Liberalism: Dominant Perspective in International Politics
Liberalism, a key theory in international relations, focuses on achieving peace and cooperation. It emphasizes institutions, diplomacy, and democracy to prevent conflict and promote prosperity. With roots in Enlightenment philosophy, liberalism upholds individual rights and property as government's highest goal. Rejecting power politics, it advocates for mutual benefits, international cooperation, and active roles for international organizations and non-governmental actors. Explore the principles, definition, and characteristics of liberalism in the context of contemporary global dynamics.
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Presentation Transcript
Liberalism A dominant perspective in the contemporary international politics
Outline: Introduction to Liberalism Theory in the International Relations Three Interrelated Principles of Liberalism Definition of Liberalism For dimensional definition to understand Liberalism Characteristic features of liberalism Liberalism and the causes of conflict Democratic peace theory How to prevent conflict Main differences of Realism and Liberalism Conclusion
Introduction to Liberalism Theory in the International Relations Liberalism is one of the main theories of international relations which as the concept comes from the Latin liber meaning "free" referred originally to the philosophy of freedom. Its roots originally comes from liberal thought originating in the Enlightenment. The central issues that it seeks to address are the problems of achieving peace and cooperation in international relations. Liberal scholars believe that with the proper institutions and diplomacy, states can work together to maximize prosperity and minimize conflict. Supporters of liberalism often believe in the spreading of democracy through cooperation.
Three Interrelated Principles of Liberalism Liberalism thought within international relations theory has three interrelated principles: 1- Rejection of power politics as the only possible outcome of international relations; it questions security/warfare principles of realism. 2- It emphasis on mutual benefits and international cooperation among states. 3- It gives a considerable role to the international organizations and nongovernmental actors for shaping state preferences and policy choices.
A General Definition of Liberalism Definition of Liberalism: Liberalism is based on the moral argument that ensuring the right of an individual person to life, liberty and property is the highest goal of government. liberals believe that state s activities in the international politics can have a strong influence on liberty at home. Liberals are particularly troubled by militaristic foreign policies or war that requires states to build up military power. This power can be used for fighting foreign states, but it can also be used to oppress its own citizens. Four dimensional definition to understand Liberalism: 1- all citizens are juridically equal and possess certain basic rights to education, access to a free press and religious toleration.
Four dimensional definition to understand Liberalism: 2- the legislative assembly of the state possesses only the authority invested in it by the people. 3- a key dimension of the liberty of the individual is the right to own property including productive forces. 4- liberalism contends that the most effective system of economic exchange is one that is largely market driven not one that is subordinate to bureaucratic regulation and control.
Characteristics of Liberalism What are the characteristics of liberalism? 1- Its optimistic about politics, economics, and international politics, including the cooperation among international actors and our chances for a peaceful world. 2- it holds that international politics is not inherently full of conflict and violence, peace can be achieved if cooperation not limited. 3- it identifies nation states as the most important actors in international politics. But also gives considerable attention to other actors as well: (NGOs)and domestic actors such as interest groups, elites, and political parties. 4- It is a broad analytical approach which offers guidelines, conclusions, and orientations for the better conduct of international affairs, it is a well-developed theoretical explanations of why those things work.
Democratic peace theory Definition of democratic peace theory: Democratic peace theory is perhaps the strongest contribution liberalism makes to IR theory. It asserts that democratic states are highly unlikely to go to war with one another. There is a two-part explanation for this phenomenon. 1- democratic states are characterized by internal restraints on power, as described above. 2- democracies tend to see each other as legitimate and unthreatening and therefore have a higher capacity for cooperation with each other than they do with non- democracies.
How to Prevent Conflict in the International Politics Factors to avoid conflict and make peace possible among states. 1- international law and agreements are accompanied by international organizations to create an international system that goes significantly beyond one of just states. such as, the United Nations, which pools resources for common goals 2- the spread of free trade through the efforts of powerful liberal states and international organizations like the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank creates an open, market-based, international economic system. This situation is mutually beneficial as a high level of trade between states decreases conflict and makes war less likely. 3- The third element of the liberal international order is international norms. Liberal norms favor international cooperation, human rights, democracy and rule of law. When a state takes actions contrary to these norms, they are subject to various types of costs.
Main differences of Realism and Liberalism Realism 1- states are the only actors in the international system. 2- it believes that all states pursue their power and interests to maintain their own security. 3- international system is inherently anarchical, it can t be peaceful except through power. 4- they believe in military power to achieve peace and security. 5- states pursue power regardless of whether they are democratic, states choose to fight when their interests threatened. 6- realists view international relations as a zero-sum game, if one side wins, another must lose. Liberalism 1- states are the mains actors, other non-state actors are important. 2- it holds that states can cooperate with one another and act altruistically. States are not always looking for power. 3- international system can be manipulated to make peace. 4- they believe in economic power to achieve peace and security. 5- democratization can bring peace, democratic countries will one fight one another. 6- politics can be a positive sum game. states can act together in pursuit of mutual interests, both sides can benefit from a treaty.
Conclusion Conclusion A core argument of liberalism is that concentrations of unaccountable violent power are the fundamental threat to individual liberty and must be restrained. The primary means of restraining power are institutions and norms at both domestic and international level. At the international level institutions and organizations limit the power of states by fostering cooperation and providing a means for imposing costs on states that violate international agreements. Economic institutions are particularly effective at fostering cooperation because of the substantial benefits that can be derived from economic interdependence. Finally, liberal norms add a further limitation on the use of power by shaping our understanding of what types of behavior are appropriate.
