Liberalism in IR

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From the course by National Research University Higher School of Economics

Understanding International Relations Theory

18 ratings

National Research University Higher School of Economics

Understanding International Relations Theory

18 ratings

The course aims to introduce the key assumptions of the international relations theory as a part of social science and as an analytic tool, focusing on the problems of war and peace, foreign policy decision-making, etc. The course combines historic approach and analysis of the modern political problems. The historic part shows the evolution of the international relations theory from being a part of political philosophy to its emergence as a special branch of political science, which is essential to understand the key ideas of the IR science. The lectures also include broad outline of the modern concepts and debates in the context of the contemporary political problems, such as rise of China and other emerging powers, threat of terrorism, US-Russia confrontation, etc. The lectures of the two outstanding Russian scholars and political analysts – Timofey Bordachev and Dmitry Suslov - cover such fields as the problems of international security and conflict resolution, international economic relations, foreign policy decision-making, global governance, the role of power in the IR.

From the lesson

Neoliberalism: The Liberal paradigm after the WWII

The module aims to teach the evolution of the liberal paradigm during the Cold War. Failed to build up an "eternal peace" after the French Revolution and after the WWI, liberalism proposes a new, even more comprehensive theory to make a new attempt.

Liberalism in IR6:25

Liberalism and the United States9:30

Liberalism after WWII6:48

Meet the Instructors

Timofei Bordachev
Associate professor
Department of international relations
Dmitrii Suslov
Senior Lecturer
Department of international relations, HSE

Hello. Today we will talk about neo-liberalism,

which is the contemporary stage of the development of

such a basic theory of international relations as liberalism.

In other words, we'll talk about liberalism after the end of the second world war,

and the end of the cold war.

In general, there are three stages of the liberal theory development.

The first is called liberal internationalism,

or the enlightenment period of liberalism,

which is associated by such great names,

such great philosophers as Immanuel Kant,

Hugo Grotius, John Locke,

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and others.

The second is liberal idealism,

which is liberalism which emerged after the end of the first world war or the great war,

which basically transformed the then international system

and which laid the foundation of international relations science.

And finally, the third stage about which we will talk about now is neo-liberalism,

the contemporary stage of the liberal paradigm.

And unlike realism where classical political realism is

profoundly different from neorealism and these are

basically two different concepts two different theories.

There is no fundamental difference between the old and new liberalism.

Neo-liberalism offers pretty much

the same assumptions and approaches about how the world functions,

why states behave in the way as they behave,

and applies these basic assumptions,

the same liberal assumptions to the contemporary environment.

Above all to the conditions of globalization and

to the environment after the second world war and after the cold war.

And as neo-liberalism continues the same assumptions,

It makes sense to remember to remind what these assumptions actually are,

what is neo-liberalism talking about.

And from the very beginning,

it is extremely important to emphasize that liberalism as

a theoretical paradigm is based on the Christian tradition,

on the idea of salvation and the coming of

the kingdom of the God or basically a better world.

And unlike realism, which claims that man does not change,

that the human nature never changes.

And thus, the world cannot be changed.

It is always the same the basic rules of

behavior of men and of state are eternal and they never change.

Liberalism claims that human nature can be improved.

And this results us to very important for basic propositions.

This leads us to the basic propositions of the liberal theory.

And the first major proposition is that the world

as the human nature can and should be improved.

Thus, unlike realism, which studies the world as it is,

which that is reality,

and which claims that states have to adapt to this never changing world.

Liberalism is focused on studying how the world should be,

not how the world is is,

but liberals from the very beginning always have a very clear or less clear but still an

understanding a vision of dream of

how the world should be and what needs to be done to get there.

What does it mean to improve the world?

What does it mean to create a better world, right?

Which is the essence of liberal paradigm.

It means less conflicts,

it means avoiding wars.

It means that cooperation but more conflict should be

the prevailing form of international relations. How to make it?

Again, liberalism gives us the answer through rules,

norms, institutions, and values,

which should in the mind of liberalism,

govern international relations, regulate behavior of states.

Thus, liberalism as a science,

as a theoretical concept,

focuses on international law,

and they are all international relations,

on international institutions, and the spread of democracy.

The ideal of liberalism is creating a rule-based international order,

and international order in which behavior of states will be governed not just by force,

but by rules and norms and institutions.

And the second major proposition of the liberal theory,

which is also based to the theoretical Christian foundation of liberalism is that man,

human individual is the centerpiece of the universe.

Individual, not a state,

is the major unit of international relations is primary.

Whereas, the state is secondary.

Individual is the major value and the starting point of

all social relations according to liberalism, including international relations.

This means that liberalism is talking about and studying

man-centric not a state-centric reality,

and applies a man-centric approach to international relations.

It considers individual to be primary whereas, state secondary.

Whereas, realism on the contrary reconsiders state as primary,

and all the rest is secondary.

Thus, from the liberal viewpoint,

international relations should benefit man,

not just the state.

Man being the major value.

And this means that the value of states as actors of international relations,

is much less in the liberal paradigm as it is in the realist paradigm.

And there can be,

and are other forms of organizations of individuals in

international relations beyond state such as non-state actors,

such as NGOs, non-governmental organizations,

such as transnational corporations, business, companies.

And of course, international organizations.

Thus, as a theoretical approach to IR, liberalism, neo-liberalism,

focuses on these other actors of international relations beyond states,

and on limitation or overcoming of state sovereignty.

How should we overcome state sovereignty for the benefit of man,

in conditions when state threatens the freedom,

liberty or prosperity of individuals?

And of course, liberalism status

this overcoming of state sovereignty for the sake and benefit of individual.

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