Everything about Liberal International Relations Theory totally explained
Liberalism holds that state preferences, rather than state capabilities, are the primary determinant of state behavior. Unlike
realism where the state is seen as a unitary actor,
liberalism allows for plurality in state actions. Thus, preferences will vary from state to state, depending on factors such as
culture,
economic system or
government type. Liberalism also holds that interaction between states isn't limited to the political (
high politics), but also economic (
low politics) whether through commercial firms, organizations or individuals. Thus, instead of an anarchic international system, there are plenty of opportunities for cooperation and broader notions of power, such as cultural capital (
for example, the influence of American films leading to the popularity of American culture and creating a market for American exports worldwide). Another assumption is that
absolute gains can be made through co-operation and interdependence - thus peace can be achieved.
Many different strands of liberalism have emerged; some include
commercial liberalism,
liberal institutionalism,
idealism, and
regime theory. Two forms of liberalism predominate,
liberal institutionalism and
idealism:
» The former suggests that with the
right factors, the international system provides opportunities for cooperation and interaction. Examples include the successful integration of Europe through the
European Union or regional blocs and economic agreements such as
ASEAN or
NAFTA. Ramifications of this view are that if states can't cooperate, they ought to be curbed, whether through
economic sanctions or
military action. For example, before the invasion of
Iraq by the
United States and
United Kingdom in
2003, the governments' claims that Iraq possessed
weapons of mass destruction could be seen as claims that Iraq is a
bad state that needs to be curbed rather than an outright danger to American or European security. Thus, the invasion could be seen as
curbing a
bad state under liberal institutionalism. A variant is
Neo-liberal institutionalism (USA) which shifts back to a state-centric approach, but allows for pluralism through identifying and recognizing different actors, processes and structures.
» The latter holds a view to promote a more peaceful world order through international organizations or IGOs; for example, through the
United Nations (UN).
Neo-Liberalism
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