Liberalism

Liberalism is another school of thought in global politics. It was created in response to a number of developments in the late-20th century that could not be explained by realism:

  • Decline in conflict: 600,000 deaths in battle in 1951. Less than 10,000 deaths in battle in 2006. Conflict had also changed from inter-state (between) to intra-state (inside).

  • Rise in democracy: By 2006 over half of countries were democracies. According to democratic peace theory, no two democracies have ever had conflict.

  • Growth in worldwide trade: Worldwide exports were worth $629 million in 1960. By 2010, they were worth $30 trillion.

  • Growth in intergovernmental organisations: The United Nations, the European Union, and the International Monetary Fund are just a few international organisations that have been established in the late-20th century.

Human Nature

  • Individuals are altruistic and capable of a selfless concern for others.

  • This is similar to liberal views on human nature

  • The optimism of human nature can be applied to many scenarios: “many hands make light work”.

Harmony & Balance

  • States, a group of humans, reflect human nature. So, if people are altruistic and selfless, states also act selflessly.

  • Liberals reject the realist idea that states are unitary actors (taking into account one opinion); states’ interests reflect the plurality of interests in a state.

  • States can choose to be aggressive or co-operative. Conflict is not inevitable.

  • Harmony and balance in the international system, therefore, are possible.

  • Harmony could result from the creation of international organisations. Realists would only believe that conflict would result from a disagreement. Liberals believe that it could be solved diplomatically.

  • Democratic peace theory - A principle within liberalism suggesting that democracies are less likely to engage in war with one another, supporting the idea that the spread of democracy leads to peace.

Complex Interdependence

  • A term coined by Robert Keohane and Joseph Nye in the 1970s.

  • States and their fortunes are inextricably tied together.

  • Relationships between states are increasing; conflict is decreasing.

  • Spider-web model: the creation of connections between states.

  • Three characteristics of complex interdependence:

    • The development of multiple channels of action between societies in interstate and transnational relations, meaning that states are no longer autonomous international actors.

    • The growing prominence of economic and other issues (‘low politics’) in world politics over defence and foreign policy (‘high politics’).

    • States increasingly prioritising trade over war, leading to a decline in the use of military force and coercive power.

Global Governance

  • The willingness of states to co-operate allows for the creation of global governance (groups that have worldwide impact).

  • A number of non-state actors, including religious groups, social movements and businesses are highly influential in international relations.

    • Religious groups: ISIS

    • Social movements: Extinction Rebellion

    • Businesses: Amazon

International organisations

  • Some liberals believe that the state is playing an ever-decreasing role in global politics.

  • Global governance groups are becoming more prevalent, and intergovernmental organisations are also becoming more promenant.

  • For example, states of the EU make trade deals as one group, rather than individual states, and international law is handled by the UN tribunals and courts.

Key liberal Thinkers and their writing

Joseph Nye, The Paradox of American Power (2002)

The USA is a power like the world hasn’t seen since the Roman Empire. Nye wrote about need for the USA to co-operate in the world, as contemporary global challenges like terrorism and climate change have shown that military and economic power aren’t enough. Co-operation is the key to meaningful impact on the world.

Robert Keohane, Transnational Relations and World Politics (1971)

International relations and global politics should no longer been seen as just between states. The emergence of other non-state actors, such as transnational corporations and global governance institutions mean that states’ prevalence in international politics is decreasing.

Immanuel Kant, Metaphysics of Morals (1785)

Humans are rational beings and are driven by morals and reason. People’s decisions are therefore based on these principles, so they are altruistic and make the best decisions.

Woodrow Wilson, The Fourteen Points (1918)

As part of the peace settlements after the First World War, Woodrow Wilson drew up his Fourteen Points, which established a League of Nations, the emergence of the first political global governance group. This aimed to find co-operative and peaceful solutions to disagreements between states.