Liberalism In Common Sense

Liberalism is a classic political ideology, which holds that protection, and assertion of individual freedoms is the primary purpose and problem of politics. Thomas Paine's work 'Common Sense' is perhaps the most well-known text to espouse liberal ideology. In it, he states:

Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer.

At an international level, Liberalism thus maintains that nations can and should work together in order to make net gains
Yes, states seek to maintain their positions of power. No nation will choose actions which lower their relative international power positions, unless there are no alternative options. Yes, states seek to achieve their goals above all else. Governments are run by human beings, and self-preservation is fundamental to how we view the world. However, politics is operated in a world of mutually assured destruction – should any state ever seek to push themselves too far ahead or others too far behind – and cooperation is unavoidable.

To have any degree of power at the international scale, nations must become involved with IGOs. The power held by the United Nations, European Union, World Bank Group, European Organization for Nuclear Research, World Trade Organization, etc., are all testaments to the necessity of group membership in the 21st century. Perhaps the best example for the role of Liberalism is that to be recognized as a sovereign state, a nation must receive recognition from the international community. Indeed, in many instances, to exist is to