Chapter 1 Study Questions – INR 2002 Professor Crosby
• What region of Ukraine did Russia annex in response to the Euromaidan movement?
• What reasons did Russia give for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine?
• How did Vladimir Putin’s views about Ukraine influence Russian actions?
• Why did the Orange Revolution take place in 2004?
• What triggered the Euromaidan movement in 2013?
• Why was the referendum in Crimea seen as illegitimate by many Western countries?
• What were the goals of the Minsk Agreements, and why did they fail?
• How did internal divisions in Ukraine make the country more vulnerable to Russian influence?
• In what ways did historical identity and language contribute to political conflict in Ukraine?
• What is confirmation bias and how does it affect political beliefs and our consumption of media?
• What is a defense mechanism and what is its primary psychological function?
• How is rationalization used in both personal life and international politics?
• What does the term projection mean in psychology, and how might it appear in politics?
• Who or what are agents of socialization and what role do they play in shaping a person’s worldview?
• What factors influence what stories get covered in the media and how much attention they receive?
• What psychological need is served by rationalizing our country’s behavior in foreign conflicts?
• How does a paradigm shape the study and practice of international relations?
• What three fields of study are said to inform the major paradigms of international relations?
• What is the core assumption of the realist paradigm?
• How does liberalism differ from realism in its assumptions about global politics?
• What does Marxism suggest about the structure of the international system?
• According to constructivism, what shapes the relationships between states?
• How does the feminist perspective explain the nature of international relations?
• How do realism and liberalism differ in their views on the potential for peace?
• In what ways do Marxism and feminism both focus on systems of inequality?
• How does constructivism differ from the other paradigms in how it explains international behavior?
• What are the three main components of a “good” theory?
• What is the relationship between a theory and a paradigm?
• What is power transition theory, and with which paradigm is it associated?
• What is a hypothesis, and how does it relate to theory formation?
• What does it mean for a theory to be falsifiable?
• What is the purpose of using levels of analysis in international relations?
• What does the war weariness theory attempt to explain?
• What criticisms are often made about the war weariness theory?
• What are the three primary levels of analysis used in international relations?
• What does the individual level of analysis focus on?
• What kinds of factors are examined at the state level of analysis?
• What global or structural elements are considered in the global or systemic level of analysis?
• Why might an analyst choose to use all three levels of analysis when studying the Russia–Ukraine
conflict?
• Why is it important for a theory in international relations to have predictive power?
• How does empirical testing contribute to the strength of a theory?
• Why is falsifiability considered a strength rather than a weakness in theory construction?
• How might different paradigms interpret the causes of war between Ukraine and Russia differently?
• What challenges arise when applying one theory or paradigm to complex international conflicts?
• Reflect on a recent international conflict. Which level of analysis do you think best explains its
causes, and why?
• Can war weariness exist alongside rising nationalism or militarism in a state? Why or why not?
• Do you believe theories in international relations can ever be truly objective? Defend your answer.
• How might international relations students avoid bias when choosing theories or levels of analysis?
• Why is it important to distinguish between positive and normative analysis when studying
international politics?
• What is the difference between proximate and underlying causes in international relations?
• According to Jonathan Haidt, what does the story of the Tower of Babel symbolize in the context of
social media?
• What are echo chambers and filter bubbles, and how do they affect critical thinking?
• What is the "crisis of authority" described by Gurri, and what causes it?
