 Liberalism is the historic alternative of the

realist approach. Liberalism;

 After the WWI=> affected policy-making
elites and public opinion in Western
countries
 After WWII=> was reborn with the
foundation of the UN
 After the Cold War=> rose again with the
emergence of a new world order
 The 9/11 attacks => are a setback for liberal
optimism
1. All people are equal 3. Ownership of
and have the same property is a
rights fundamentally
important
2. The legislative liberty/right of the
assembly of the people
state has only the 4. The most effective
authority invested in method of
it by the people. economic
exchange is based
on market forces
(Doyle, 1997)
 War: not due to
anarchy
 War is caused by :
imperialism, failure of
balance of power,
undemocratic
intrastate power
structures
  unnatural and irrational
 is not related to human nature.
 the product of unrepresentative elites
War  created by militaristic and undemocratic
governments for their own vested
interests.
 enable governments to raise taxes and
increase their control over their citizens.
 the normal state of affairs
 can be continuous
Peace

 the establishment of republican forms of

government would lead to peaceful
international relations.
 liberal democracies are more peaceful
and law-abiding than other political
systems.
 Democratic Peace Theory:
liberal states do not fight other
liberal states
 liberal states are pacific in their
international relations with other
liberal states (Kant)
 Liberal states have constructed
a ‘separate peace’ (Doyle)
1. less to gain by 4. common moral
engaging in values which lead to
conflicts than the formation of a
poorer authoritarian pacific union
states.
2. relations of 5. economic
friendship between cooperation and
liberal states interdependence
between
3. existence of democracies
domestic political
cultures based on
peaceful conflict
resolution
 Free trade;
 creates a more peaceful world order
 is a peaceful means of achieving
national wealth
 would prevent the divisions between
states and unite individuals in a
community
 would encourage international
friendship and understanding.
 the benefits of free trade vs. the costs of
territorial conquest and colonial expansion
 The growth of economic interdependency
 the decline in the value of territorial
conquest for states
 additional territory does not necessarily help
states to compete in an international
system.
 ‘Trading state’ is becoming more dominant
than the ‘military state’.
 In the 1970s state elites realized that
wealth is determined by their share of
the world market. It has had two effects.
1. The age of the independent state is
over.
2. Territorial conquest in the nuclear age is
both dangerous and costly - economic
development is a more attractive and
beneficial strategy for states
 international institutions promote cooperation
and trust between states.
 After the WWI=> peace is not a natural
condition, it must be constructed.
 Woodrow Wilson,
 underlined the necessity of an int’l authority
 argued that peace could be secured with the
creation of an international organization rather
than secret bilateral diplomatic agreements.
 argued that an international force is required
to use when non-violent conflict resolution
failed.
 The ‘League of Nations’ must be formed to
preserve the peace.
 The League had to have a military power to
prevent aggression - the idea behind the
collective security system
 Collective security?- different from an alliance
system of security
 The experience of the League of Nations was a
disaster. Why?
 states continued to follow their own interests.
 The USA decided not to join
 The SU was also outside of the system
 The collapse of the LoN was a big failure of
idealism
 The language of liberalism after 1945 was
more realistic.
 The League needs to be replaced with
another international institution
 In the United Nations, the veto system was
constructed - an important change in the
classical model of collective security.
 During the Cold War, the UN procedures for
collective security were unsuccessful.
 Transnational cooperation is needed to
resolve common problems
› Core concept: “ramification” – cooperation in
one area would lead to collaboration in others
› Not only focused on mutual gains from trade,
but also how other transnational actors played a
major role in IR now (pluralism)
› Other actors, such as interest groups,
transnational corporations, and INGOs, have to
be taken into consideration.
› A world with a large number of transnational
networks will be a more peaceful place
 Huge focus on interdependence
 the expansion of capitalism and the
emergence of a global culture => a
growing interconnectedness
 State autonomy was being replaced by
interdependence
 a high division of labour in the int’l
economy increases interdependence
 David Mitrany: greater interdependence
in the form of transnational ties between
countries could lead to peace
 the welfare improvement =>transfer the
loyalty from the state to international
organizations.
 The EU is the best example of economic
integration
 When liberal ideas are applied to
international relations today, 2 groups of
responses emerge:
1) Liberalism of privilege: aims to restore the
authority of Western states and the
privileges they enjoy
 The success of the liberal hegemony of the
post-1945 era is a good example ; the USA
put fundamental liberal principles into the
regulatory rules and institutions of
international society
 According to Ikenberry, the USA has
used the cooperative basis of its power
in a number of ways. The USA;
1. has had an open political system
2. has supported a global free-trade
regime
3. has acted as a reluctant hegemon
4. has created and participated in a range
of important international institutions
 The post-1945 system of regimes and
institutions has been successful partly: not a
breakpoint to reorder world politics
 New global powers could not feel satisfied
 In the post-1945 international order,
 the interests have been identified with the
interests of the USA and its Western allies.
the current order
could not respond to
the needs of weaker
states and peoples.
the richest 20 per cent
=> three-quarters of
the world’s income,
the poorest 20 per
cent =>1.5 per cent.
•The West: the current order
must be preserved rather
than reconstituting it
•The use of Western power is
equated with extending
control of institutions,
protecting markets and
security access to resources.
•When this hegemonic liberal
order is challenged, the
response is uncompromising
2) Radical liberalism: criticize the strategy of
preserving and extending liberal institutions
 Radical liberals criticize the Western
institutions and the kind of economic
liberalization they supported: not consistent
with democracy and human rights
 Ex: In order to qualify for Western aid, states
are often required to meet harsh economic
criteria.
 radical liberals also criticize the illiberal
nature of the regimes and institutions.
 Huge democratic deficit
 At the political level: UN Security
Council- veto power of 5 permanent
members
 In the area of political economy: the
power exercised by the West and its
international financial institutions makes
inequality chronic
 Many scholars argue that global politics
must be democratized
 National governments could not control
the forces that shape their citizens’ lives
 The UN Charter set limits to the
sovereignty of states but not changed
the building blocks of the Westphalian
order
 In place of the Westphalian and UN
models, Held suggests a cosmopolitan
model of democracy.
1. This requires the creation of regional
parliaments such as the EU.
2. Human rights conventions must be
established and monitored by a new
International Court of Human Rights.
3. Reform or replacement of the UN with a
democratic global parliament will be
required.
 Radical liberals give significance on the
civilizing capacity of global society.
 citizens’ networks are broadened and
deepened to monitor the institutions.
 Radical liberal thinking can be seen as
‘utopian’ but the success of global civil
society should not be ignored
 Which one do you think best promotes
peace and security in the international
system? Why?
 Free trade
 International organizations
 Interdependence