Liberalism in International Relations
Liberalism in international relations has its roots in the development of liberal political theory in 17th century. John Lock is regarded as the first liberal thinkers of the 17th century. He saw great potential for human progress in modern civil society and capitalist economy, both of which believed could flourish in states that guaranteed individual liberty. The liberals argue that the process of modernization unleashed by the scientific revolution led to improve technologies which in turn made it possible to devise more efficient ways of producing goods and mastering nature. There are some important underlying assumptions of the liberal approach that can be discussed as below:

1. Individuals are the primary international actors: The liberal thinkers put individuals at the centre of the universe
and all progress is measured in terms of the interests of the individuals. In other words progress for liberals has always mean progress for individuals. On the other hand, the states are regarded as the most important collective and pluralistic
actors whose interests and policies are determined by bargaining among groups and elections.

2. States interests are dynamic and are both self regarding and other regarding: Liberals are of the viewpoint that the
interests of the states are changing with the time and changing interest of the individuals. Also the liberals believe that states do not only have certain self-interest to preserve but also regard states policies as other regarding to some extent since they believe that the growth of liberal-democracy increases peoples concern for other humans.

3. Both individuals and states interests are shaped by a wide variety of domestic and international conditions: The interests of both individuals and states are affected by a
number of factors at the domestic and international levels. The interests are determined by bargaining power that they
possess. The manners in which they define their interest are shaped by a number of factors both within and out-side the state boundary. At the domestic level the factors like the nature of economic and political system, patterns of economic interactions and personal values may play decisive role. At the international level, presence of factors like technological capabilities, patterns of interactions and interdependence,
transnational sociological patterns and international institutions allow states to affect each other in different ways. According to the liberal states, the predominant collective actors are embedded in both their own societies and the
international system and their interests and policies are affected by both areas.

4. Mutual interests can sustain co-operation in the international system : With the growth of liberal democracies, interdependencies, knowledge, international
social ties and international institutions the liberals have come to believe that cooperation can be possible among states
without resorting to coercive means. The liberal view is that cooperation among the states can be achieved through non-coercive bargaining based on identification of mutual interest. Further liberals believe that improved knowledge and communication will immensely enhance the ability of the
states and other actors to better understand their common interests.

Neo-Liberal Institutionalism
The neo-liberal institutionalists concede that states are key actors in international relations but they refuse to accept the
arguments of the realists who believe that states are the only significant actors. According to the neo-liberal institutionalists, states are rational or instrumental actors that always seek to maximize their
interests in all issue areas. They further believe the in the present day competitive environment states seek to maximize absolute gains through cooperation as rational behavior leads them to see value in
cooperative behaviour. States are thus less concerned with gains or advantages by other states in cooperative arrangements. However, the neo-liberal institutionalists believe that the biggest obstacle to successful cooperation comes from the fear of non-compliance or the possibility of cheating by states. Such fears primarily emanate from the sovereign status enjoyed by the states in the international system
leading to a general lack of trust among the states. They believe that such fears of non-compliance and cheating can be alleged through creation of institutions in the international system. They recognize
that cooperation may be harder to achieve in areas where leaders perceive they have no mutual interests. However, it is believed that
states in all likelihood will be willing to shift loyalty and resource to institutions once these are perceived as mutually beneficial and if they provide states with increasing opportunities to secure their international interest.

 This free site is ad-supported. Learn more
​