Transcript PLURALISM - Euroakadeemia

INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS THEORIES:
PLURALISM OR
LIBERALISM
Dr. MARGARITA SESELGYTE
Institute of International Relations and
Political Science, Vilnius university, 2010
PLURALISM
(liberalism)
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Non-state actors are
important entities
State is not a unitary
actor
State is not necessarily
a rational actor
The agenda of
international politics is
much more extensive
than national security
issues
Conflicts are irrational
PLURALISM
AN IMAGE OF A
‘LATTICEWORK’ OR ‘COBWEB’
Non-state actors
Interdependence
Overlay
Transactions
TRANSNATIONALISM
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Transnationalism caused by modernization
changed the nature of international relations
No clear distinction between domestic and
foreign policies
Economic and foreign policies becoming
blurred
DECISION MAKING
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Decision makers influence Foreign Policy agenda
Individual experiences and group thinking also
matters
Unitary decision does not necessarily mean
consistent implementation of the policy
Transnational coalitions of ‘like – minded’
INTEGRATION
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Cooperation is necessary to address complex
problems of modern international system
Positive sum game or win – win scenario
Principle of spill over
Interdependence prevents conflicts
International regimes encourage mutual trust
SYSTEM AND CHANGE
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Pluralists are rather individualists than holists
Believe in the gradual transformation of world
politics
Emphasize feedback system
LIBERALISM
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Idealism
Democratic Peace theory
Republican liberalism
Neoliberalism
Sociological liberalism
Institutional liberalism
Interdependence liberalism
IDEALISM
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Philosophical theory
Ultimate nature of reality
is based on the mind an
ideas
Philosophy of perception
Plato, Kant
Woodrow Wilson
Laid foundations to the
Liberalism in International
Relations
INSTITUTIONAL LIBERALISM OR
LIBERAL INSTITUTIONALISM
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States are not main actors of international
relations
International institutions can increase and
aid cooperation between states
European Union, economic agreements
(ASEAN), NAFTA
Nevertheless bad states should be dealt
with
Related to the Democratic peace theory
NEO-LIBERALISM
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Market driven approach to economic and
social policy based on neoclassical theories
of economics
Nation – states are concerned with absolute
gains
Main methodological tool – game theory
Joseph Nye, Robert Keohane, John
Mearshimer, Richard Ned Lebow
SOCIOLOGICAL LIBERALISM
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Critique of realism
See international relations as relations
between people, groups and organizations in
different countries
Peaceful human society is possible if there is
closer cooperation between those groups
Can be managed
INTEGRATION THEORIES
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Federalism
Functionalism
Neofunctionalism
DEMOCRATIC PEACE THEORY (also
Liberal peace theory and Republican
liberalism)
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Theory related to the research
on relationship between the
democracy and peace
Conflicts and wars are rare to
democracies
Systematic violence is in
general less common within
democracies
Criticism of the Democratic Peace
Theory: theoretical criticism
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Distinction between democracy and non –
democracy – matter of interpretation
Rosato (2003) – democracies are not peaceful to
each other because they are democracies but rather
because they are similar
There are other factors that relate to the
peacefulness: economic welfare, democratic norms,
participation in international organizations
No consensus on why democracy should be
capable of pacifying world politics
Valid only after 1945
Criticism of the Democratic Peace
Theory: practical criticism
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Democratic crusade?
Universal applicability of democracy?
Preference of stable/ friendly authoritarian
regimes
Democratic Peace Theory is
supported by the USA
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Bill Clinton: Ultimately the best strategy to ensure our
security and to build a durable peace is to support the
advance of the democracy elsewhere. Democracies don’t
attack each other
George W. Bush: And the reason why I’m so strong on
democracy is democracies don’t go to war with each other.
And the reason why is the people of most societies don’t
like war, and they understand what war means… I’ve got
great faith in democracies to promote peace. And that’s
why I’m such a strong believer that the way forward in the
Middle East, the broader Middle East, is to promote
democracy
And the EU
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Chris Patten: Inevitable because the EU was formed
partly to protect liberal values, so it is hardly
surprising that we should think it appropriate to
speak out. But it is also sensible for strategic
reasons. Free societies tend not to fight one another
or to be bad neighbors.
EU Security Strategy: The best protection for our
security is a world of well = governed democratic
states
NEO – NEO DEBATE
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One of the main debates of IR theory
Neo-liberalism takes key concepts from both
pluralism and neo – realism
Neo – liberalism and neo – realism got closer
together than with liberalism or realism
Main difference: neo liberalism – absolute
gains, neo realism – relative gains
GREAT DEBATES IN THE
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
THEORY
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Realism vs Idealism
Behaviouralism in international relations
theory
Inter-paradigm Debate
Postivism vs. Post - positivism
CRITIQUE OF PLURALISM
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Downplay role of anarchy and security
dilemma
Lack of a unified consistent theory
Too much rely on voluntarism
RESEARCH AGENDA
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Democracy and peace
Security communities
International institutions
Integration of states
Pool of sovereignty
QUESTIONS