Liberalism Theory IR

Liberalism
Historical background:
Liberalism originally arose from both deep scholarly and philosophical roots. With the
theory’s prime principle being international cooperation and peace, early influences are
seen in some bigger religious practices sharing the same goal. It was later in the 17th
and 18th centuries in which political liberalism began to take a form that challenged
nobility and inherited inequality. Followed shortly after was the Enlightenment where
liberal ideals began to develop with works by philosophers such
as Voltaire, Locke, Smith, and German thinker Immanuel Kant.
John Locke discusses many ideas that are now attributed to Liberalism in Two
Treatises of Government, published in 1689. Locke comments on society and outlines
the importance of natural rights and laws. Locke argues that civil government can help
people gain the basic human rights of health, liberty and possession. [12] Governments
that grant these rights and enforce laws benefit the world.
In Kant’s To Perpetual Peace, the philosopher set the way by forming guidelines to

create a peace program to be applied by nations. This program would require
cooperation between states as well as the mutual pursuit of secure freedom and shared
benefits. One such idea was the Democratic Peace Theory.
Assumptions of liberalism:
Liberalism is a school of thought within international relations theory which can be
thought to revolve around three interrelated principles:
 Rejection of power politics as the only possible outcome of international

relations; it questions security/warfare principles of realism
 It accentuates mutual benefits and international cooperation
 It implements international organizations and nongovernmental actors for
shaping state preferences and policy choices.
This school of thought emphasizes three factors that encourage more cooperation and
less conflict among states:
 International institutions, such as the United Nations who provide a forum to

resolve disputes in a non-violent way
 International trade because when countries' economies are interconnected
through trade they are less likely to go to war with each other.
 Spread of democracy as well-established democracies do not go to war with
one another, so if there are more democracies, interstate war will be less
frequent.
Explanation:
Liberals believe that international institutions play a key role in cooperation among
states. With the correct international institutions, and
increasing interdependence (including economic and cultural exchanges) states have
the opportunity to reduce conflict. Interdependence has three main components. States
interact in various ways, through economic, financial, and cultural means; security tends
to not be the primary goal in state-to-state interactions; and military forces are not
typically used. Liberals also argue that international diplomacy can be a very effective
way to get states to interact with each other honestly and support nonviolent
solutions to problems. With the proper institutions and diplomacy, Liberals believe that
states can work together to maximize prosperity and minimize conflict.
Liberalism is one of the main schools of international relations theory. Liberalism comes
from the Latin liber meaning "free", referred originally to the philosophy of freedom. Its
roots lie in the broader liberal thought. The central issues that it seeks to address are
the problems of achieving lasting peace and cooperation in international relations, and
the various methods that could contribute to their achievement.
Neoliberalism:
Kant's democratic peace theory has since been revised by neoliberals like Robert O.

Keohane and Joseph S. Nye. These theorists have seen that democracies do in fact
fight wars. However, democracies do not fight wars with other democracies because
of capitalist ties. Democracies are economically dependent and therefore are more
likely to resolve issues diplomatically. Furthermore, citizens in democracies are less
likely to think of citizens in other democracies as enemies because of shared
morals. Kant's original ideas have influenced liberalist scholars and have had a large
impact on liberal thought.
Areas of study:
Broad areas of study within liberal international relations theory include:
 The democratic peace theory and, more broadly, the effect of domestic

political regime types and domestic politics on international relations;
 The commercial peace theory arguing that free trade has pacifying effects on
international relations. Current explorations
of globalization and interdependence are a broader continuation of this line of
inquiry;
 Institutional peace theory, which attempts to demonstrate how cooperation can
be sustained in anarchy, how long-term interests can be pursued over short-term
interests, and how actors may realize absolute gains instead of seeking relative
gains;
 Related, the effect of international organizations on international politics, both in
their role as forums for states to pursue their interests, and in their role as actors
in their own right;
 The role of international law in moderating or constraining state behavior;
 The effects of liberal norms on international politics, especially relations between
liberal states;
 The role of various types of unions in international politics (relations), such as
highly institutionalized alliances (e.g. NATO), confederations
leagues, federations, and evolving entities like the European Union and,
 The role, or potential role, of cosmopolitanism in transcending the state and
affecting international relations.
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Liberalism Theory IR

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Liberalism

In Kant’s To Perpetual Peace, the philosopher set the way by forming guidelines to

 Rejection of power politics as the only possible outcome of international

 International institutions, such as the United Nations who provide a forum to

Kant's democratic peace theory has since been revised by neoliberals like Robert O.

 The democratic peace theory and, more broadly, the effect of domestic

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