POLS 172  Sample Essays for Questions 2-7 on Exam 1

2. Rally around the flag effect is used to unite a country against a common enemy. This would work by making the other country seem in-human or less than human and that by standing up against this country that your own country is combating all that is evil in the world. The same is true of the enemy of my enemy is my friend. This works in uniting the two groups to work together against the common enemy. It forms bands where there might not have been before. Therefore the two groups (countries) are rallied together with the belief that they are better than their enemy and are doing the right thing for all involved to oppose this specific country in order to maintain a beneficial life for all people (except the enemy state).

3. Yes, MAD exists between India and Pakistan. Mutually assured destruction includes: 1) sufficient number of nuclear weapons that are, 2) capable of surviving an attack by an opponent and the, 3) delivering a second strike retaliatory attack that will destroy an opponent. If both countries each have ten nuclear weapons, then MAO does exists between them. Obviously they (each) have a sufficient number of weapons where at least some would survive an attack, therefore enabling the country who was initially attacked to strike back (second strike back)

3. Mutually assured destruction does not exist between India and Pakistan if they only possess 10 nukes each. This is because with this small nuclear arsenal, they lack second strike capability which is a key component of MAD. If India were to bomb Pakistan, they would be able to destroy their entire nuclear arsenal, and therefore Pakistan…..

4. Realists want to always retain sovereignty because sovereign states can balance power. They fear that when a country gives up sovereignty to a higher authority (i.e. world governments) than power is in the hands of that authority and not the states. They also believe in an anarchic system where sovereign states interact with each other. If a higher power disrupts this system, then power is unbalanced and war and domination could occur.

5. There are two explanations for the peace that exists between democratic states. The normative explanation focuses the fact that democracies have peaceful norms, and may operate internally based on the rule of law. This makes it easier for democracies to obey international law and less likely for men to start wars. Also, the structural explanation focuses on the fact that democracies have a check on executive power. There can be no surprise attacks. Democracies know this about each other. They understand that deliberations are necessary in a democracy.

6(a). In order to make a credible threat, a state must communicate its intentions and clearly show that it has both the capability and the willingness to carry them out. Supporters of nuclear testing claim that one benefit of on-going testing programs is to continually demonstrate to other states that, yes, the state has nuclear weapons, they are still in working condition and (likely), they are bigger and "better" than the last ones tested. A second benefit is that other states will infer that if we are willing to test them, we are willing to use them. Therefore, some believe that if nuclear weapons tests are no longer conducted, states will begin to question either the capability or the willingness to use them, and their value as deterrents will greatly diminish.

6(b). A credible threat is an attempt to convince another actor to do or not to do what you want. In order to do this the actor making the threat must communicate that you have both the capability and the willingness to carry out the threat. In reference to this threat made by the professor to the student the threat is indeed credible. This can be seen due to the fact that the threat has been communicated more than once on this test alone and through our student hand book which states that an F will be received for cheating. The professor has also communicated a willingness by not only announcing the threat writing it on the test twice, but also by watching over the class during the test.

7. Realists support this strategy because they believe "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Realists believe that the best way to maintain security or at least one of the ways, is through alliances.

Idealists oppose this idea because Iran is a clear violator of human rights and that goes against idealists viewpoints. Iran is not a democracy and therefore not a country in which idealists would form an alliance with. Iran is a violator of human rights in terms of their treatment of women and a clear example of human rights violations is their hostage takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Therefore, idealists would oppose forming an alliance with Iran.