Liberalism and Realism How to Liberals view conflict? To define any perspective in International Relations, one must understand its’ origin and primary authors, including the context in which they were writing in. Liberalism is one of the more loosely defined perspectives as it has had a number of authors throughout history. Primarily, liberalism relies on the positive aspects of human nature. One of the most prominent liberal authors was Kant- who often wrote of the anarchical nature of international relations- referring to it as “the lawless state of savagery.” He also wrote of three primary routes to obtaining peace within this system, namely treating all aspects of human life with humanity, allowing for a federation of states and most importantly republican constitutionalism. According to Kant, following these tenants on an international level would allow for peaceful co-existence and in effect, prevent conflict. Because liberals focus mainly on the inevitable progress of the human race, they tend to discourage conflict based on the premise that the good nature of humans allows for peaceful and diplomatic solutions. Violence is only justified when it is a means of self defence from existing threats. Imperialism is also as a primary cause of conflict to a liberal. This is as a result of countries in the position like that of the USA extending its’ hegemonic state to justify unnecessary use of its’ military forces. This extension of power and influence leads to a breakdown in the balance of power- what a liberal believes is the ultimate cause of war. A liberal sees the balance of power as fragile and risky, making the world susceptible to international conflict at the slightest imbalance. Furthermore, a liberal interpr... ... middle of paper ... ...ational Relations Textbook for Africa, UCT Press, Cape Town, 1999 Political and Security Trends in Africa, http://csis.org/program/east-africa-forum Richard K. "Political Realism and the Human Interests," International Studies Quarterly Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1981) Smith, T. General Liberalism and Social Change in a Post-WWII America, http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF00287217#close, November 30th 1999 Tripp, E. Realism: The Dominance of Security Studies, http://www.e-ir.info/2013/06/14/realism-the-domination-of-security-studies/ , 2013 Waltz, K. Realism after the Cold War, http://www.columbia.edu/itc/sipa/U6800/readings-sm/Waltz_Structural%20Realism.pdf Wheeler, N. Politics of Intervention, http://cadair.aber.ac.uk/dspace/bitstream/handle/2160/1925/Wheele?sequence=1 World War II: A Summary of Events, http://world-war-2.info/summary/, 2000
Liberalism is an ideology which advocates equality of opportunity for all within the framework of a system of laws. It includes a belief in government as an institution whose primary function is to define and enforce the laws. Furthermore, a Constitution, must be developed not solely by one ruler but by representatives of the elite groups. Therefore, liberalism invariably involves a belief in the need for legislative bodies which represent the influential groups. The Constitution then defines ...
Liberals of the Age hold these pieties to be self-evident it states that violence is equal and must be condemned equally; and that non-violent civil disobedience is everywhere and a more effective tactic when it comes to social and political justice. There are two hypocrisies to avoid, one is the hypocrisy of those who fetish violence as a tactic of the oppressed even where it’s ineffective and unjust then they demand support from people.
On the other hand, liberalism’s main principles emphasise, human rights, individuality, equality before the law...
Liberals often extend this practice into helping out nations to achieve personal freedom in order for them to also accomplish there goals. Now that we understand the ideals of the two ideologies we are looking at, one can try to understand the actions of the conservative and liberal governments that have been in power since
Liberalism assumes that the war and can be policed by the institutional reforms that empower the international organizations and law.
Liberals believe in the world as a rational structure which can be uncovered through human reason, therefore they (liberals) can make the world a better place by fixing/progressing it by shaping and changing human beings thinking to be able to resolve their conflicts and differences through debates and arguments rather that was are bloodshed. Conservative ideas and principles first emerged in the late eighteenth century and the nineteenth century; they emerged as a result of their rebel against the growing pace of political and economic change, which was mostly influenced by the French revolution. They came to an agreement that they should go back to the ancient regime, which means the old orders or tradition. In nearly every society throughout human history, there have been people who have tried to constitute themselves as elite or noble. From the pharaohs of ancient Egypt to the thugs of ancient Rome to the glorified warlords of medieval and sovereign Europe, these people are the modern conservatives (Agre, P 2004).
The liberalism and the realism approaches the international relations from very different perspective, and even though many of its views contrast from each other, the ...
...aditions of certain cultural practices, but not to the extent of making it a political theory. In todays world, we need a solid foundation to each individual in order to have a working, non-oppressive, self-respecting society. The liberal approach respects the ideals of certain cultures, but not to the extent of the communitarian. Overall, the liberal theory of justice is a more relevant political theory in our globalized world.
Jones, W. T. Masters of Political Thought. Ed. Edward, McChesner, and Sait. Vol. 2. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1947.
Liberalism is universalistic and tolerant. It believes that all persons share fundamental interest in self preservation and material well being. Each individual must be allowed to follow hi s or her own preferences as long as they do not d...
Realism is one of the important perspectives on global politics, it is a notion about the conservative society and political philosophy (Heywood 2011: 54; Shimko 2013: 36). Besides, Gilpin (1996) claims that “realism…, it is not a scientific theory that is subject to the test of falsifiability, therefore, cannot be proved and disproved.” (Frankel 1996: xiii). The components of the realist approach to international relations will be discussed.
To start, Liberalism traces its roots back to the Enlightenment period (Mingst, 2008) where many philosophers and thinkers of the time began to question the established status quo. Such as the prevailing belief in religious superstition and began to replace it with a more rational mode of thinking and a belief in the intrinsic goodness of mankind. The Enlightenment period influenced Liberalism’s belief that human beings are thinkers who are able to naturally understand the laws governing human social conduct and by understanding these laws, humans can better their condition and live in harmony with others (Mingst, 2008). Two of the most prominent Liberal Internationalists of the Enlightenment period were Immanuel Kant and Jeremy Bentham who both thought that international relations were conducted in a brutal fashion. It was Kant who compared international relations as “the lawless state of savagery” (Baylis and Smith, 2001, pp 165). It was also Kant who believed nations could form themselves into a sort of united states and overcome international anarchy through this (Mingst, 2008). This was probably the beginning of a coherent belief in a sort of union of sovereign states. Toward the end of the seventeenth century William Penn believed a ‘diet’ (parliament) could be set up in Europe, like the European Union of today (Baylis and Smith, 2001). We can see much of this liberal thinking today in organizations such as the United Nations.
Ashley, Richard K. “Political Realism and the Human Interests”, International Studies Quarterly, No. 25, 1981, pp. 204-36
Dimitter, Lowell. World Politics. 1st ed. Vol. 55. New York: Johns Hopkins UP, 2002. 38-65.
The balance of power is closer with first great debate. The realists also diverge on some issues. So-called offensive Realists maintain that, in order to ensure survival, States will seek to maximize their power relative to others (Mearsheimer 2001). If rival countries possess enough power to threaten a State, it can never be safe. The hegemony is thus the best strategy for a country to pursue, if it can. Defensive Realists, in contrast, believe that domination is an unwise strategy for State survival. They note that seeking hegemony may bring a State into dangerous conflicts with its peers. Instead, defensive Realists emphasize the stabi...