Liberalism

3.
Liberalism
 Shaping western political thought.
 Or due to rapid industrialization
 Took shape after world war 1
 Theorizing which dates back, via Kant’s belief in the possibility of ‘universal and perpetual peace’, to the Middle
Ages and the ideas of early ‘just war’ thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas.
 1970s onwards, often in the form of so-called neoliberalism.
 new wave of democratization in the 1990s each gave liberal theory additional impetus.
 notion of harmony or balance amongst competing interests
 balance of interests tends to develop amongst the states of the world, disposing liberals to believe in the
possibility of peace and cooperation.
 both liberals and realists accept that world affairs are shaped, in significant ways, by competition amongst
states, implying that the international system is, and perhaps must always remain, decentralized.
 The difference, nevertheless, is that liberals assume that competition within this system is conducted within a
larger framework of harmony.
The key themes within liberal theory are as follows:

A. Interdependence liberalism
 ideas about trade and economic relations
 commercial liberalism (emphasizes the economic and international benefits of free trade,
leading to mutual benefit and general prosperity as well)
 classical economics of David Ricardo (1770–1823) and the ideas of the so-called ‘Manchester
liberals’, Richard Cobden (1804–65) and John Bright (1811–89).
 Free trade.
 it allows each country to specialize in the production of the goods and services that it is best
suited to produce, the ones in which they have a ‘comparative advantage’
 Cobden and Bright argued that free trade would draw people of different races, creeds and
languages together in what Cobden described as ‘the bonds of eternal peace’. Not only would
free trade maintain peace for negative reasons (the fear of being deprived of vital goods), but it
would also have positive benefits in ensuring that different peoples are united by shared values
and a common commercial culture, and so would have a better understanding of one another.
In short, aggression and expansionism are best deterred by the ‘spirit of commerce’.
 Keohane and Nye (1977) called ‘complex interdependence
 Relations between and amongst states have also changed, not least through a tendency for
modern states to prioritize trade over war and through a trend towards closer cooperation or
even integration, as, for instance, in the case of the European Union.
 Such a view suggests that realism’s narrow preoccupation with the military and diplomatic
dimensions of international politics, the so-called ‘high politics’ of security and survival, is
misplaced. Instead, the international agenda is becoming broader with greater attention being
given to the ‘low politics’ of welfare, environmental protection and political justice
B. Republican liberalism
 liberals believe that the external behaviour of a state is crucially influenced by its political and
constitutional make-up
 While autocratic or authoritarian states are seen to be inherently militaristic and aggressive,
democratic states are viewed as naturally peaceful, especially in their dealings with other
democratic states.
 from the fact that they are immunized from popular pressure and typically have strong and
politically powerful armies.
 democratic peace thesis resurfaced with particular force in the aftermath of the collapse of
communism, notably in the writings of Francis Fukuyama (see p. 513). In Fukuyama’s view, the
wider acceptance of liberal-democratic principles and structures, and the extension of market
capitalism, amounted to the ‘end of history’ and also promised to create a more stable and
peaceful global order.
 checks and balances in government would act as a brake on the use of military force—as
compared to autocratic governments in which a single individual (or small ruling group) could
make war without regard for the effect on the population.
 Liberals have claimed empirical as well as theoretical support for such beliefs, especially in the
fact that there has never been a war between two democratic nation-states.
 domestic institutions can make the process of international cooperation more complex.
a. UN not going to league of nations due to domestic opposition
b. European Union leaders discovered after their proposal for a new EU constitution
was defeated in democratic elections.
c.
C. Liberal institutionalism
 An approach to study that emphasizes the role of institutions (both formal and informal) in the
realization of liberal principles and goals.
 states to develop and follow mutually advantageous rules, with international institutions to
monitor and enforce them.
 international institutions operate by reciprocal contributions and concessions among formally
equal members GATT, WTO, UNSC, Arab league, NAM
 Taking particular account of social contract theory, as developed by thinkers such as Hobbes and
John Locke (1632–1704), this highlights the fact that only the construction of a sovereign power
can safeguard citizens from the chaos and barbarity of the ‘state of nature’. If order can only be
imposed ‘from above’ in domestic politics, the same must be true of international politics
 The League of Nations was the first, if flawed, attempt to translate such thinking into practice.
The United Nations (see p. 449) has attracted far wider support and established itself as a
seemingly permanent feature of global politics
 Instead of constantly engaging in one-upmanship, states are always willing to cooperate if they
calculate that they will be better off in real terms as a result
 International Regimes
a. international regimeis a set of rules, norms, and procedures around which the
b. expectations of actors converge in a certain issue area (whether arms control,
international trade, or Antarctic exploration)
c. Envioronment issues
Is democracy a guarantee of peace?

Yes NO
As democracy has spread, ‘zones of peace’ States are states
have emerged, in which military conflict has
become virtually unthinkable
Public Opinion Democracies at war
Non- violent conflict resolution Peace by other means
Cultural Bonds

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3.

The key themes within liberal theory are as follows:

Is democracy a guarantee of peace?

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