1. What is nuclear proliferation?

Nuclear Proliferation is the proliferation of nuclear which means expanding the

production of nuclear and spread of nuclear technology from state to state or within state.
Nuclear Proliferation and its importance started during the second war as US and its allies
was afraid that their enemies countries would develop the nuclear weapons before them
so in 1942 US government began Manhattan Project which was a secret research effort to
develop nuclear weapons. This was the start of nuclear age and firstly it was used over
Japan during Second World War in Hiroshima and Nagasaki which left those two places
with massive destruction and deaths of many lives. Since then, nuclear proliferation
began and for powerful nation like Russia, France, China, UK also started building
nuclear weapons and which became the most important priority to achieve the nuclear
technology to express their power.

2. What was the problem for the US during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
During the time where the US and Soviet Union was going through a cold war with
largely political and economic clashes. As Khrushchev deployed strategic missiles in
Cuba which turned out that US wouldn’t accept it. This led to for raise the question “1.
Why did Khrushchev deploy strategic weapons in Cuba? 2. What led him to believe he
could succeed? And 3. Why did he withdraw the weapons so precipitately?” [The Cuban
Missiles: An analysis of Soviet calculation and Behavior] However, the main problem for
the US during Cuban Missile Crisis was when nuclear-armed Cuban missiles were being
installed so close to US mainland just few miles away, From the Cuban launch point US
was easy and capable of reaching targets that can alter the domination of US thus, US felt
a new nuclear war threat from the Soviet which was the main problem for the US. As for
Soviets has deployed the missiles in Cuba “was motivated chiefly by the Soviet leaders’
desire to overcome the existing large margin of US strategic superiority.” [Arnold
Horelick and Myron Rush, The American Political Science Review] whereas, US has
also deployed number of nuclear weapons in different western Europe and Turkey that
were targeted at Soviet which created a hostile relationship between US and Soviet.
3. Why did America go to Vietnam?
During the French Indochina war, the political leader Ho chi Min who was communist
power took over in the North, conflict between norths and south continued, whereas the
cold war between US and Soviet Union was ongoing, US poured support and aid along
providing training and equipment from military to Non-Communist Diem and South
Vietnam. As diem’s repressive regime continued, NFL (National Liberation Front) was
formed and become the major opponent and Us advised Diem to build American
Military, economic and technical aid to help against Viet Cong threat. As time goes by
US increased aid and US military presence in South Vietnam. Even after the death of
Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson another US president further increase US military and
economic support and engulfed more conflict with North Vietnam. Thus we can conclude
that American went to Vietnam as the consequence of supporting bad regime that were
non- communism. As an excuse of a democracy, non-communism becomes an excuse for
brutal policies. As Soviet Union was communist and US were Non-Communist
(capitalist), US have always despised the fact of spreading communism and Soviet’s
influences.

4. Define Détente:
Détente is generally a French word for the release of tension, but in IR it describes the
period in the late 1960s when cold war seem to settle and both side US and USSR seem
to come in cooperation to improve the relations. It occurred mainly when Nixon visited
China to improve relation with them that raised Soviet’s interest was drawn to détente.
Moreover, since Soviet collapsed and split they felt the need to have better relation with
US. Therefore in 1971, President Nixon visited Brezhnev, Secretary General of the
Soviet Communist Party for the first time and signed SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation
talks) agreement. However, Détente fundamentally didn’t solve the problem (which
failed) but it reduced some tension but not necessarily eliminated the tension.
5. Give three reasons for Israel/Palestine Problem.
First and main reason for the conflict between Israel and Palestine occurs from the
dispute of territory. As Israeli’s religious perspective, their desire to include biblically
significant parts of the ancient Jewish land where the problem of which country
Jerusalem belongs to is unknown and yet East Jerusalem is capital of Palestine and west
Jerusalem is capital of Israel. Second reason is the problem of Refugee Problem that
influences the rise of PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) which was result of
Palestinian’s refugee movement and issues. The PLO emerged as the most important
organization for Palestinian nationalism and political activism. Thirdly, the problem of
extreme nationalism. As Palestinian and Israelis are Muslim and Jews, their belief and
fundamentalism. (Barriers to progress at the Negotiation Table: internal conflicts among
Israelis)

6. Why was the Iranian Revolution a problem for the US?

The Iranian revolution not only reshaped the country but also its relation with the rest of
the world, especially US. This revolution became a huge problem to the US as prior to
the Iranian revolution US had excessive power over the Iranian government however, the
unwanted American influence during 1950s through the 1970s, the revolution of 1979 not
only resented western customs but also American foreign diplomacy and Iran halted
peaceful relations with US which is the main problem for the US. In another word, the
revolution is the problem to the US as it affected the western influence in Iranian policies
and relation which means, Iranian-US relationship would be drastically different from
the American relationship with Shah. The U.S. was also concerned with a change in
economic relations, mainly in regards to oil, if Iran fell to the revolutionaries. American
leaders feared price increases and a lack of oil availability. Another reason is U.S.
opposed a Khomeinian government was because the Communist party in Iran supported
the revolutionary movement. The U.S. saw this communist party as a potential threat that
might spread the Soviet sphere of influence. [Islamic Revolution of 1979: the downfall of
American-Iranian Relationship, Krysta Wise]
7. What were Regan’s main foreign policies?
Regan’s main foreign policies are first, Reagan was determined to combat communism
that he authorized the largest military build-up in US history to contain and rollback
soviet communism around the world. He funded anti-communist “Freedom fighters”
around the world, sending covert aid to anti-communist rebels in Angola, covert military
support to the Contras seeking to overthrow the Marxist government of Nicaragua; and
authorized aid to the Afghanistan in their battle against the Soviet Union. The Regan
administration also supported authoritarian anticommunist dictatorship in Chile and
South Africa and gave aid to authoritarian regimes in El Salvador and Guatemala to
finance the resistance against leftist insurgents in those countries. Except those Regan
also held summit meetings of first-ever nuclear arms reduction treaty that led to the
Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (SALT) in 1990. Additionally, President Reagan
withdrew US forces from Lebanon ending US intervention in Lebanon. Another was the
Iran-contra affair, in which US sold military equipment to Iran and Contra rebels
opposing Nicaraguan government.

8. Name three reasons why the Soviet Union collapsed?

The reasons behind the Soviet Union’s collapse are firstly, the increased economic
distress that USSR was going through with corruption and lack of market under
communism rule, Also secondly, USSR was supposed to be a society of true democracy
but in many ways it was no less than the autocratic nation. Thirdly, with the time the
failing system of USSR and growing non-communist movement with the fall of Berlin
wall along revolution in Czechoslovakia which overthrew the country’s communist
government. This influenced and inspired independence movements in the Republics on
the USSR that one by one republic states declared their independence and The Soviet
Union collapses.

9. What happened during the 1991 first Gulf War?

During the Gulf war in 1991 was war between US and Iraq when Iraqi Leader Saddam
Hussain tried to take over Kuwait as Kuwait had large oil reserves. As Kuwait was
 unable to stop the war the united nation issued resolutions calling for Iraq to stop its
actions. When Iraq did not respond, international military was formed with the US and
US attacked Iraq’s infrastructure and ability to make war damaging everything. With
everything collapsing in Iraq, bush declared ceasefire ending the gulf war and offer the
peace terms to Hussain which he accepted subsequently that Iraq would free Kuwait and
get rid of all its weapons of mass destruction.

10. Name three advantages of Interventionism?

Intervention is not legally justified but only justified on humanitarian ground that serves
human rights and at that point there are some advantages of it which are;
i. Defending weak against oppression of the strong.
ii. Responsibility to protect when authoritarian leaders turns against their own
people.
iii. To rescue from human atrocities like genocide and ethnic cleansing.

[The Thorny Issues Surrounding International Intervention by Tina Mavrikos-Adamou]

11. Is nationalism and culture the main reason for post-cold war conflict?
Yes, definitely the nationalism and culture is one of the main reasons behind the post-
cold war and other conflicts too. In my opinion even the Second World War was ignited
by the fuel of extreme nationalism of Balkans. Also the rise of nationalism in Soviet
Union after the second world war which was imposed and spread over the Eastern Europe
through communism that led to post-cold war threatening US and also somehow the
reason for divide of Germany. As East Germany was highly influenced by the Soviets
and communism and West Germany by US, British and France that led to split of one
nation into two with walls. Even with the Vietnam War where North Vietnam was
influenced by soviets and south was by the US that went war for their ideology which
was not just destructible but also immoral.
12. What is a “failed state”?
Failed state is technically, a government that does not sovereign control on its own
borders or territory or unable to access to its own territory where there is no stable
centralized control or government and sometime the centralized government has
collapsed. Failed state can also be said unrecognized state and also it can be imminent
danger to international peace and security as they often become breeding grounds for
terrorist organizations and can become the point of transit of drug and arms trading. For
example: Somalia, Afghanistan etc. Failed state can also be said where government is
providing basic needs and amenities but has undemocratic state or authoritarian state and
conversely, though the state is democratic but poverty has engulfed the state and not able
to provide basic needs and food that state is also called a failed state which can cause
different movements and revolution that cause the rise of different groups like guerilla,
bandits etc which cause civil wars and internal conflicts inside and within a nation and
state.