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L6 Liberalism Final

The document discusses various strands of liberalism, including idealism, neoliberalism, republican liberalism, and commercial liberalism, emphasizing their focus on cooperation, democracy, and economic interdependence as pathways to peace. It highlights the importance of democratic systems in promoting international peace and the role of international institutions in addressing collective action problems. Additionally, it notes the significance of economic relationships and absolute gains in shaping state interests and interactions.

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17 views19 pages

L6 Liberalism Final

The document discusses various strands of liberalism, including idealism, neoliberalism, republican liberalism, and commercial liberalism, emphasizing their focus on cooperation, democracy, and economic interdependence as pathways to peace. It highlights the importance of democratic systems in promoting international peace and the role of international institutions in addressing collective action problems. Additionally, it notes the significance of economic relationships and absolute gains in shaping state interests and interactions.

Uploaded by

lengyuelang78
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Liberalism

Liberalism
Hallstein Doctrine
Idealism/Liberalism
• Idealism • Decline of idealism
• Focus on both individual welfare • Reality
and humanity • Non-functioning League of Nations
• Emphasize the importance of ethical • Appearance of Dictatorship
values and ideals in foreign policy • WWII
making
• Reflect optimism for international
• Response
peace • Strong reaction against international
government
• Idealistic attempt • Criticism of idealism
• Establishment of League of • Rise of Realism
Nations
Liberalism

Neoliberalism
• Background: The re-rise of • Main argument:
liberalism in the 1970s • Emphasis on cooperative action
• Détente, globalization, and third- within the international system
wave democratization • Mechanisms for cooperation
• Interdependency
• Convergence with (neo)realism
• Role of international laws and
• Recognize the state as a key actor organizations
in international politics
+ non-state actors
• Agree on state’s interest in
security
+ non-security issue
Liberalism/Idealism
Republican Liberalism
Thinkers and leading scholars
• Immanuel Kant, Woodrow Wilson, Michael W. Doyle
• “Civil constitution of every state should be republican
(Kant).”
• Republic: A state governed by representatives elected
by its citizens (equivalent to representative democracy)

Main argument: A democratic political system can


promote international peace
Democracy

wants Voting express heir opinion


htizons don't like to
go
to

no
voting right
Totalitarian
No expression
Republican Liberalism is allowed

How does a democratic political system promote peace?


• Focus on citizens and leaders
• Democratic states: Citizens have freedom of expression through voting, and thus self-
interested leaders must earn citizens’ support
• Leads democratic states to seek compromise and peace when there is a conflict of interest
• Totalitarian states: Citizens do not have freedom of expression and thus leaders are free
from taking responsibility
• Totalitarian state: “State in which those in power have complete control and do not allow
people freedom to oppose them” (Cambridge Dictionary)
• Leads totalitarian states to be more willing to take aggressive and possibly militaristic actions

Implication: Democratic peace theory


• No wars between democracies
Mentimeter
Commercial Liberalism
Leading scholars
• David Ricardo, Richard Cobden, etc.
Focus on consumers and producers
• Through trade, consumers and producers achieve prosperity and economic
benefit
Main argument: Shared values of free trade promote peace
• States benefit economically from free trade
• The economic interdependence network formed by free trade brings peace
and universal prosperity to the international community
Mentimeter
Trump’s Tariff Targets
Trump’s Tariff Targets
Mentimeter
Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism
Motivation
• Observation: States sometimes engage in cooperative activities
• Aim: Provide mechanisms for international cooperation

Problems in international cooperation


• Collective action problem
• Public goods obtainable by international cooperation
• Characteristics: nonexcludable and indivisible
• They lead to collective action problem (fail to cooperate)
• Incentive to be a free rider
• Incentive not to be exploited
• Reason of cheating: cost for cooperation
• Tragedy of public goods
Neoliberalism
Neoliberal solutions to the collective action problem
(1) Hierarchic rather than anarchic international system
To punish cheaters and free riders

Who can have hierarchic authority?


(A) Hegemonic state with dominant power
Limitation: difficulty of having a real hegemon
- Burden on hegemon is too great
- Hegemon’s interest might conflict with providing public goods

(B) International organizations


(2) Change of the characteristics of interaction
• Make short-term cheating and free riding less desirable
• Tit-for-Tat
• Grim Trigger
Neoliberalism
Neoliberal solutions to the collective action problem
(1) Hierarchic rather than anarchic international system
To punish cheaters and free riders

Who can have hierarchic authority?


(A) Hegemonic state with dominant power
Limitation: difficulty of having a real hegemon
- Burden on hegemon is too great
- Hegemon’s interest might conflict with providing public goods

(B) International organizations

(2) Change of the characteristics of interaction


Make short-term cheating less desirable; Make states realize long-term loss of cheating
• Tit-for-Tat
• Grim Trigger
Int System with nstitp
peaceful
without non
peaceful
Liberal Institutionalism
Leading scholars “ International systems containing
• Robert Keohane, Joseph Nye, G. John institutions that generate a great
Ikenberry deal of high quality information
and make it available on a
reasonably even basis to the
Main argument: Importance of major actors are likely to
international institutions experience more cooperation
• Institutions solve collective action than systems that do not contain
problem such institutions, even if
• Reduce the incentive to cheat fundamental state interests and
• How? the distribution of power are the
• Institutions range from shared habits and practice of same in each system.” (Keohane
cooperation to formal organizations 1984, 245)
• International institutions provide information
• Help to calculate other’s behavior
Neoliberalism Summary
替代性
Fungibility of power
• Power is issue-specific
• Power is not transferable
• Japan’s economic power≠ Japan’s military power

National interest in wealth, not only security


• India - China
• Conflictual relationship: Border Disputes (security)
• Cooperative relationship: BRICS Membership (economic)
Neoliberalism Summary
Emphasis on absolute gains
• Individualistic state defining interests in terms of individual gains (Grieco, 1988)
• Care about their gain
• Care less about comparing their own gain with others’ gains
• How can states maximize absolute gains?
• Follow the rule of comparative advantage in international trade
• Focus on areas of comparative advantage
• Rely on others in areas of comparative disadvantage

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