International Relations
Candidacy Examination
Fall 2006
(Day Two)
ANSWER THREE QUESTIONS FROM THE FOLLOWING LIST OF TWELVE
QUESTIONS. YOU MAY NOT ANSWER MORE THAN TWO QUESTIONS
FROM ANY ONE SECTION (FP, IO, IPE, OR IS). YOU HAVE EIGHT HOURS
TO COMPLETE THIS SECTION OF THE EXAM.
International Organization
1. IR theory has increasingly treated international institutions not just as
exogenous constraints and social environments, but also as outcomes to be
explained. One group of IR scholars argues that international institutions are
rationally designed as efficient solutions to underlying cooperation problems. Do
you agree? What are some alternative ways of thinking about institutional
outcomes in IR?
2. Israel has repeatedly justified its military intervention in Lebanon by referring to
Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls forHezbollah and other non-state
militias to be disbanded. The United States and its European allies have used the
IAEA and Security Council as their forum for confronting Iran over its nuclear
program, and have recently succeeded in passing a resolution threatening Iran
with sanctions if it does not suspend its nuclear activities. States often seek
endorsements for their actions from international institutions; absent an explicit
endorsement, they almost invariably justify their behavior in terms of references
to international law and institutions. Rationalists and constructivists would make
sense of this behavior differently. Characterize the differences. In your view,
which gives us more purchase on these behaviors and why?
3. The second half of the 20th century witnessed unprecedented developments
in the creation of international organization and the use of multilateral
instruments at large in both economic and security areas. There is hardly any
doubt that the present period has shown a greater level of institutionalization than
its 19th century predecessor, relying on multilateral arrangements rather than
bilateral treaties or mere unilateral policies. More recently, the end of the Cold
War has also been greeted by some as a new era in the strengthening of
international institutions. What accounts for these changes?
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International Security
4. A central assumption of structural realist theory since Waltz has been that
“states seek survival.” The assumption seems straightforward enough, but Waltz
does not unpack its content – nor do subsequent realists. In fact, it’s not entirely
clear what it means for a state to seek survival. Nor is it clear that survivalseeking accurately describes what states do – for example, it seems a stretch to
say that European states are ‘survival-seekers’ as they willingly cede aspects of
sovereignty to the EU. In your view what does it mean to assume states seek
survival? Do you agree that they do, or that it’s a productive assumption? If not,
what do states do and what (if any) assumption ought to guide structural theory?
5. Why should anyone care about nuclear proliferation? Hasn't deterrence
worked for 60 years now? Haven't Indo-Pakistani relations improved since both
went nuclear? Why are not Ken Waltz and John Mearsheimer right? Under what
conditions would nuclear proliferation be welcome?
6. Uncertainty is central in structural realist thought, where it plays a key role in
the security dilemma. Yet the concept is under-theorized and there is debate
over its precise role in causing conflict and war. In your essay, characterize the
types of uncertainty and show how they lead to the security dilemma and conflict;
and assess the extent to which, in extant realist thought, the problem of
uncertainty can be overcome. Are states as uncertain as realists suggest they
are?
International Political Economy
7. Why does free trade occur sometimes and not others? Discuss some possible
explanations derived from the literature (possibilities include, but are not limited
to, structural explanations, domestic political explanations, and economic
explanations). Then offer your assessment of how we can best understand the
patterns of free trade in today’s world. Are there characteristics of the
contemporary world that make free trade dynamics different today than in the
past?
8. Present and discuss the debate in the trade literature on the origins of
producer preferences and on how producers organize and lobby to have their
preferences enacted into law.
9. In an era when the use of military force becomes more expensive and less
legitimate, resort to economic levers of influence may be more likely. Discuss the
use of economic instruments in coercive diplomacy. What factors determine
whether economically-based influence attempts will succeed or fail? What does
economic theory tell us that would help us find an answer to these questions?
What does history tell us?
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Foreign Policy
10. Rationalists say we cannot know what motivates a state. It is private
information. And yet assumptions on this score typically determine foreign policy
choices. For example, President Bush says the West faces Islamic fascism
attributing a desire to destroy democracy to Iran. Brent Scrowcroft, meantime,
says this is not true and attributes anti-Western attitudes to the Palestinian
problem. What can scholars do to contribute to the identification of a country’s
motivation? For instance, how would you explain US policy toward the Middle
East and Iran’s policy toward the West? What evidence would you base your
interpretation on?
11. There is a lot of talk about anti-Americanism abroad and about nationalistic
attitudes inside the United States. Do these public opinions matter in foreign
policy? What do we know about the relationship between mass opinion, elite
opinion, and a leader’s ability to shape public opinion? How much of this travels
outside the United States?
12. At least two important streams of contemporary IR scholarship place ideas
front and center in their research -- the long-standing cognitivist or
phenomenological tradition and the more recent constructivist tradition. Yet there
has been relatively little cross-fertilization between the two research
communities, and even some mutual hostility. What explains this failure to make
common cause, and how might the gap be bridged?"
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