011.  Read A/E #29: "Seven Myths about Alternative Energy" and discuss Grunwald's concerns with renewable fuels, nuclear and solar & wind power.  What does he suggest are the best approaches to reduce our carbon footprint?  For more on the disaster, go to this BBC website.
    

Take-Home Long Essay for the IR Final Exam  (about 2 typed pages; 20 points).   

Bring this essay to the exam.  USE EXAMPLES!!!

In your opinion, what are the two greatest threats to our global society that we discussed in this course?  Be sure to describe the problems, giving examples from the readings and film clips.  In an ideal world, how should our global society handle these problems? Should we have a stronger United Nations or even a world government to try to resolve global problems?  Why or why not? 

• If so, what would the government look like and why would it help resolve the two problems you cite?  Would it be democratic?  How would you organize voting (like the UN General Assembly, the Security Council or the IMF)?  Equal by population?  One-state-one-vote?  Would any state have a veto authority?
• If not, how would you resolve the two problems you cited above?  Why does our current state-centered model work better?  What are the drawbacks of having a stronger world government? 

 
The final is comprehensive, covering everything above this point on the page AND what was covered on the midterm.