Idealism/Liberalism

Outline
• What is Idealism
• History of Idealism
• Theorists of Idealism
• Main Tenets of Idealism
• Criticism
• Conclusion
 What is Idealism
• IR scholars usually subscribe to one of two
dominant theories, realism or liberalism.
• One theory, is more pessimistic about the
prospects of peace, cooperation, and human
progress whilst the other, liberalism/idealism,
is more upbeat and sanguine about human
nature and human possibilities.
 What is Idealism
• The 19th and early 20th centuries saw two
general schools of thought in IR.
• The realist tradition, where states were in a
constant state of competition for power,
focused on securing power and security
through military might.
 What is Idealism
• The second was idealism, which stressed other
considerations that all states have, such as
peace, and held that state action need not be
motivated by power politics.
 What is Idealism
• After the passage of international society
based on power politics, there would be
international cooperation.
• The world order would be free from war,
inequality and tyranny and would be marked
by constant progress in human welfare brought
by the use of reason, education and science.
 What is Idealism
• It would be an ideal system where every state
and every person would enjoy freedom and
self-respect.
• The contents of idealist theory can be found in
the Declaration of American War of
Independence of 1776 and the French
Revolution of 1789.
 History of Idealism
• Like realism, the roots of idealism can be
traced back for centuries in various forms.
• We see strains of idealism in the teachings of
Christ, Buddha as well as other non-sectarian
teachings.
 History of Idealism
• Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher
who is widely considered to be a central figure
of modern philosophy.
• “No state shall by force interfere with the
internal affairs of another state.”
• “No independent state, large or small, shall
come under the dominion of another state.”
 History of Idealism
• “No state shall, during war, permit such acts of
hostility which would make mutual confidence
in the subsequent peace impossible.”
• “Governments need to reduce military
spending and armament. Standing armies shall
in time be totally abolished. “
• “No treaty of peace shall be regarded as valid,
if made with the secret reservation of material
for a future war.”
 Theorists of Idealism
• Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th
President of the United States, from 1913 to
1921.
• In the American study of international
relations, idealism usually refers to the school
of thought personified in American diplomatic
history by Woodrow Wilson, such that it is
sometimes referred to as Wilsonianism, or
Wilsonian Idealism.
 Theorists of Idealism
• Wilson gets the credit of being the father of the
League of Nation.
• He was a great propagator of world peace.
Idealism holds that a state should make its
internal political philosophy the goal of its
foreign policy.
• For example, an idealist might believe that
ending poverty at home should be coupled
with tackling poverty abroad.
 Main Tenets of Idealism
1. Universal Ethics -- All humans should abide
by common standards such as natural laws.
There is a universal ethic common to all
people.
2. Peace is better than war -- War is seen as
immoral by idealists.
3. War is irrational – Breakdown of rationality
according to idealists, whereas realists say it
becomes rational because of anarchy.
 Main Tenets of Idealism
4. Harmony of interests -- Idealists believe it is
possible for humans to live together in harmony if
the proper measures are taken.
5.Trade between states promotes peace
• Liberals believe the full implementation of
democracy could provide a harmony interests:
wealth and the good life.
• War disrupts economics; wars are destructive and
not necessarily profitable, especially to most
individuals in the world.
 Main Tenets of Idealism
6. People are good: Idealists are more optimistic
about human nature. In the proper setting, man
would enjoy peace and be free from conflict.
Human beings tied to common humanity.
 Main Tenets of Idealism
7. The Power of Public Opinion: People that
are active can take charge of politics. Political
leaders can manipulate common people to
fight in war, but an active, democrat
movement of common people can reverse this
manipulation.
 Main Tenets of Idealism
8. International Law and organization -
Idealists put a lot of faith in international law
and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)
such as the United Nations and International
Court of Justice to solve problems on the
international level. Prominent figures in this
tradition include Woodrow Wilson.
 Criticism
• Failure of league of nation
• It sacrifices the element of rationality and
desires that action be founded on feelings
rather than logic.
• Too optimistic about human nature
• Lot of faith in International institution
 Conclusion
• The basic idealist position is that humanity
cannot afford to continue in the realist
tradition, especially with the advent of nuclear
weapons.
• International peace means social and economic
development; money from military projects
can be put into more socially useful
infrastructural projects.
 Conclusion
• Idealists accept that power is a consideration
in state actions, but unlike the realist, idealists
believe that states can rise above selfish
concerns for the benefit of the entire
international system.