Lecture 3 Flashcards
Who are the most influential early liberal thinkers?
Kant and Bentham
What is meant by the international can be tamed?
Reform is possible by liberalism, meant by international instutions peaceful and progressive, IR is possible, reform is desirable.
What are the three origin points of liberalism?
- Optimistic view of human nature and reason
- Peace through transformation of consciousness,
republican constitutionalism, contract to abolish war - ‘Harmony of interests’ through increased trade with pacifying effects
What where the inter-war liberal idealists thoughts?
- More advanced mechanisms, rules,
decision-making procedures at the international
level, realised in the League of Nations - Skewed notion of self-determination,
civilisational perspectives of founders, absence
of US all contributed toward League’s failure > imperalism focused ( only letting colnies to be free when they where western enough
What where key points of post-WW2/ cold War liberalism
- Liberal internationalism becomes more
pragmatic. - UN’s effectiveness as a guarantor of security
undermined by Cold War tensions ( USA and USSR veto’s every peace keeping misson) - Huge expansion in peacekeeping activity and
mandates after Cold War ends, reflecting
traditional liberal principles - Responsibility to Protect established as norm of international security in 90s/00s
E.G:
Before: UN Was made to create a truce, only intervened when both war parties agreed to create a truce
After: UN started to intervene even in active conflicts.
What is the post cold war liberal international order?
The post cold war liberal international order built around open multilateral trade,
‘managed’ open economies, permanent multilateral governance institutions, and ‘special’ relations between Western liberal democracies
E.G: Protecting taiwan, Ukraine.
What are Ikenberry’s post coldwar highligts of LIO?
Challenges relating to international governance and social purpose.
less focus to enormous privilege
afforded to West in LIO institutions, the privileging of Western interests over less wealthy majority in
multilateral policies, and the hollowness of liberal
principles in the context of militarised
‘humanitarian’ interventions and Western support for non-democratic leaders
What are the similarities of and a theory of liberalism?
Both are grounded in particular assumptions (e.g. about the nature of the world, international, politics, human nature, etc)
What are the differeces of liberalism as a theory versus an ideology
Understanding vs. Prescription > an ideology is goal orientated, normative
Practice of liberal internationalism vs. liberal theories of international relations
What is Morvavcsik’s Liberal Theory of International Politics
- Proposes non-ideological (?), non-utopian liberal theory of international politics
- State preferences influenced by efforts of
domestic individuals and groups to realise their ambitions
What are the three forms of Morvavcsik’s liberalism?
- Ideational liberalism
- Commercial liberalism
- Republican liberalism
What is ideational liberalism?
Social identities and values of people influence the position of the state.
What is Commercial liberalism?
Industry and business groups influence the position of the state. E.G: lobbiyist groups.
What is Republican liberalism
a variation of Democratic Peace Theory which claims that liberal and republican democracies will rarely go to war with each other. It argues that these governments are more peaceful than non-democracies and will avoid conflict when possible.
What are the two key points of Keohane’s Liberal Theory of International Politics?
- Institutions help identify focal points for agreement, reduce transaction costs, and reduce fears over the intentions of others.
- Regularised interaction through permanent institutions creates environment where reputation matters and honesty pays.
every interaction that is made trough a institution can be seen as having to deal with a the prisoners dillema. being honest pays off.
