Lecture 2 on the Theory of Liberalism (3).pptx

Lecture on IR Theory of Liberalism Course: Theories of International Relations Fall 2024-25 University of Sharjah M. Moniruzzaman  Basic assumptions  Humans are not selfish; rather sympathetic  Humans are not essentially bad, but goo...

Lecture on IR Theory of Liberalism Course: Theories of International Relations Fall 2024-25 University of Sharjah M. Moniruzzaman  Basic assumptions  Humans are not selfish; rather sympathetic  Humans are not essentially bad, but good  They practice Self-restraint, moderation, cooperation, compromise, and peace.  States, like humans, enjoy certain natural rights  Need an international government to govern the actions of individual (states)  League of Nations and the United Nations  The Historical Development of Liberalism  The liberal tradition in political thought goes back at least to early thinkers John Locke (1632-1704), Jeremy Bentham (1748- 1832), J. J Rousseau (1712-1778), Immanuel Kant (1724-1804),  Liberal thinkers saw great potential for human progress in modern society & capitalist economy, both of which could flourish in states which guaranteed individual liberty.  Early liberal thought on IR took the view that the natural order had been corrupted by undemocratic state leaders & outdated policies such as the balance of power.  The high-water mark of liberal thinking in international relations was reached in the inter-war period (1919- 1939).  This period was dominated by liberals' beliefs that war was unnecessary and archaic mode of settling disputes between states.  The League of Nations was established in 1920.  In the post-WWII era, liberals turned to international institutions to carry out several functions the state could not perform. – This was the catalyst for integration theory in Europe.  After 9/11, the old enemy, Realism gained currency.  – liberals have great faith in human reason & are convinced that rational principles can be applied to international affairs- reason can triumph over fear. IR Principles of Liberalism / Idealism 2) International relations can be cooperative rather than conflictual. – States (and individuals) share many interests and thus engage in collaborative & cooperative action. 3) A belief in progress – Through the process of modernization, industrialization, trade, etc. 4.The IR slowly evolves through time becoming more peaceful because of the gradual build-up of international organization and mutual cooperation (reciprocity, through trade) and from changes in norms and public opinion (identity, becoming more democratic). 5.Less people killed in wars Current period is one of the least warlike ever in human history. 6. In power politics, it is possible to “do well by doing good.”  IR Principles of Liberalism 7. Human beings are perfectible - democracy is necessary for that perfectibility to develop. 8. War is not the natural condition of world politics. 9. State is not the main and unitary actor on the world political stage; NGOs, MNCs, IGOs can also play a central role in world politics. 10. National interests is not only military power rather economic, environmental and technological success. 11. Order in the international system emerges not from balance of power but from interactions between many layers of governing arrangements comprising laws, norms, international regimes and institutional rules. 12. The world is a complex system of bargaining between many different types of actors.  Liberalism/Idealism on Key IR Concepts 1. International regimes Can emerge through the building of norms, regimes, and institutions Can help solve collective-goods problems by increasing transparency Can set of rules, norms, and procedures around which the expectations of actors converge in a certain issue area. 2. Collective security Grows out of liberal institutionalism. Formation of a broad alliance of most major actors in an international system for the purpose of jointly opposing aggression by any actor.  e.g. League of Nations, United Nations, IGOs, EU, AU, Arab  Types of Liberalism 1. Institutional liberals underscore the importance of organized cooperation between states 2. Interdependence liberals pay particular attention to economic ties of mutual exchange and mutual dependence between peoples and governments. 3. Republican liberals argue that Liberal democratic constitutions and forms of government are of vital importance for inducing peaceful and cooperative relations between states 4. Sociological liberals highlight transnational nongovernmental ties between societies, such as communication between individuals and between groups  Institutional Liberalism  Liberal institutional theory of IR try to explain peace and cooperation are possible through establishing international institutions. German philosopher Immanuel Kant – gave three answers 200 years ago: 1) Forming a world federation – States could develop the organizations and rules to facilitate cooperation, specifically by forming a world federation resembling today’s United Nations (reciprocity) → → liberal institutionalism 2) Promote democracy – Peace depends on the internal character of governments-- specifically that democratic, with a legislative branch that can hold the government in check. They will be more peaceful than autocrats (identity) → → democratic peace 3) Promote Trade – Trade promotes peace, relies on the assumption that trade increases wealth, cooperation, and global well-being -- all making conflict less likely in the long term because governments will not want to disrupt any process that adds to the wealth of their state. → → economic interdependence  Arguments  Ability of states to develop and follow mutually beneficial rules, with international institutions to monitor and enforce them.  They propose the creation of a variety of international organizations (UN, EU, ICC, GCC etc).  International organizations/regimes encourage mutual trust and aid cooperation between states.  International cooperation is a more rational option for states than resorting to war  Diplomacy and multilateralism are the most-appropriate strategies. Republican liberalism or Democratic Peace  Promote democracy, or character of governments.  “Democracies are more peaceful than authoritarian regimes”. – democracies fight as many wars as do authoritarian states.  Democracies do fight wars against authoritarian states  Democracies almost never fight each other. Why Democracies don’t fight each other? 1. They tend to be capitalist states whose trade relations create strong interdependence 2. Citizens of democratic societies may not see the citizens of other democracies as enemies. Trend is toward authoritarianism (Turkey, Russia, China etc) in most of the world’s regions. Interdependence liberalism  This theory pays particular to economic ties of mutual exchange and mutual dependence between peoples & governments.  Trade increases the level of interdependence between states.  economic interdependence lowers the likelihood of war by increasing the value of trading over the alternative of aggression  The complex interdependence signifies a world of more cooperative international relations.  Sociological Liberalism  Believes that IR is not only about state-state relations rather it is about transnational relations – non-governmental, individuals & groups.  IR not only studies relations between governments; it also studies relations between private individuals, groups and societies.  Relations between people are more cooperative than relations between governments.  A world with a large number of transnational networks will be more peaceful in the absence of WAR  Emergence of Security Community (Karl Deutsch)  Neoliberalism › What is Neoliberalism? “It is a variant of liberal IR theory that focuses on the role international institutions play in obtaining international collective outcomes.” Core Neoliberal Assumptions States as unitary actors: states are unitary actors rather than composites of different domestic actors. States as rational actors: states make decisions based on a set of self-interested priorities and according to a strategic cost-benefit analysis of possible choices, reactions and outcomes. States are also utility-maximizing actors.  Key Arguments 1) States are self-interested and rational actors that are concerned not just with survival and power but with wealth, reputation, etc. 2) States want to maximize utility, not power. 3) As utility-maximizers, states are concerned first and foremost with absolute gains rather than relative gains. 4) In order to maximize utility, states are willing to cooperate with each other through such cooperative mechanisms as international institutions (the UN, IMF, etc.) and regimes (WTO, NATO, etc.). Since states are rational, self-interested actors, it is in their interest to cooperate with each other for the purpose of realizing greater benefits. 5) The structure or design of international institutions plays an important role in determining how and to what extent greater and collective benefits can be realized. Structural power 6) Therefore, it is important to study and improve the structural design of international institutions to mitigate the negative impact of anarchy on collective actions. Main proponents: Robert Keohane, Stephen Krasner, J. Mearsheimer  Critics of Liberalism  Ithas been considered as impracticable, utopian and most of the liberal principles are charged of being culture-specific and ethnocentric.  The liberals attempts for peace, effective international organization and disarmament efforts have met with little success.  They do not take into account the realities of human nature and hence politics.  Much of the idealist program for reform was never tried and even less of it was ever achieved.  Useful Links Very very useful links: https://www.e-ir.info/2017/01/05/online-resources-liberalism/ The State (as an actor): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtcicQY49AQ Free Trade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvgZcc43wfg Interdependence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjr5NuZv2e4 UN Security Council: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCjrbO9upG8&t=128s Multinational coorporations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCojpFwWuG0&t=1s