Liberalism

Question 1

Three Foundational Rights

Answer 1

Freedom from arbitrary authority

Positive freedoms
* Equal access to education

Democratic participation or representation

Question 2

Assumptions of Liberalism

Answer 2

Individuals and institutions are important actors.

Politics is a struggle for consensus and mutual gain rather than power.
* Not a zero-sum game.
* Absolute—not relative—gains.
* The conditions that people live in are responsible for
international conflict

Question 3

Wilson’s 14 Points

Answer 3

3. Promote free trade (reduce tariffs)
4. Form an association where all states have a voice.

Question 4

League of Nations

Answer 4

All nations join together and pool military power.

Power centralized—not decentralized.

States would collectively come together to counter
aggressors.
* Threat defined by norms, not power.
* Counter with sanctions, not force.

Question 5

Unanimity

Answer 5

The League was the “general judgment of the world as to what is right.”

• No matter what size, all countries must agree on what constitutes threat to peace and security.
• Peace is a collective good—it’s indivisible.

Question 6

Why the League Failed

Answer 6

American isolationism: The US did not join
League never received preponderance of power.
Flawed by design.
Never provided credible security guarantees.
Unanimity proved problematic.

Question 7

Contemporary Liberal Grand Strategies

Answer 7

• Promote democracy.
• Promote free trade.
• Promote cooperation through international organizations.

Question 8

Neo-Liberalism

Answer 8

• States are most important actors in system.
• International system is anarchic but consequences of anarchy can be overcome.
• States worry about absolute gains.
• Fears of cheating—not relative gains—stymie
  international cooperation.
• Institutions can facilitate cooperation by:
• Identifying cheaters.
• Punishing cheaters.