Liberalism

Tuesday, 6 April 2021 3:05 PM

A realist world
• Realism paints a ‘dark’ picture of the world
• All states desire security in an anarchical system, for which they need powe
normal and relatively common
• Cooperation between actors is difficult; when it happens, it is expected to be
• Challenges:
○ Competition for power and security
○ Security dilemma
○ Relative gains
○ International organizations as marginal phenomena
• Realism to last week if you're member the first story that says yeah i think th
world works and of course the picture that realism painting for us is a failing
compared to the game of thrones
• we can also if you want to stay in the board game world we compared with a
essentially a world that is not given to corporation, system with us no help fr
you as a state has no one to turn to for you in the system all states one just
really it namely security because they want to survive and they can call you
can call 999 at an international level there's no police that comes and protec
needed a mask power and because of all state are fundamentally very unce
each other think compete for power and the system and because everyone's
with everyone that also means that corporation is really really dich pickled in
world so am really say that is a couple of things that that characterize fincas
become power at there's something called the security dilemma which reme
talked about briefly the
• security dilemma means that everyone wants to be more secure but every ti
increase your only security you automatically decrease someone else's who
attempt to increase their security which makes you answer and you enter th
armament or the attempt at being more secure without ever being actually m
• realist also said we not bother to the very end realist also said that internatio
organizations really has a marginal phenomena i don't really matter and thei
money but for the most part a jazz of replicate the power structure that up al
world so the most powerful states in the real world real world of armies than
chain economy is dost main actors will also just happened to be the main ac
these institutions because institutions don't change anything fundamentally a
the world works so that was the first story that we had about why things hap
they do the dark world states on competing state or consoling conflict in the
er; conflict is

e temporary

his is how the

dark world i

a game of risk
rom above for
one thing
when they
ct them they
ertain about
s competing
n a realist
stle system
ember we

ime you
o.has to
he spiral of
more secure
onal
ir because
lready in the
nks . and food
ctress in all
about how
ppen the way
buying for
 money but for the most part a jazz of replicate the power structure that up al
world so the most powerful states in the real world real world of armies than
chain economy is dost main actors will also just happened to be the main ac
these institutions because institutions don't change anything fundamentally a
the world works so that was the first story that we had about why things hap
they do the dark world states on competing state or consoling conflict in the
power to ensure the security

Ø But is this accurate?

Robert Axelrod: the evolution of Cooperation
• We can observe cooperation even in situations of extreme conflict
• Example: western front in WW1
• Frontline troops show restraint -> even unofficial truces
• Live and let live mentality
• Behaviour only stops when it is suppressd from above
Ø If actors cooperate even here, are realists wrong?
Ø -

Liberalism
- Built on enlightenment ideas
- Primacy of reason
- Freedom of thought, religious tolerance, cosmopolitanism based on shared princip
- Grotius: society of states governed by law, rather than force (Peace of Westphalia
- De vattel: international order can be perfected
- Equal nations serving the common interest out of enlightened self-interest
- Balance of power as a principle of harmony
Ø Immanuel Kant
• Natural law
○ In contrast to the realists, human nature has in built of what is right and
morality that we grow up with and follow
○ Categorical imperative - act as if how youre acting can be made into ge
(help people)
• Republican states are peaceful states
○ Citizens must bear the consequences of state actions
○ In a republican state citizens are individually responsible for how the st
□ If citizen need to consent to war, they will be hesitant to do so be
bear most of the consequences
□ A community of republican states will thus agree to abolish war v
permanent peace treaty
○ Rationality, enlightenment, and community of peace
Ø Core liberal ideas
• Inernational society
• Progressive change
• Transnational actors
• Interdependence
• Ikenberry:
○ Spread of democracy/international organizations
 lready in the
nks . and food
ctress in all
about how
ppen the way
buying for

ples
a)

d wrong, the

eneral law

tate acts
ecause they

via a
 • Inernational society
• Progressive change
• Transnational actors
• Interdependence
• Ikenberry:
○ Spread of democracy/international organizations
□ Constitutional itnernational order
• Doyle:
○ Liberal states do not go to war with each other
○ They have created a separate peace
• Interdependence and what affects specific state behavior

Ø Core concenpt: Interdependence

• Many things are connected so they cannot be judged separately
• Two meanings:
○ Interdependence = connectivity; increasingly networked states with inte
economies and socities
○ Interdependence = dependency; relationship between states whose
interconnections can incur costs
• Situation of mutual dependency in which the actions of Actor A have conseq
Actor B, and vice versa
• Interdependence changes behavior

Core tenets: realism vs liberalism

Ø Liberalism
• Anarchy
• States and non-state actors
• Goal-oriented, rational, self-interested
• Absolute gains
• Interdependence
Ø Neo-realism
• Anarchy
• States
• Goal-oriented, rational, self-interested
• Relative gains
• Material structure of anarchy
Cooperation:
Ø Realists: we kind of don’t actually
Ø Institutionalists: well it depends
Ø In certain circumstances

When do we expect cooperation?

Ø Simplest solution for cooperation: hegemony
• Centralized authority makes and policies rules, and sanctions rulebreakers
• Hegemon forces others to cooperate
• Hegemony is a sufficient condition, but not a necessary condition
erconnected

quences for
When do we expect cooperation?
Ø Simplest solution for cooperation: hegemony
• Centralized authority makes and policies rules, and sanctions rulebreakers
• Hegemon forces others to cooperate
• Hegemony is a sufficient condition, but not a necessary condition

- Liberals: if only both parties can agree and trust each other - there would be no ar
Prisoner''s Dilemma
- Institutionalists see PD in many situations of international relations
• The incentives to cooperate will not be enough
How can cooperation be stabilized?
- Repetition of game
• If you cooperate, then I will
- Creation of institutions, set of rules, and organizations that could help supervise th
- Institutions: states meeting and sign treaties, set of rules

Summary:
1. Even under conditions of anarchy it is rational to cooperate
2. System is characterized by interdependence between actors interested in absolut
3. When do we expect cooperation? It depends
4. Cooperation is likely where interdependence creates problems, but also some com
interests
5. Institutions stabilize cooperation and regulate anarchy
rms race

he process

te gains

mmon