Liberal international relations theory
- Liberal international relations theory
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 is not 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 the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Ramifications of this view are that if states cannot 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
See also
*International relations theory
*Liberal internationalism
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
International relations theory — attempts to provide a conceptual model upon which international relations can be analyzed. Each theory is reductive and essentialist to different degrees, relying on different sets of assumptions respectively. As Ole Holsti describes them,… … Wikipedia
Marxist international relations theory — International relations theory • Idealism Liberalism … Wikipedia
Critical international relations theory — is a diverse set of schools of thought in International Relations (IR) that have criticized the theoretical, meta theoretical and/or political status quo, both in IR theory and in international politics more broadly from positivist as well as… … Wikipedia
Great Debates (international relations theory) — In international relations theory, the Great Debates refer to a series of disagreements between international relations scholars.[1] Ashworth describes how the discipline of international relations has been heavily influenced by historical… … Wikipedia
English school of international relations theory — The English School of international relations theory, also known as Liberal Realism, Rationalism or the British institutionalists, maintains that there is a society of states at the international level, despite the condition of anarchy (literally … Wikipedia
Classical realism in international relations theory — Classical realism is a school of thought in international relations theory associated with thinkers such as Machiavelli and Hobbes.[1] References ^ Jackson, Robert, Sorensen, Georg, Introduction to International Relations: Theories and Approaches … Wikipedia
International relations — See also: Foreign affairs Part of the Politics series Politics … Wikipedia
international relations — a branch of political science dealing with the relations between nations. [1970 75] * * * Study of the relations of states with each other and with international organizations and certain subnational entities (e.g., bureaucracies and political… … Universalium
Neoliberalism in international relations — In the study of international relations, neoliberalism refers to a school of thought which believes that nation states are, or at least should be, concerned first and foremost with absolute gains rather than relative gains to other nation states … Wikipedia
Idealism (international relations) — See also Idealism (disambiguation). Idealism usually refers to the school of thought personified in American diplomatic history by Woodrow Wilson, such that it is sometimes referred to as Wilsonianism, or Wilsonian Idealism. Idealism holds that a … Wikipedia
