Preview

Liberalism and Realism

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
602 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Liberalism and Realism
International Relations
3/9/2014
Realism and Liberalism Realism and Liberalism are two major and dominant theories in global politics. They both have contrasting ideas when dealing with how states should relate to each other. Realism is a conservative and pessimistic theory which states predicts and will act on their national interest regardless of morals. This belief results from people who are selfish and competitive. Realism is a perspective that is dominated by cynicism. Realists place each state in the position of closely observing the actions of their neighbors to resolve problems effectively without regarding moral concerns. Realists only want to maintain their own security. They always want enough power so they can be strong enough to withstand attacks. They believe that the international system is inherently anarchical and cannot really be made peaceful except through power. Realists also do not believe in democratization. Realists also believe that countries will pursue power regardless of being democratic. They believe countries will fight for their interests even if they and their opponents are both democracies. Realists claim that only powerful states are true and key actors in international politics. Liberalism is progressive and optimistic. They emphasize that the broad ties among states have both made it difficult to define national interest and decreased the usefulness of military power. Liberals believe that the international system can be manipulated to make peace. Liberals believe in organization like the United Nations. They believe that institutions like that allow various countries to interact in a variety of ways and will lead to less conflict between countries. They also believe in democratizations. They believe that democratic countries will not fight one another. They also believe in non-state actors and their importance. They tend to pay attention to individual leaders and also they give way to non-governmental



Bibliography: Kofi Annan “ Center of the Storm” PBS

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    There are two types of Liberals; Classical, who want to minimise the state’s role, and Modern liberals who want a more involved state. Classical liberals want a limited state because they support negative freedom, as they believe it has; created a dependency culture, a potential nanny state, and cause damage to the economy. However, modern liberals want a more involved state because it increases the level of positive freedom, equality of opportunity, social justice, and believe it boosts the economy.…

    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Liberalism as an ideology revolves around the idea of freedom for the individual. The reason for this is due to the liberal’s view of human nature; they see the human being as unique and rational; able to make decisions in their best interest. Although all liberals agree on individual freedom, when it comes to the role of the state they are split down the middle. On one side there are the classic liberals who believe in as little state intervention as possible, and on the other side there is the modern liberals who believe state intervention is necessary as it can develop people and create equal opportunity. When looking at a liberal view of the state it is necessary to focus on both modern and classic liberals and compare their ideas. Classic liberalism can clearly be defined by the desire to minimise the role of the state, this is also known as negative freedom. Whereas modern liberalism believes the state is necessary to develop individuals and create opportunity, this is known as positive freedom.…

    • 1514 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is imperative to understand the differences in ideology when studying the concepts of United States foreign policy towards Latin America. Realistic goals and strategies must be created in order to reshape United States policy towards Latin America. In regards to Smith, the aspect of realism helps people understand how the world operates and how to establish they viable framework of policy (Smith, 2013 p.334). As of now, there are two versions of realism. The first version is conservative realism. What is conservative realism? According to Smith, these are the five basic premises. One, the international system is anarchical. Two, sovereign…

    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Charles Drew

    • 506 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Liberals believe in government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all. It is the duty of the government to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights. Believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one is in need. Liberal policies generally emphasize the need for the government to solve problems.…

    • 506 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    LIBERALS – believe in government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all. It is the duty of the government to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights. Believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one is in need.Liberal policies generally emphasize the need for the government to solve problems.…

    • 2923 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Liberalism is the model of analysis in international relations stressing the capacity of states to coexist and interact peacefully and harmoniously. Socialism is the ideology that argues that citizens are best served by policies focusing on meeting the basic needs of the entire society rather than by policies focusing on serving the needs of individuals as individuals. The difference between the two is that liberalism is a belief that the government should only minorly interfere within the daily lives of its citizens and that socialism will assure an equal distribution of wealth and goods to the population.…

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Liberalism is an important concept that was created during the French revolution in response to the maltreatment of the French government upon its people. A main concept of liberalism is to support change in society. We as human beings have the power to control our own destinies. Different circumstances call for different amounts of change. Sometimes the best course of action is to implement a large amount of change over a long period of time. Other times, in dire circumstances, the more radical approach of large change over a short period is needed to make a more drastic impact. Immediate abolition is sometimes the best choice.…

    • 1085 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Liberalism is a political philosophy which emphasizes on the rights of an individual, and usually the rights will assure by the government. Liberalism has turned up for around 300 years, and the complexity to explain and define liberalism is increasing as there are several forms, including classical liberalism, neo-liberalism, conservative liberalism, social liberalism, libertarianism and libertarian socialism (Mastin, 2008). Although anarchism, communism, democratic socialism, social democracy, communitarianism and liberal conservatism have the same objective with liberalism which support for democracy as well as basic equality and against authoritarianism, but it does not consider as liberalism (Haar, 2015).…

    • 209 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Realism, as a way of interpreting international relations has often been conceived to be closely tied to the Cold War. Realism, rooted in the experience of World War II and the Cold War, is said to be undergoing a crisis of confidence largely because the lessons adduced do not convincingly apply directly to the new realities of international relations in the twenty-first century (Clinton 2007:1) Worse still, if policymakers steadfastly adhere to realist precepts, they will have to navigate “the unchartered seas of the post-Cold War disorder with a Cold War cartography, and blind devotion to realism could compromise their ability to prescribe paths to a more orderly and just system.” (Kegley 1993:141). This paper will demonstrate that this picture of realism is incomplete – realism is not an obsolete theory in contemporary international relations, but is indeed relevant - it can be, and has been applied in the twenty-first century. In order to prove this, the work of well-known political thinkers thought to be the precursors of realism, and the writings of present-day international relations analysts will be examined, and the core tenets of realism will be extracted. It will be argued that these root concepts of realist thought do not rely on the circumstances of the Cold War, and are thus not bound by its confines, with the possibility that these lessons retain their validity in addressing issues in the post-Cold War world of international relations.…

    • 1871 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to Stephen Walt, the theory of realism “emphasizes the enduring propensity for conflict between states” (Walt 30). In classical realist theory, this means that states have an “innate desire to dominate others” (Walt 31). In addition to these definitions, realists tend to embrace moral political principles, question American exceptionalism, and see the national interest as related to U.S. power (class notes). It seems that George Bush and President Obama both fall somewhere in between realist and liberal, with neither being completely ideologically consistent. However, in terms of policy as well as actions, George Bush was not a realist, and President Obama is.…

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Despite the lack of definition, realism has been successful and has become a dominate theory in international relations (Rosenberg, 1994). Therefore defining it remains an active argument, meaning realist scholars continue to debate the fundamental assumptions of realist…

    • 248 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    the trails

    • 1825 Words
    • 7 Pages

    “LIBERALS” - believe in government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all, and that it is the duty of the State to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights. Believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one is in need. Believe that people are basically good. Liberal policies generally emphasize the need for the government to solve people’s problems. (Most are DEMOCRATS)…

    • 1825 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Liberalism is a political ideology which based on individualism and equality. Liberalism has key ideas such as freedom, reason, equality, toleration, consent and constitutionalism. Liberal theories and principles had gradually been developed during the previous three hundred years. With the spreading ideas by enlightenment philosophers, liberalism showed up. Liberalism against to religion of state, absolute monarchy and religious rights of kings.…

    • 296 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Critical Response paper 1

    • 810 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In order to understand the workings of a liberalist government we must understand their beliefs. Liberalism supports the idea of individualism over society in that people have the right to make choices for themselves, not society. Liberals believe in equality meaning that no person is morally or politically superior to another. They also believe that people as individuals are capable of thinking logically and rationally in areas of political science and economics, allowing the replacement of old, traditional views by newer and more appropriate views that fit today’s modern way of living. Liberalism supports the free market concept of creating wealth to whoever strives for it rather than placing regulations and limitations on occupations people can hold which no doubt limits their economic a social growth. These basic characteristics of liberalism have led liberals to argue in favor of a limited government, which draws its power from the people.…

    • 810 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    social justice

    • 291 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Liberalism focuses on the wellbeing of a society and not just individual people. The liberal view of justice is what generates the greatest good for the greatest number of people. I believe that this is what is most important. I believe that the most amount of benefits should be provided to the disadvantaged while still trying to promote social justice for the most amount of people. Liberalism also promotes equality. The liberalism approach focuses on distributive justice and fairly distributes economic goods and services as well as access to opportunity, power, and self- respect. I also agree with the approaches desire to maximize the welfare of the least well off instead of the extreme wealthy who do not contribute anything to the poor.…

    • 291 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays