Study Questions

These short-answer review questions cover key themes and learning objectives within each chapter.

1. What are the primary differences between the three different security theories raised that influence foreign policy (realism, liberalism, and constructivism)? What type of policy actors are involved in each of the four theories?

2. In your own words, describe what it means to open the “black box” of foreign policy. Why is this both important and difficult to do when analyzing U.S. foreign policy?

3. Explain how bureaucratic politics shapes U.S. foreign policy.