Political Philosophy and International Relations

Liberalism is a perspective in International Relations (IR) that sees the state as a constitutional entity that respects the rights of citizens and enforces the rule of law.

Liberals believe that progress and modernization bring about cooperation across international boundaries.

Immanuel Kant, an eighteenth-century German philosopher, argued for the existence of a world of constitutional and mutually respectful states, which he called "republics," leading to "perpetual peace."

After World War II, liberalism was divided into four main strands: sociological liberalism, interdependence liberalism, institutional liberalism, and republican liberalism.

Sociological liberalism rejects the realist view of IR as the study of relations between governments of sovereign states.

Sociological liberals focus on transnational relations, or relations between people, groups, and organizations belonging to different countries.

Transnational relations are considered important for achieving peaceful relations and the formation of security communities.

Karl Deutsch, a leading figure in the study of transnational relations in the 1950s, argued that a high degree of transnational ties leads to a security community, where conflicts and problems can be resolved without resort to large-scale physical force.

Sociological liberals propose a "cobweb model" of transnational relationships to demonstrate that a nation-state consists of many different groups of people with various types of external ties and interests.

The cobweb model represents a more accurate picture of the world because it represents actual patterns of human behavior rather than artificial boundaries of states.

Sociological liberalism is a perspective in International Relations (IR) that emphasizes the importance of individuals, groups, and private relations in a global context.

Individuals have become significant players in global politics due to various reasons: erosion and dispersion of state power, advances in education and communication, increased awareness of interdependence issues, and the revolution of information technologies.

Sociological liberals argue that the increasing pluralism and interconnectedness of the world, characterized by transnational networks, will lead to a more peaceful world, although it may also be more unstable due to the breakdown of the old state-centric order.

Individuals have extended their activities through better education, access to communication, and travel, leading to a decrease in states' capacity for control and regulation.

A new 'multicentric world' has emerged, composed of diverse sovereignty-free collectivities, which exist apart from and in competition with the state-centric world.

Micropowers, such as insurgents, activists, and charismatic individuals, are challenging the traditional macro-structures of power.

The 'More revolution' refers to the increase in the number of people living longer and healthier lives, making them harder to regiment and control.

The 'Mobility revolution' is the ability of people to move around and communicate globally, making it easier for them to switch loyalties.

The 'Mentality revolution' reflects the growing aspirations of the middle classes, who are shaking off traditional values and questioning authority.

Sociological liberalism challenges the conventional focus on relations between national governments and instead highlights the cooperative nature of overlapping interdependent relations between people.

The transformation of the state and the distinction between domestic and international are being challenged, leading to uncertainty about the future.