Basic IR Substantive Knowledge Study Sheet
To be tested during Bush School Orientation in August 2014
1. You need to be able to locate all countries, with the exception of small islands, on a map. Islands
with at least 200,000 population, such as the Maldives, should be included. There are wonderful
map apps available for cell phones and tablets, and many online sources, such as
http://ilike2learn.com ). If you were given a blank map, plus a list of 15 or so countries, do you
think you would be able to find those countries on the map?
2. After World War II, the “Bretton Woods system” was gradually put into place to administer
international economic affairs, and it has evolved over time. What is this system? Include
reference to this system’s components such as the IMF, IBRD, the regional development banks,
GATT, and the WTO. Challenges to this system’s assumptions, sometimes known as the
“Washington Consensus,” include anti-globalization movements and also neo-mercantilism (or the
“Beijing Consensus”); please describe the differing viewpoints.
3. During the Cold War period, there were many communist nations. Now there are only a handful
(can you name them?). Please briefly explain what “communism” means, and how it
served/serves to shape both government and economics in a country.
4. In International Relations, we use two distinct meanings of the term “regime.” Please explain what
those are. Please give examples of each.
5. What is the significance of the Treaty of Westphalia for international relations?
6. Please describe the UN system, making reference to its origins, as well as components such as the
UNGA, UNSC, Secretariat, and at least several of the various large organizations under the UN
umbrella, such as the WHO, the UNHCR, the Human Rights Council, etc.
7. There are numerous human rights treaties that have been promulgated under the UN system,
starting with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and including treaties/covenants on civil
and political rights, economic and social rights, CRC, CAT, CEDAW, and numerous others. Please
describe the major human rights treaties. What is the concept of “reservation” with regard to
these? What is the difference between “signature,” “accession” and “ratification”?
8. Please describe the ICJ and ICC, noting differences in their mandates as well as their procedures.
Which one has the US not joined, and why?
9. There are numerous actors in international affairs: what are IGOs, NGOs, and MNEs? What is a
“transnational” organization?
10. What is international anarchy and how does that relate to the “security dilemma” faced by states?
11. What is the difference between a nation and a state?
12. What is the difference between separatism and irredentism? Can you name conflicts that would
fall under each category?
13. What do the terms power, sovereignty, national interest, and hegemony mean? What does the
term “balance of power” mean, and how does it relate to conflict? Would you be able to explain
what unipolar, bipolar, and multipolar mean?
14. With reference to international political economy, can you identify the following concepts and
terms, or provide the required answer:
 a sovereign wealth fund
 autarky, dependence, interdependence
 the Four Tigers
 nationalization and privatization
 comparative advantage
 microfinance
 FDI, or foreign direct investment
 How is the poverty rate for nations defined? Which five countries have the highest poverty
rate?
 The United States accounts for roughly what share of world exports? Of world imports? US
exports of goods and services represent roughly what percentage of US GDP?
15. What is a collective security treaty organization, and can you name several in which the US
participates? What is a free trade agreement, and can you name several in which the US
participates?
16. What is the difference between the national debt, a budget deficit, and a trade deficit? What is
meant by the term “balance of payments”?
17. What is the core proposition of the democratic peace theory?
18. The following questions will gauge your ability to understand scale in international relations:
 What is the approximate population of the US? EU? Mexico? Russia? China? Japan? Canada?
Nigeria? India? Brazil? Germany? Which of these countries have subreplacement birth
rates?

How large is the US budget? How large is the US debt? What country is the largest foreign
holder of that debt?

What’s the approximate GDP of the EU? The US? Germany? China? Brazil? Mexico? Chad?
Saudi Arabia? What percentage of world GDP does each country represent? What is GDP
and how is it measured?

What percentage of the US budget is spent on defense? On foreign aid? What dollar amounts
do these percentages represent?

About how many people live on less than $2 per day in the world?
19. The following questions will gauge your understanding of foreign policy chronology; arrange the
following in order of their occurrence and indicate the decade they occurred (1950s, 1960s, etc.):
End of the Cold War
Desert Storm
Beginning of the Cold War
Six Day War
9-11
Camp David Accord
Vietnam War
Tienanmen Square Massacre
Korean War
Cuban Missile Crisis
Decolonization
Arab Awakening
World War II
Rwandan genocide
First oil embargo
Oslo Accords
Islamic republic established in Iran after
overthrow of Shah
Nixon’s first visit to China
US invasion of Panama
Iran-Contra Affair
PRC established
EU-Maastricht Treaty
Change from a White Regime to the
Election of Nelson Mandela in South
Africa
20. Starting with Harry Truman, list the presidents in order with their years in office.
21. Name two powers of each branch of our government (that is, the president/executive branch,
Congress, and the judiciary) with regard to US foreign policy (including war powers).
22. Acronym recognition. We often use acronyms in international relations, for good or for ill. Please
identify the following:
LDCs, NSC, NPT, QDR, BMD, COIN, IAEA, WMD, R2P, OPEC, BRIC, NAFTA, G-8, OAS
23. Sometimes events are used as a shorthand term for a concept or “lesson of history.” What are
these events shorthand for?
Munich
Dienbienphu
Cuban Missile Crisis
Srebenica
Vietnam
Versailles
Black Hawk Down
24. What was the League of Nations? Why did the US not join? Why did it fail?
25. What is the EU? How many members does it have? How is it governed (i.e., what are the EU’s
major institutions, and what does each do?)? In what city is the European Commission
headquartered? Can you name three members states that do not use the euro?
26. Who were the Nobel Peace Prize winners in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012, and for what
accomplishments were they honored?
27. The U.S. intelligence community now comes under the Office of the Director of National
Intelligence structure. How many of the 17 constituent members of the ODNI can you name?
28. Can you describe the differences in jurisdiction, authorities, and activities between the CIA and
the FBI?
29. International relations scholars frequently refer to "levels of analysis" in explaining where to look
for important variables and factors that help explain outcomes in international politics. Describe
three "levels of analysis" used by international relations scholars and give an example for each
level of an explanation for an international event that emphasizes factors at that level.
Updated for May 2014