Download Liberalism - R. Allen Bolar

POLI 140: Mar. 7, 2017
Lecture #3: Liberalism
Announcements
 First paper is on the question:
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“Which is a more compelling theory of
International Politics, Realism or Liberalism?”
There will be some additional reading on the
website, you will have two more weeks.
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Due 3/21
 No Class this Thursday (3/9)
 Watch the two remaining parts of “Commanding Heights”,
episodes 2 and 3
Paradigms in International
Politics
 Realism
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Balance of power theory
Human nature as basically hostile
 Liberalism
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Liberal institutionalism
Human nature as basically peaceful
What is liberalism?
 liberalism is "a paradigm predicated on the hope that the
application of reason and universal ethics to international
relations can lead to a more orderly, just, and cooperative
world, and that international anarchy and war can be
policed by institutional reforms that empower
international organizations and laws“ – Kegley and
Wittkopf
 liberals believe that significant global cooperation is
possible and that we can move beyond the power politics
at the heart of the realist paradigm.
Are the realists correct?
 Does the realist view of international politics match
reality?
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Perhaps somewhat, but not entirely
 Theory of international relations known as “liberalism”
argues that while there is mistrust between states, there is
also commerce and international cooperation in many
areas, which Hobbes would not have predicted.
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Why?
Liberalism
 Liberals argue that it is possible to overcome the
consequences of anarchy.
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While folks might not be naturally peaceful, they
aren’t as awful as Hobbes thinks
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We do care about others and desire peace
Self-interest leads people to recognize value in
cooperation
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Liberals agree that states are self-interested/rational
 Logic of prisoner’s dilemma remains true, but liberals
want to “change the game”
Liberal Institutionalism
 The dangers of anarchy provides strong incentives
to find a way out.
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Negotiation, diplomacy can lead to cooperation
Treaties/Orgs create “repeated games” that provide
incentives for fairness & trustworthiness
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Norms influence behavior
Multi-player game, not two-player – defecting is a signal
that you are a defector
Reciprocity allows for accountability
Monitoring is possible to check for cheating
Institutions
 International Organizations seek to enforce global
norms
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While there is no “global government” there are
arenas for global politics
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G-7, United Nations, World Trade Organization, World
Bank, etc…
 Liberalism focuses on power as collaborative and
institutional power, not merely coercion.
Liberal Institutionalism in Action
 “Concert of Europe” after Napoleon
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Diplomacy helped create peace and prosperity in
Europe
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But….degenerated and led to First World War
But! Isn’t that liberal’s point? Breakdown led to war.
 Cold War – even bitter rivals could cooperate
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SALT treaties to lower nuclear warhead count
SALT Treaties
Global Warming
 Very hard to see this stopping from a realist
perspective
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Liberal is more hopeful
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Self-interest leads to cooperation
Monitoring allows for enforcement
Norms allow for pressure
 Liberalism does not posit need for altruism, but
argues that self-interest leads to cooperation.
Complex Interdependence Theory
 Realist perspective too simplistic according to CIT
 Multiple channels connect societies
IGOs and NGOs connect below gov-to-gov level
 No clear hierarchy of issues
 Security is not always dominant goal
 Military force is often considered not viable
 Many issues w/ allies have little to do w/ security
 Humanitarian missions, health issues, for example
 Complex interdependence focuses on broader range of actors
and interests
 Realist focuses on single actor (state), single goal (security),
single driving force (power).
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IGO’s
 IGO’s (International Governmental Organizations)
exist to facilitate diplomacy, promote dialogue, and
enforce internationally agreed to global norms
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United Nations
World Trade Organization
International Criminal Court
World Bank
European Union (basically an international
government)
Complex Interdependence Theory
 Whereas realism pictures states as billiard balls, CIT pictures them
with a web of connections
 Many issues less difficult than security, allows for easier
collaboration
 “liberal” democracies have a common interest in pushing for “liberal”
values
 Trade, human rights, democracy, peace
 Globalization, in large part, a result of liberal success
 Based on Immanuel Kant’s “Perpetual Peace”
 Wilson’s 14 points
 European Union
 Democratic Peace Theory – liberal democracies don’t go to war
against each other
Democratic Peace Theory
 Among proponents of the Democratic Peace Theory,
several factors are held as motivating peace between liberal
states:
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Democratic leaders are forced to accept culpability for war
losses to a voting public;
Publicly accountable statesmen are more inclined to establish
diplomatic institutions for resolving international tensions;
Democracies are less inclined to view countries with adjacent
policy and governing doctrine as hostile;
Democracies tend to possess greater public wealth than other
states, and therefore eschew war to preserve infrastructure and
resources.
Democratization around the world
Is liberalism just hidden realism?
 In the 19th century, “trade followed the flag”. In other
words, colonialism would lead to trade between colonized
countries and colonizer.
 Commerce and international organizations are examples of
“liberalism” in international politics, but are they merely
another form of realism.
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Are they another form of hidden colonialism that the
powerful use to control the weak?
 WTO enforces free trade rules on countries, World Bank
enforces austerity measurements on countries, United
Nations is controlled by security council
International Liberalism
 Liberalism and globalization
Reactions against globalization are often reactions against
“liberal values” that place individual self-interest and the
rights of individual self-expression above others
threatening to erode traditional values.
 Realism and power politics may preserve traditional
difference and division better
 Realists see liberalism as misguided, dangerous idealism
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CIT misses big picture, power underlying dynamic still
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When power and other issues are at stake, power will win
States that put their faith in institutions and not self-help
will eventually regret it
The End