POLI/INTL 363: Fall 2020

Review Sheet: Exam I

Bill Newmann

 

 

This looks big, but don't worry.  If you have come to class, or viewed the lectures, and done all the reading, nothing here should be new to you.

            Also, though there are a lot of terms, obviously, not each one of them is the subject of an essay. These terms, in order, are an outline of everything we've done so far. A group of them might be the subject of an essay, or maybe a comparison between one president's foreign policy and another. Usually, you can't explain a single term without referring to the terms next to it. So, really, if you can say one or two things about each term and how it relates to the terms around it and fits into the larger scheme of US foreign policy you're doing fine. Some terms, however, are filled with enough significance to be short answers/identifications on the test (four or five sentences), but you'll be able to figure out which ones.

 

Remember that you have the PPT slides. They are a version of this review sheet.

Terms with (*) in front of them may not have been included in the lectures, but were discussed, at length, in the readings.

 

This a take home exam. The following instructions are the same as on the syllabus.

 

You have roughly two days to complete the exam.  

It will consist of two parts:

·         Part 1: Short Answers: Choose 2 of 8 (or more): (20 points each; roughly one half of a page): I’ll have a list of terms taken directly from the review sheet. Define the term and tell me why it’s important in the context of US foreign policy.

·         Part 2: Essay: Choose 1 of 2 (maybe 3): (60 points; roughly 3-4 pages).  Each essay has several parts to it.  Make sure to do all parts of the essay. There are choices even within the essay, so make sure you read the directions. A part of an essay may say “choose 3 of 5.”  Don’t do all five.

 

How does a take home exam work?

·         The midterm will be placed in the Course Documents folder on September 30 at about 9:00 AM.  Due by midnight on October 1 (as October 1 becomes October 2, but that deadline is a soft one; don't sweat an extra hour or so). 

·         Type or write the exam. 

·         Either way, email me a file or pdf or even jpeg of the written answers by the deadline

·         11- or 12-point font

·         One-inch margins

·         Double-spaced

·         Please use your name is the name of the file you send me.  I’d be happiest if you named the file like this: Your name Exam 1 POLI 363 (so if it was my exam, it would be Newmann Exam 1 POLI 363)

·         The exam is open notes (so you can use your notes, the book, the review sheet, and the PPT slides

·         I do not expect any outside research on this at all

·         Each question has a specific page number target.  You can go over the limit, not a problem, but don’t go too far over the limit. You don’t need to.

·         I think two to three hours will be enough time for you to write the exam and do well. You can take more time of course, as much as you need. The point here is that I don't think you end to spend hours and hours.

·         It might be helpful to read the questions, then review your notes, and the review sheet.  Maybe make an outline of the essay. And then start to write.

·         As always, the review sheets should be very helpful. You can use the review sheets while you take the exam. It might be a good organizational tool. 

·         Feel free to email me questions if you have them, but as usual, there are limits to how I can help you.

 

And, important:

·         Sharing this exam with anyone outside the class is a violation of the VCU Honor Code

·         Working with another student in the class or anyone else while you take this exam is a violation of the VCU Honor Code

·          As with any take home, the plagiarism rules that exist for research papers apply here.  Your exams must be your written work. I will run this through the standard plagiarism programs as I do with all research papers

 

 

List of terms:

presidential dominance in foreign Policy

congressional powers vs. presidential powers in the constitution

commander-in-chief

Two Presidencies Theory

US v. Curtiss-Wright (its meaning, not the details)

Public Opinion: who makes foreign policy” President or congress?

What is congressional power?

Ways presidents get around checks and balances?

 

 

 

Executive Branch:

organization of departments in a hierarchy

*National Security Act of 1947 (all the things it created)

Department of State

Department of Defense

            Secretary of Defense

            civilian control of the military  

            Joint Chiefs of Staff

Unified Command Plan

Intelligence Community

Central Intelligence Agency

Director of National Intelligence

Congressional Oversight

*National Security Council

            *members and advisers

            *purpose of NSC: coordination

*Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (National Security Adviser)

*National Security Council Staff and its changing role

            *memorandum (directive) that establishes decision making structure

            *reasons why presidents have used NSC staff

            *influence of NSC Staff

            *where NSC Staffers come from typically

*difference between NSC and NSC staff (Very important!!!! If you don’t know this, you’ll be sad on exam day)

 

Decision Making

Analytical Model (Rational Policy Model) (Rational Choice)

            cost-benefit analysis

Organizational Process Model

            organizational interests

            organizational competition       

            standard operating procedures (SOP)

            Policy = compromise among SOPs

Bureaucratic Politics Model

            individual actors

            Policy = Bargaining/compromise

Presidential Management Model

            presidential power to structure the process

            Why the president wants to manage the process

Tools the President uses to manage the process

 *FDR style of not telling anyone anything

*Truman NSC Staff and NSC-68

*Eisenhower’s Planning Board

 

The Concept of National Interest:

            what are the threats to the US?

            what role should the US take in the world?

Isolationism (really regional power only) 1919-1941

Internationalism

            Realism -- power (T. Roosevelt, Nixon, Bush 41)

            Idealism (Liberal Internationalism; Wilsonianism) -- values, law, interdependence

                        (Wilson, Carter, Reagan, Clinton)

Nationalism (Trump)

 

The question of leadership

What all great powers want

If the US doesn’t make the rules, will someone else?

WW II, Cold War, Anarchy?

 

Policies 1789-1945

Pre-WW II: US as a Regional Power

League of Nations decision

 

Post-WW II Choice: regional power or global power

 

Explaining the Cold War

Realist explanation

Idealist explanation

            The theory of Communism

            The practice of Communism in the Soviet Union and China

            Soviet economics – command economy

                        Lenin and Stalin

                        Mao Zedong

Economic Explanation

 

Early Cold War

US post-war acceptance of internationalism

*Eisenhower vs. “isolationist” Republicans

 

*Sestanovich’s concept of maximalist and retrenchment cycle

*Maximalist presidents

*retrenchment presidents

 

Cold War Policies

1. Anti-Soviet, Anti-Communist policy

*Truman’s definition of the threat and US role in the world

*Containment

*Greece and Turkey

*Truman Doctrine

*Soviet Bloc achievements 1945-1950

*Division of Europe – Iron Curtain

*NATO vs. Warsaw Pact

*Divided nations

*Spheres of Influence

Cold War as Balance of Power

Premise: Someone will order the international system: US doesn’t want the USSR to do it

 

2. Free Markets (see ppt slide)

US hope to spread free market capitalism

US belief that only free markets can guarantee political freedoms

Free trade leads to prosperity

Free trade leads to peace

*Premise underneath Marshall Plan – (see PPT slide)

International economic system created by the US

            IMF, World Bank, GATT

US economic system created in 1940s – its relationship to globalization today

Criticism: US only wanted to free markets so its companies had access to cheap land and cheap labor

US response to governments that threatened US economic interests?

Results of US economic system since 1945: greatest generation of wealth in world history

Success in N. America, W. Europe, N. E. Asia and some in SE Asia

Less success/controversy in developing world

 

3. Democracy Building

            A. Success in W. Europe and N.E. Asia

            B. Overthrowing democratically elected governments who lean too far to the left economically

                        *Iran 1953 (Eisenhower)

                        *Guatemala 1954 (Eisenhower)

*Chile 1973 (Nixon)

            C. US support for fascist dictators if they were anti-communist and capitalist (Realism?)

            D. US semi-alliances with anti-Soviet Communists

                        China (Nixon)

 

4. Multilateralism

Build global order

Use international law, alliances and institutions

UN

NATO

IMF, World Bank, GATT

           

 

5. Regional Conflict

*US-Soviet competition

US and Soviet involvement in civil wars, military coup, revolution

Angola 1970s– civil war becomes part of cold war

Rules of regional conflict (2)

           

6. Deterrence and Forward Presence

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Deterrence

            Nuclear Triad

            Preventing action

            Using threats

Credibility

*Forward Presence

 

Intervention, Engagement, Confrontation

 

Strategy 1: Intervention

Total War vs. Limited War

*Korean War

*Limited war in Korea

*Kim Il Sung

*Korean War

*UN resolution to intervene in Korea

*Collective Security

*MacArthur vs. Truman in Korea

*Escalation and stalemate in Korea

 

Viet Nam

The context

*Kennedy and Vietnam: Counterinsurgency policy

*Vietnam as a cold war struggle

*Vietnam as containment

*Domino Theory

Overall dilemma

            Can’t lose; can’t win

            Counterinsurgency

            *Coercive diplomacy strategy

Nixon’s War

Withdrawal, but sustained bombing

Post-Vietnam Changes

Vietnam Syndrome

End of the foreign policy consensus

New Congressional power

            War Powers Act

            Clark Amendment

 

Strategy 2: Engagement

Nixon-Kissinger and Detente

*Kissinger's and Nixon's shared beliefs (realism)

Why détente?

1.       *Strategic Parity

            Soviet buildup 

2.       *Sino-Soviet Split

            *Mao Zedong

3.       Vietnam Syndrome

*Detente as Containment

Detente as Balance of Power

 

*Nixon and Kissinger centralization of decisions

*Secrecy and bombing of Cambodia 1969

*Vietnamization

 

Détente Policies:

1.       SALT

Interim Agreement

ABM Treaty

2.       *Triangular Diplomacy

*Taiwan vs. China

*Kissinger's secret trip to China, July 1971

*Shanghai Communique

 

Ford- Carter and the Challenges for Detente      

*October War and oil embargo (Bacevich)

*Iranian revolution and US hostage crisis

            *Iran as a US ally

*The Shah

            *Ayatollah Khomeini

*Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

            *Mujahedin

            *US support for Mujahedin

Arc of Crisis

            *Brzezinski’s view of Iran and Afghanistan: Soviet threat

 

Carter’s new policies:

            SALT II

            Defense Buildup

            *Carter Doctrine

                        *RDJTF and Central Command (Bacevich)

            *Rescue Mission

 

Strategy 3: Confrontation

*Reagan's view of the world as he entered office

*Reagan anti-communist idealism vs. Nixon anti-Soviet realism

*Reagan’s view of detente

 

Reagan's view of the problems facing the US:

1. Third Wave of Marxism and response

Reagan Doctrine

*Offensive strategy

*Rollback of Soviet gains

*US support for Mujaheedin

            *rivalry in Mujahedin (Bacevich)

*Pakistan’s role

2. Vietnam Syndrome and response

Grenada

*Lebanon: Beirut intervention

*PLO

*Israeli invasion of Lebanon

                        *October 23, 1983 bombing

3. Decade of Neglect and response

 

Iran-Contra

*Disarray at Reagan’s NSCD

*A Directive on NSC operations after a year in office (NSDD-2)

*US aid to Contras

*Congressional attempt to restrict aid (Boland Amendment)

*Reagan response

            *private funds

            *foreign countries

*Hostages in Lebanon

*Arms sales to Iran

*linkage of Contras and arms sales

*Oliver North

*hearings

*Indictments and convictions

 

 

End of the Cold War:

Soviet Succession

Mikhail Gorbachev

New Thinking

            *Economic restructuring (perestroika)

            *Political freedoms (glasnost)

            Ending the cold war

                        Ending the Arms race

                        End to regional conflict

Freeing of Eastern Europe

USSR collapses

            15 republics

August 1991 Coup

 

Why did the Soviets begin reform?

Why did the Cold War end?

 

Bush 41

Bush's Realism

Bush background

Post-Cold War national security environment

            few threats

            choice of where and when to intervene

Bush Foreign Policy:

            Realism with idealist rhetoric?

*Iran-Iraq War

*US leans toward Iraq

*Tanker War

*USS Stark

*US shoots down Iranian air line

 

*The Gulf War:

*The Gulf as an idealist crusade against aggression

*Defending Saudi Arabia

*The New World Order

            *The United Nations

            *Multilateral coalition

            *fighting aggression

            upholding international law

*Air war

*Ground war

Iraq surrenders and the terms of its surrender

            Must give up WMD

            Inspections

New World Order? Bush Idealism? Or something else?

Other factors to consider:

            1. Economic: OIL

            2. Multilateralism?

                        Armed Forces participating

            3. Realism:

                        *Why leave Saddam Hussein in power

*The breakup of Iraq?

                        *Iranian power

Somalia

Civil war and drought

Humanitarian Military Intervention