1 | Page
Texas State University
POSI 2310 Government Chapter 17: Foreign
Policy Questions and Answers 2026 Latest
Update
17.1 What are the elements of policy?— Ans: policy :
we are looking broadly at the actions the U.S. government carries out for
particular purposes.
In the case of foreign policy, that purpose is to manage its relationships
with other nations of the world.
Another distinction is that policy results from a course of action or a
pattern of actions over time, rather than from a single action or decision.
Policy is also purposive, or intended to do something; that is, policymaking
is not random. When the United States enters into an international
agreement with other countries on aims such as free trade or nuclear
disarmament, it does so for specific reasons.
What is foreign policy?— Ans: "the goals that a state's officials seek to attain
abroad, the values that give rise to those objectives, and the means or
instruments used to pursue them."
This definition highlights some of the key topics in U.S. foreign policy, such
as national goals abroad and the manner in which the United States tries to
achieve them.
3. What is the difference between foreign and domestic policy?— Ans:
foreign policy, which is externally focused, from domestic policy, which sets
strategies internal to the United States, though the two types of policies can
become quite intertwined.
for example, one might talk about Latino politics as a domestic issue when
considering educational policies designed to increase the number of
© 2026 All rights reserved
, 2 | Page
Hispanic Americans who attend and graduate from a U.S. college or
university.2 However, as demonstrated in the primary debates leading up to
the 2016 election, Latino politics can quickly become a foreign policy matter
when considering topics such as immigration from and foreign trade with
countries in Central America and South America
4. What are the goals of U.S. foreign policy?— Ans: there are nonetheless
four main goals to which we can attribute much of what the U.S. government
does in the foreign policy realm: (1) the protection of the U.S. and its
citizens, (2) the maintenance of access to key resources and markets, (3) the
preservation of a balance of power in the world, and (4) the protection of
human rights and democracy.
5. What is an economic boycott? Why has the United States imposed an
economic boycott on Iran?— Ans: In an economic boycott, the United States
ceases trade with another country unless or until it changes a policy to
which the United States objects. Ceasing trade means U.S. goods cannot be
sold in that country and its goods cannot be sold in the United States.
the United States and other countries implemented an economic boycott of
Iran as it escalated the development of its nuclear energy program. The
recent Iran nuclear deal is a pact in which Iran agrees to halt nuclear
development while the United States and six other countries lift economic
sanctions to again allow trade with Iran.
6. What are tariffs?— Ans: tariffs, or fees charged for moving goods from
one country to another. Protectionist trade policies raise tariffs so that it
becomes difficult for imported goods, now more expensive, to compete on
price with domestic goods. Free trade agreements seek to reduce these trade
barriers.
7. What is balance of power?— Ans: balance of power means no one nation
or region is much more powerful militarily than are the countries of the rest
of the world. The achievement of a perfect balance of power is probably not
possible, but general stability, or predictability in the operation of
governments, strong institutions, and the absence of violence within and
between nations may be. For much of U.S. history, leaders viewed world
stability through the lens of Europe. If the European continent was stable, so
too was the world.
© 2026 All rights reserved
, 3 | Page
8. What was the Cold War?— Ans: stability was achieved by the existence of
dual superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, and by the real
fear of the nuclear annihilation of which both were capable. Until
approximately 1989-1990, advanced industrial democracies aligned
themselves behind one of these two superpowers.
the period from shortly after World War II until approximately 1989-1990
when advanced industrial democracies divided behind the two superpowers
(East: Soviet Union, West: United States) and the fear of nuclear war
abounded
9. What are nonstate or nongovernmental organizations? What are some
examples?— Ans: Carefully planned acts of terrorism in the United States,
Asia, and Europe have introduced a new type of enemy into the balance of
power equation—nonstate or nongovernmental organizations, such as al-
Qaeda and ISIS (or ISIL), consisting of various terrorist cells located in many
different countries and across all continents
10. What is the United Nations (UN)? How is it organized? When was it
created?— Ans: United Nations (UN) is perhaps the foremost international
organization in the world today.
The main institutional bodies of the UN are the General Assembly and the
Security Council. The General Assembly includes all member nations and
admits new members and approves the UN budget by a two-thirds majority.
The Security Council includes fifteen countries, five of which are permanent
members (including the United States) and ten that are non-permanent and
rotate on a five two-year-term basis. The entire membership is bound by
decisions of the Security Council, which makes all decisions related to
international peace and security. Two other important units of the UN are
the International Court of Justice in The Hague (Netherlands) and the UN
Secretariat, which includes the Secretary-General of the UN and the UN staff
directors and employees.
Today, the United Nations, headquartered in New York City, includes 193 of
the 195 nations of the world. It is a voluntary association to which member
nations pay dues based on the size of their economy. The UN's main
purposes are to maintain peace and security, promote human rights and
social progress, and develop friendly relationships among nations.
© 2026 All rights reserved
Texas State University
POSI 2310 Government Chapter 17: Foreign
Policy Questions and Answers 2026 Latest
Update
17.1 What are the elements of policy?— Ans: policy :
we are looking broadly at the actions the U.S. government carries out for
particular purposes.
In the case of foreign policy, that purpose is to manage its relationships
with other nations of the world.
Another distinction is that policy results from a course of action or a
pattern of actions over time, rather than from a single action or decision.
Policy is also purposive, or intended to do something; that is, policymaking
is not random. When the United States enters into an international
agreement with other countries on aims such as free trade or nuclear
disarmament, it does so for specific reasons.
What is foreign policy?— Ans: "the goals that a state's officials seek to attain
abroad, the values that give rise to those objectives, and the means or
instruments used to pursue them."
This definition highlights some of the key topics in U.S. foreign policy, such
as national goals abroad and the manner in which the United States tries to
achieve them.
3. What is the difference between foreign and domestic policy?— Ans:
foreign policy, which is externally focused, from domestic policy, which sets
strategies internal to the United States, though the two types of policies can
become quite intertwined.
for example, one might talk about Latino politics as a domestic issue when
considering educational policies designed to increase the number of
© 2026 All rights reserved
, 2 | Page
Hispanic Americans who attend and graduate from a U.S. college or
university.2 However, as demonstrated in the primary debates leading up to
the 2016 election, Latino politics can quickly become a foreign policy matter
when considering topics such as immigration from and foreign trade with
countries in Central America and South America
4. What are the goals of U.S. foreign policy?— Ans: there are nonetheless
four main goals to which we can attribute much of what the U.S. government
does in the foreign policy realm: (1) the protection of the U.S. and its
citizens, (2) the maintenance of access to key resources and markets, (3) the
preservation of a balance of power in the world, and (4) the protection of
human rights and democracy.
5. What is an economic boycott? Why has the United States imposed an
economic boycott on Iran?— Ans: In an economic boycott, the United States
ceases trade with another country unless or until it changes a policy to
which the United States objects. Ceasing trade means U.S. goods cannot be
sold in that country and its goods cannot be sold in the United States.
the United States and other countries implemented an economic boycott of
Iran as it escalated the development of its nuclear energy program. The
recent Iran nuclear deal is a pact in which Iran agrees to halt nuclear
development while the United States and six other countries lift economic
sanctions to again allow trade with Iran.
6. What are tariffs?— Ans: tariffs, or fees charged for moving goods from
one country to another. Protectionist trade policies raise tariffs so that it
becomes difficult for imported goods, now more expensive, to compete on
price with domestic goods. Free trade agreements seek to reduce these trade
barriers.
7. What is balance of power?— Ans: balance of power means no one nation
or region is much more powerful militarily than are the countries of the rest
of the world. The achievement of a perfect balance of power is probably not
possible, but general stability, or predictability in the operation of
governments, strong institutions, and the absence of violence within and
between nations may be. For much of U.S. history, leaders viewed world
stability through the lens of Europe. If the European continent was stable, so
too was the world.
© 2026 All rights reserved
, 3 | Page
8. What was the Cold War?— Ans: stability was achieved by the existence of
dual superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, and by the real
fear of the nuclear annihilation of which both were capable. Until
approximately 1989-1990, advanced industrial democracies aligned
themselves behind one of these two superpowers.
the period from shortly after World War II until approximately 1989-1990
when advanced industrial democracies divided behind the two superpowers
(East: Soviet Union, West: United States) and the fear of nuclear war
abounded
9. What are nonstate or nongovernmental organizations? What are some
examples?— Ans: Carefully planned acts of terrorism in the United States,
Asia, and Europe have introduced a new type of enemy into the balance of
power equation—nonstate or nongovernmental organizations, such as al-
Qaeda and ISIS (or ISIL), consisting of various terrorist cells located in many
different countries and across all continents
10. What is the United Nations (UN)? How is it organized? When was it
created?— Ans: United Nations (UN) is perhaps the foremost international
organization in the world today.
The main institutional bodies of the UN are the General Assembly and the
Security Council. The General Assembly includes all member nations and
admits new members and approves the UN budget by a two-thirds majority.
The Security Council includes fifteen countries, five of which are permanent
members (including the United States) and ten that are non-permanent and
rotate on a five two-year-term basis. The entire membership is bound by
decisions of the Security Council, which makes all decisions related to
international peace and security. Two other important units of the UN are
the International Court of Justice in The Hague (Netherlands) and the UN
Secretariat, which includes the Secretary-General of the UN and the UN staff
directors and employees.
Today, the United Nations, headquartered in New York City, includes 193 of
the 195 nations of the world. It is a voluntary association to which member
nations pay dues based on the size of their economy. The UN's main
purposes are to maintain peace and security, promote human rights and
social progress, and develop friendly relationships among nations.
© 2026 All rights reserved
