Understanding Global Politics

1. Understanding Global Politics Lecture 5: Introduction to Liberalism

2. John Locke (1632-1704) • Two Treatises of Government (1690); • A powerful advocate of consent and constitutionalism; • Consent—authority arises from below through the consent of the governed; • Constitutionalism—the practice of limited government brought about through the existence of a constitution.

3. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) • Critique of Pure Reason (1781) and Critique of Practical Reason (1788); • Individualism—a belief in the primacy of the individual over any social group or collective body; • The important of morality in politics; • Reason would be a substitute for the use of force in world politics.

4. Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) • Fragments on Government (1776); Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789); • Individuals are motivated by self-interest and these interests are the desire for pleasure/happiness; • Rational and calculating individuals capable of deciding what is best for themselves without much government interference.

5. The importance of individuals • Individuals as the most important unit of analysis; • Human beings are, first and foremost, individuals endowed with reason; • Methodological individualism—individuals are central to any political theory or social explanation; • Ethical individualism—priority should be given to individuals’ rights, needs and interests.

6. The role of the state • Classical liberalism—a belief in minimal states, whose function is limited to the maintenance of domestic order; human beings, who are self-interested and self-sufficient, should be responsible for their own lives and circumstances; • Modern/social liberalism—a more sympathetic attitude towards states, born out of the belief that unregulated markets produces various forms of injustice.

7. Social structures and relations • Minimal states are possible because there is an underlying harmony of interests among individuals; • Co-operation is a central feature of all human relations; • States are composed of numerous persons representing a multitude of interests; • Public decisions are informed by the public opinion and political consensus arising out of the clash of ideas and interests.

8. Pluralism • As a normative term—diversity is healthy and desirable in itself because it safeguards individual freedom; • As a descriptive term—political pluralism: the existence of electoral choice, a competitive party system, individuals represented through organised groups, equal access of organised groups to the policy process, fragmented states to offer groups access points.

9. From domestic to international • Liberalism carried over into the international realm; • Agree with realists that the state of anarchy characterises world (as opposed to domestic) politics; • Anarchy contributes to suspicion and distrust and pose an obstacle to co-operation and peace; • But a harmony of interests among states is possible; so is peace.

10. Optimistic views of inter-state relations • Commercial liberalism—the expansion of international economic activities make it costly to go to war and increased economic interdependence creates disincentives to cut profitable relations; • Regulatory liberalism—international laws and organisations contribute to the peaceful settlement of disputes among states and enhance global co-operation.

11. More reasons for optimism • Democratic liberalism—the spread of democratic political systems make it impossible to confine questions of war and peace to a small group of political and military elites; concerns with domestic public opinions act as a brake on any moves towards international confrontation; • Learning process—leaders and citizens learn how costly it would be to wage war.