Liberal internationalism

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Liberal internationalism is a foreign policy doctrine that argues that liberal states should intervene in other sovereign states in order to pursue liberal objectives. Such intervention includes military intervention and humanitarian aid. This view is contrasted to isolationist or realist foreign policy doctrines, which oppose such intervention.

Liberal Internationalism emerged during the second decade of the 20th century under the auspices of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. The majority of Wilson's "Fourteen Points" failed to be included in the Treaty of Versailles, except for the formation of the League of Nations.

The goal of liberal internationalism is to achieve global structures within the international system that are inclined towards promoting a liberal world order. To that extent, global free trade, liberal economics and liberal political systems are all encouraged. In addition, liberal internationalists are dedicated towards encouraging democracy to emerge globally. Once realized, it will result in a 'peace dividend', as liberal states have relations that are characterized by non-violence, and that relations between democracies is characterized by the democratic peace thesis.

Examples of liberal internationalists include U.S. Presidents Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Paul Berman and Oliver Kamm. In the US, it is often associated with the American Democratic Party.

Liberal internationalism states that, through multilateral organizations such as the United Nations, it is possible to avoid the worst excesses of "power politics" in relations between nations. For example, the Australian government in the late 1940s opposed the division of the world into two power blocs--the United States and the Soviet Union.

Proponents of the realist tradition in international affairs, on the other hand, are skeptical of liberal internationalism. They argue that it is power--diplomatic clout and military force (or the threat of it)--that ultimately prevails.

[edit] See also

• Internationalism
• Perpetual peace
• Cosmopolitan democracy
• Humanitarian intervention
• Idealism (international relations)
• Liberal hawks