Foreign Policy Quiz

Industries require resources to produce goods and provide services. Some key resources can only be found in certain environments. As a result, nations trade with each other to gain access.

Diplomats are essential to communication between nations. They often speak on behalf of their nations to facilitate peace, trade, and cooperation. Diplomats also convey sensitive messages between governments.

NGOs use donations and volunteers to promote a global cause or support a need without government support. NGOs are usually charitable organizations, but some promote religious, political, or economic goals.

One of the major criticisms of the United Nations is that it lacks any enforceable authority over its member nations. This lack of power, however, helps ensure that it remains an inclusive forum to share ideas, discuss cooperation and respond to global issues.

NATO comprises 29 member nations in North America and Europe. The agreement helps deter aggression from outside nations by considering an assault on one member nation as an attack on the entire alliance.

All three organizations deal with health and medical care issues. The World Health Organization is an arm of the United Nations focused on preventing disease and promoting improved standards of health. The International Committee of the Red Cross helps coordinate aid groups from around the world to bring aid to victims of war and natural disasters. The Peace Corps has a broad charge of promoting peace around the world that includes addressing public health issues.

Isolationism is a policy of trying to isolate one's country from the affairs of all the other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic agreements, and other international agreements. Isolationists generally favor economic nationalism.

Non-interventionism is the policy of avoiding alliances with other nations, but still retaining free trade and open diplomacy. Non-interventionists believe that that a state should not interfere in the internal politics and internal policies of another state.

Isolationists and non-interventionists both seek to avoid all wars unless they are related to direct self-defense.

The United States Department of State facilitates relationships, agreements, and treaties with foreign nations. The Secretary of State heads the department and is a Senate-confirmed member of the president’s cabinet.

The U.S. Foreign Service comprises over 15,000 individuals including ambassadors, diplomats and other agents. They create and staff American embassies in foreign nations to help carry out the foreign policies of the United States.

The CIA is America’s primary source of international information and analysis. It coordinates human intelligence gatherers, analysts, technicians and a tactical division. The CIA cannot act as a law enforcement body despite falling under the authority of the executive branch.

Multilateral negotiations involve more than two parties. They are difficult to complete because reaching a consensus becomes increasingly difficult as more participants get involved. When successful, however, multilateral negotiations lead to more effective results.

Deterrence is an effective way of using a large military force to promote peace. It relies on the principle that nations will not engage with a military vastly superior to their own. The United States employs deterrence to reduce the threat of foreign attacks.

Collective security is in theory a powerful force in promoting peace and deterring aggression. When one member state is harmed all member states are obliged to respond. It can be difficult in practice, however, for the states involved to sustain the wide range of commitments and support required.

Diplomatic immunity became international law as a part of the 1961 Vienna Convention. Although it allows diplomats a sense of security, there are cases where it does not apply or can be waived by a diplomat’s home country.

The World Bank is an international institution that seeks to reduce poverty globally by facilitating investments that support developing nations. The loans, training and guidance offered by the World Bank help reduce poverty in low- to middle-income nations.

Soft power is the ability to shape the preferences of others through appeal and attraction. Nations sometimes use trade, economic assistance, culture, and education rather than the threat of military force (hard power) to shape another nation’s attitudes and preferences. This is a nuanced and delicate strategy that can be highly effective in achieving diplomatic goals.

There are several types of sanctions one government can impose on another. These actions are typically in retaliation for or to discourage specific actions of another state.

An economic sanction employs restrictions on trade and/or financial transactions as a penalty for perceived military, political, humanitarian, economic or social violations. These sanctions most often involve limiting arms sales or making certain goods cost prohibitive for a government and its people.

Diplomatic sanctions typically involve action against embassies, diplomats or other foreign nationals on foreign soil. By removing or reducing another nation’s diplomatic presence they convey that relations are fractured which has decreased the perceived value of diplomacy.

Military sanctions can involve direct military action or an effort to undermine a nation’s military capabilities. They include targeted strikes as well as arms embargoes which are meant to cut off the supply of weapons to a country. An arms embargo can be classified as both a military and an economic sanction.