Comprehensive Examination • International Politics Field • School of International Service
September 2004

Part I: Answer one of the following three questions.

1. Should the study of international politics be "positivist" in orientation? Why or why not? What implications does your answer have for how research in the field should be evaluated?

2. Hans Morgenthau famously argued that the study of international relations should focus on "interest defined as power." Is he correct? Why or why not?

3. The fact that students of international relations did not predict the end of the Cold War is interpreted by some as an indicator of the poverty of theorizing in the field. Using the relevant literature, explain the extent, if any, to which you find this argument compelling

Part II: Answer two of the following five questions.

4. Max Weber famously defined a "state" as a compulsory political organization whose administrative staff successfully upholds the claim to the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territorial area. However, recent history seems to demonstrate an evident loss of the monopoly of the use of force by state actors. Does this shift signal the end of the state, and of the states system?

5. Is military force an effective means of achieving goals in the contemporary world? Has its effectiveness changed in recent years? Are there goals which military force cannot achieve? Be certain to discuss specific examples of goals and strategies in your answer.

6. Do recent international political events indicate that dire predictions of a "clash of civilizations" were not far off the mark? Was Huntington correct to argue that the major axes of conflict in the future will involve the boundaries of civilizations?

7. Why do states sometimes move to integrate with one another? Why do they sometimes pool their sovereignty or work out other arrangements that appear to pose a challenge to the traditional value of state autonomy? Is such integration a desirable development? In your answer, be sure to discuss at least two different theoretical perspectives on the issue.

8. Scholars posit a number of ways in which domestic politics, broadly defined, influence international politics. Mechanisms range from two-level games, public opinion, the media, and transnational networks to domestic institutional structures, organizational and bureaucratic politics. Which of these approaches explain important outcomes in international politics and which do not? Be specific about substantive issues as well as academic debates, authors, theories, and arguments.

9. Some scholars maintain that ideas play important roles in international politics. Defend this position. Be sure to define an "idea" and to suggest how to distinguish empirically between ideas and interests.