5. Liberal Theories of IR Flashcards
(16 cards)
Contextualise the use of liberalism in the world?
Liberalism is the dominant ideology of our age. it is malleable, can be supportive of free market capitalism or highly regulated economic systems (neoliberalism vs social liberalism). It is malleable because of its core concept: freedom and its varying interpretations
What is the overall sentiment of liberalism?
It has core values based on freedoms but is very fractured because of differing definitions of this freedom
What are some of the key principal underpinning beliefs of liberalism?
- Individual rights
- Rule of law
- Seperation of powers
- Judicial review
- Free and fair elections
- Free speech and press
- Open markets
- Welfare state
What are the two great liberal texts?
- John Locke’s Two treaties of government
- Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations
How does liberalism work in IR?
- Belief in state sovereignty, mutually beneficial relationships
- Belief in capitalism and regulations
- Democracy, free speech
- Multilateralism, interdependence
- Globalisation
What are the three main strands of liberal IR?
- Liberalism with a focus on economic independence
- Liberalism with a focus on democratic peace
- Liberalism with focus on law and international organisations
How do liberals see defence and security?
Liberals don’t see nations in a general state of war and believe security is not always the central concern of individuals or states
What was one of the key foundations for the liberal international order?
Wilsons 14-point plan (1919)
Explain the liberalism international order in 5 points (Ikenberry)?
- America created the order through strategic restraint
- System of international institutions, rule and norms
- Opposes realist mindset of power politics or rule of authoritarian states
- Order is not perfect but better than alternatives
What is the level of analysis in IR?
A heuristic device to see where people are positioning their analytical gaze consisting of international, domestic and individual levels.
What level of analysis is liberalism rooted in?
Liberalism focussed on the second level (domestic political arrangements, economic systems within the state driving priorities within the state and therefore fuelling IR). Because these states are democratic within themselves, the core explanatory factor is domestic policy.
Which level of analysis does neoliberalism operate in?
Neoliberalism focussed much more at the international level which is assumed to exist in anarchy. Not focused on the state itself. Therefore liberalism to neoliberalism is the shift from the second to the third level/ image
What is interdependence as proposed by K&N 2012?
Mutual dependence is a situation charachterised by recipricol effects among countries or actors in different countries (Sticky, hard to untangle)
What is interconnectedness as proposed by K&N 2012?
A situation characterised by interactions that do not have significant costly effects
What is the democratic peace thesis?
If there are more democracies, there will be more world peace. Claims that governments founded on a respect for individual liberty exercise restraint
