Week 5: Security Studies Questions Will multilateral institutions play an important role in ensuring international security in the future? Key Questions: · What do liberals say might ensure that the future international security order will remain peaceful? - This question can be answered through the analysis of how liberals explain the concept of How to Secure? Liberal institutionalists provide three theoretical frameworks for answering such questions: 1. Economic Liberalism: a. States that liberal nations tend to understand the benefits surrounding free trade and in general globalisation. b. Globalisation creates a sense of interdependency between one state and another, thus increasing the costs surrounding war. c. If countries go to war they break those economic links which is devastating to the economy. 2. Democratic Peace Thesis: a. As liberalists take more note surrounding ideational factors then states are more likely to achieve the following: i. International Cooperation -> Democratic states tend to be more constructive and progressive with each other. ii. Economic Interdependence (explained above). iii. Peace -> Democracies don't go to war with each other. b. There are three underlying arguments surrounding the DPT which explains these links of cooperation: i. 'Constitutional Caution' -> Leaders are ultimately elected by their constituents. The price of war ultimately effects the people the most (human and economic costs), therefore the people are less likely to elect leaders which are more likely to take them to war. ii. 'Global Economic Interdependence' > Most liberal democracies are capitalist economies. Capitalism encourages exploitation of free trade and globalisation, which then encourages economic interdependence between nations. iii. 'Mutual Identification' -> Democratic nations are more likely to give other liberal democracies the benefit of the doubt, in terms of political motives. Thus, a democratic nation will only go to war on absolute circumstances. 3. Neo-Liberalism: a. State that the development of international institutions mitigates the effects of the anarchical international order. i. Increase Information, and thus credibility. ii. Reduce transaction costs and make it easier for states to cooperate. Otherwise how could they? iii. Make commitments more credible through signed treaties etc. iv. Establish focal points and goals for cooperation. v. Facilitate reciprocity.
. How convincing is the democratic peace thesis? Can you think of any exceptions? What does the democratic peace thesis state? - States cooperate through ideologies, economic interdependence and peace. Whilst it states that wars don't go to war with each other, it never says anything about them not going to war with countries of different ideologies. So it doesn't necessarily limit war full stop, in fact democracy promotion is responsible for the causation of many wars. - Domino theory and containment policies were predicated on intervention within communist states. Think Vietnam War, and Iraq. - Democratic peace only really works with US capitalist economies, thus wars can still start with countries that are technically democracies etc. · Why do liberals believe that institutions can play a role in achieving international security? Ultimately, liberals believe that institutions can mitigate the effects of the anarchical nature