Liberalism Flashcards
What is Liberalism?
Liberalism is defined by a possibility of progress due to human reason, the role of individuals and their freedoms and the concept of self-interested humans that pursue their interests. These interests shape state preferences and states cooperate when they share interests. The main actors are the individual groups in a society and Liberalism explains the outcomes in the international system, because it can predict the conditions under which countries have convergent interests. E.g. WTO and EU came into existence in the post-war economic system because of mutually beneficial trade interests.
What are the unifying tenets of liberalism?
- Possibility of progress: Human reason has the potential to achieve progress in world politics
- Individualism: Primacy of individuals, individual freedom, and moral equality of individuals.
- Pursuit of interest: Human beings are self-interested and act accordingly.
- Shared interests: Actors in world politics share some interests, which makes sustainable cooperation possible
Commercial Liberalism
For Commercial Liberalism states that commerce is the reason for sustained cooperation.
- Montesquieu argued that peace is a natural consequence of commerce.
- Richard Cobden: Free trade leads to wealth and peace. Maximisation of individual utility means/leads to maximisation of collective utility (Adam Smith). Countries will engage in international trade even when one country is more efficient in producing goods, because if they engage in the free market, each country will increase the production of the good for which they have the comparative advantage, i.e. lower relative marginal cost before trade (Ricardo).
- Norman Angell: The economic interests of states outweigh other interests. Going to war has become irrational because of its enormous costs.
Example: EU initially an economic union to ensure cooperation and peace.
Republican Liberalism
Republican Liberalism builds on Immanuel Kant’s Eternal Peace. In this, Kant argued that a federation of Republics leads to peace. The way to get to peace is through a Republican Constitution, a federation of republics, and cosmopolitan law. It is easy for authoritarian states to go to war because the head of state will not be affected by any negative consequences. In democracies, the people who vote are the people affected by war. Thus, democracies have a tendency towards peace, unless strictly necessary. Republican Liberalism also highlights the role of domestic institutions which help select the interests and ideals represented by the state.
Democratic Peace Hypothesis
Michael Doyle derived the “Democratic Peace Hypothesis” from Kant’s theory, which implies that democratic states do not fight one another (but may be more aggressive towards other forms of government).
Liberal Internationalism
Liberal Internationalism was first put forward by President Woodrow Wilson, who argued that secret treaties, undemocratic processes, and a lack of openness led to WW1. In his 14 points speech to Congress, he highlighted the need for a world economy (open trade, open seas, open diplomacy) and the League of Nations (association of states for mutual guarantees of political interdependence and territorial integrity). Grenville Clark and Louis B. Sohn called for both a world government and a world military after WW2.
Sociological Liberalism
Sociological Liberalism sees international relations in terms of relationships between people, groups and organisations across different countries. Many sociological liberals believe that increased transnational relations could help create new forms of human society.
- Transnational Liberalism: States create a security community with shared ideas and identity, which are more than a typical alliance. Transnational cooperation establishes a community of states (Karl Deutsch).
- Functional Liberalism: Cooperation and integration among technical experts across nation-state boundaries by devising solutions in functional areas facilitates further cooperation between states (David Mitrany).
- Neofunctionalism: Integration in functional areas through self-interested elites has spill-over effects into other areas (Ernst Haas).
Complex Interdependence
Robert Keohane and Joseph Nye argue for Complex Interdependence. Complex interdependence has two features:
- Sensitivity: Degree to which a state is affected by the developments in another
- Vulnerability: Capacity to manage the costs of repercussions of developments in another state
The interdependence can be governmental, as well as non-governmental. In situations of complex interdependence, i.e. host of transnational relations, states do not use military force because it is very costly. In the absence of complex interdependence, the Realist paradigm applies.
Neoliberal Institutionalism
Neoliberal Institutionalism focusses on the role of institutions. Its key proponents are Robert Keohane, Steve Krasner, and Lisa Martin. Neoliberal Institutionalism states that institutions are persistent and have a set of rules and practices that shape the expectations of actors. Institutions may include organizations, bureaucratic agencies, treaties, agreements, and informal practices that states accept as binding. These institutions mitigate anarchy and provide for peace and stability because they reduce uncertainty and transaction costs, while promoting trust. Key question in today’s politics is how resilient institutions are and whether the liberal world order is here to stay (e.g. John Ikenberry)?
Neoliberalism and Cooperation: Under what conditions to states cooperate?
Simple answer: If it suits their interests. Rational assumptions:
- States evaluate possible outcomes
- States rank preferences
- States act on this to maximise their expected utility
The question that arises is how do we arrive at pareto efficiency? I.e. how can state A make the best choice by factoring in how other states act? For this, scholars use game theory.
Neoliberalism and Cooperation: Under what conditions to states cooperate?
Simple answer: If it suits their interests. Rational assumptions:
- States evaluate possible outcomes
- States rank preferences
- States act on this to maximise their expected utility
The question that arises is how do we arrive at pareto efficiency? I.e. how can state A make the best choice by factoring in how other states act? For this, scholars use game theory.
What are the different strands of Constructivism?
Commercial Liberalism Republican Realism Liberal Internationalism Sociological Internationalism Complex Interdepence Neoliberal Institutionalism
