ICP 314 American Foreign Policy

ICP 314 American Foreign Policy

Midterm Exam

November 2, 2012

 

Name: 

 

 

Fill in the Blank/Match

 

1)  Please match the person to the foreign policy or concept.

 

Collective Security Vietnamization Containment Iron Curtain

Woodrow Wilson Richard Nixon George Kennan Winston Churchill

2)  Please match the person to the foreign policy or concept.

 

Open Diplomacy Cuban Blockade Lend–Lease Policy Neutrality Proclamation

Woodrow Wilson John F. Kennedy Franklin Delano Roosevelt George Washington

3) Please match the following historical events/times to the relevant foreign policy or concept.

 

Spanish American War Post -World War I League of Nations and U.N. Cold War Vietnam War Cuban Missile Crisis

Imperialism Isolationism Collective Security Brinkmanship Domino Theory Containment

 

4) Please list whether the following sentences reflect Realist, Liberal, or Idealist (Constructivist) theories.  

1. Peace is strengthened by spread of democracy and global economic ties. _____Liberal________
2. Self-interested states compete for power and security.   ____Realist_________
3. International politics is shaped by ideas, collective values and culture.  ______Idealist_______

 

5) Please fill in the blank with either the President or Congress to indicate which is granted the following Foreign Policy powers in the U.S. Constitution.  

1. Commander-in Chief of Armed Forces    _______President_______________
2. Appropriation, “Power of the Purse”   _______Congress_______________
3. Confirms nominations    _______President_______________
4. Ratifies treaties     _______President_______________
5. Power to declare war      _______Congress_______________
6. Nominates Ambassadors and  
   other high-level government officials  _______President_______________

 

 

Short Answer

1) List at least five makers or shapers of U.S. foreign policy. 

Mass media, public opinion, interest groups, President, Congress

 

 

2) Referring to the Peace Corps article we read for class, who were the main makers and/or shapers of U.S. policy on the Peace Corps?

 

Lobbysits, Republicans, Democrats

 

3)  What model(s) of decision-making do you see in the article “Obama’s Way”?  Explain.    

First of all, I see rational and group model in Obama’s decision-making process, because he builds his decisions logically and consequentially, and he has a consultations with Congress

 

 

 

Short Essay

1) What was the main message in George Washington’s Farewell Address?  What US foreign policy precedents did he set? 

In my opinion, the main message of Washington’s Farewell Address for American people was to be neutral, protect domestic interests rather than European ones, and not to meddle in wars. His vision on political course was to abstain from permanent alliances with any state of the foreign world, and to keep existing commitments. For Washington, honesty was the best policy.

 

2) What were the Alien and Sedition Acts?  Can you provide other examples of when constitutional rights have been limited during wartime?

 

The Alien Act gives a right for President to deport any potentially dangerous resident of the US (dangerous for national security, stability). The Sedition Act protects the US government from negative, “malicious” writings. Such writings may be persecuted and punished by the government.

 

3)  What were some of the objections in the U.S. to Wilson’s 14 Points?  List one or two of the principles of Wilson’s plan

Wilson’s plan was accepted with some skepticism in the U.S, because for those times his plan was too idealsit and somehow utopian. One of his main achievements in the sphere of foreign police is “Open Diplomacy”. The first point of his plan stated that states should not have a secrete alliances. He offered states to have a dialogue between eachother before acting. He was the founder of the “League of Nations”, forerunner of United Nations.

 

4) “I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressure.”  Who said this?  What was the context?

It was President Truman’s words (The Truman Doctrine). He was accusing totalitarian regimes in oppressing people, fixing the results of the elections etc.

 

 

 

5) Which foreign policy decision-making model do you think best explains the Cuban Missile Crisis decision by the Kennedy administration? Rational Actor, Bureaucratic or Small Group. Explain how and why. Refer to the reading we did for class in your answer.

 

I think it was rational actor decision-making, because Kennedy administration was considering all options. Theye tried to solve the problem in such way that would satisfy both sides – Soviets and the U.S.

 

 

 

6) Referring to the article we read in class, what are some of the reasons that Congress was unable to pass climate change legislation? How does it relate to special interests and to public opinion?

 

I think Congress was unable to pass climate change legislation because of skepticism in society related to climate change. Also, the main shaper of public opinion concerning climate change is media. Media shapes controversies in society about existence of climate change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Short Definitions

1) Please provide a short description of the following models of policy making.  Refer to the reading that we did for class in your answer. 

1. Rational Actor  
   Consider all opinions, unitary state, domestic politics, president ignores personalities

 

 

 

 

2. Bureaucratic Politics 
   Bargaining different parts of government, power is shared, conflict resoulution, pursuing own interest and perspective 
   

 

 

 

 

3. Small Group Decision Making 
   

Advisors, informal relations, adhoc, interest groups 

 

 

 

4. Elite Theory 
   

Factions, interest groups, business

 

 

 

 

5. Pluralism

 

Bargain between competing groups, diversity of political parties

 

 

 

 

 

 

Extra Credit

 

1) What does Ambrose mean by the “paradox of American power”?