UWI Mona Department of Government

GT12A Introduction to International Relations

FINAL EXAM

Summer 2001

Answer any three questions. Each question carries a maximum mark of 20 percent.

  1. ' We concede that the United Nations is by no means perfect. Yet we shudder even to contemplate what kind of world would have emerged without it. It has become an indispensable instrument in the search for global dialogue in the resolution of disputes. It offers the only hope for the harmonization of global interests and for defusing the complex issues which otherwise can so easily ignite.' (Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, October 1995) Discuss with reference to the strengths and weaknesses of the United Nations.

  2. (a)' The theory of realism cannot adequately explain the contemporary international system.' Discuss

    3. OR

    (b) How useful is Dependency theory in explaining the plight of countries of the South?

  3. (a) Alright, alright. We know the movie "Thirteen Days" is purely from an American point of view. But to what extent does it enhance your understanding of international relations?

    4. OR

    (b) With reference to concepts such as collective security, hegemony and sovereignty, consider the relationship of the United States with any one Caribbean country of your choice, for the period 1960 to present.

  4. 'The parallel existence and mutual interaction of "state" and "market" in the modern world create "political economy"; without both state and market there could be no political economy.'(Robert Gilpin, The Political economy of International Relations, 1987) Does the study of the relationship between politics and economics enhance our understanding of international relations?

  5. Outline the factors which may facilitate and constrain decision-makers in their foreign policy formulation.

  6. (a)What factors explain the outbreak of world wars in 1914 and 1939 respectively?

OR

(b) Evaluate the main implications of World War II from an international relations standpoint, including in your response issues concerning the Cold War.