As Puchala argues in World Hegemony and the United Nations, it is the very much the West which holds liberalism as the preferred ideology, not only in a domestic context but also in the context of international affairs. From the days of idealism following the First World War and the creation of the League of Nations, to the end of the Second World War and the birth of the United Nations, continuing through to modern society today, it has been the Western states who have led the way into a political and international future based on Liberal principles. In particular, it has been the so-called ‘Group of Seven’, comprised of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, who have forged the shared social, economic
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The benefits it brings them as states are substantial. The thought of any of these states going to war with any of the others is unimaginable, not only because of the alliances holding them together, but essentially because they would have nothing real to gain from war with each other, due to the fact that they are all reasonably wealthy. This could be considered a strong argument for why they all support international organisations such as the UN. The UN, more often than not, aligns itself with Western preferences, and as a result of this, it is easy to see why Liberal principles are so relevant in Western states. In controlling the UN – as the West have consistently done since it’s conception, even throughout the years of the Cold War – the West have control over aspects of the economy, human rights and social issues, and to a certain extent the political landscape of the international community, and as such can influence things in such a way as to benefit themselves and the Liberal principles which they follow. Additionally, Liberalism almost lends the West a certain degree of moral superiority – Liberal principles of the importance of democracy and an ultimate aim to end war can only be viewed as positive international goals. As Liberal principles only add to the benefits received by the West, it’s evident why they are particularly relevant to Western states, …show more content…
As Tim Dunne argues, while Liberal principles are now an almost fundamental part of Western culture and politics, these same principles have no claim to legitimacy globally. The argument that Liberalism is more relevant and beneficial to Western states than it is universally can be demonstrated in that, while Western states are unlikely to go to war with each other, they have no qualms about going to war with other states (often under the guise of international cooperation), and other states frequently go to war with each other. This shows Liberal principles benefitting Western states in a way which is not universal. It has been argued that from an economic and political perspective, not to mention culturally, Western Liberalism is unsympathetic to any differences in other states. It could be argued that they are merely ignorant of these differences, however on the other hand they could be choosing to ignore these differences as the benefits of Liberalism to themselves outweigh the negatives that the consideration of other states would
The benefits it brings them as states are substantial. The thought of any of these states going to war with any of the others is unimaginable, not only because of the alliances holding them together, but essentially because they would have nothing real to gain from war with each other, due to the fact that they are all reasonably wealthy. This could be considered a strong argument for why they all support international organisations such as the UN. The UN, more often than not, aligns itself with Western preferences, and as a result of this, it is easy to see why Liberal principles are so relevant in Western states. In controlling the UN – as the West have consistently done since it’s conception, even throughout the years of the Cold War – the West have control over aspects of the economy, human rights and social issues, and to a certain extent the political landscape of the international community, and as such can influence things in such a way as to benefit themselves and the Liberal principles which they follow. Additionally, Liberalism almost lends the West a certain degree of moral superiority – Liberal principles of the importance of democracy and an ultimate aim to end war can only be viewed as positive international goals. As Liberal principles only add to the benefits received by the West, it’s evident why they are particularly relevant to Western states, …show more content…
As Tim Dunne argues, while Liberal principles are now an almost fundamental part of Western culture and politics, these same principles have no claim to legitimacy globally. The argument that Liberalism is more relevant and beneficial to Western states than it is universally can be demonstrated in that, while Western states are unlikely to go to war with each other, they have no qualms about going to war with other states (often under the guise of international cooperation), and other states frequently go to war with each other. This shows Liberal principles benefitting Western states in a way which is not universal. It has been argued that from an economic and political perspective, not to mention culturally, Western Liberalism is unsympathetic to any differences in other states. It could be argued that they are merely ignorant of these differences, however on the other hand they could be choosing to ignore these differences as the benefits of Liberalism to themselves outweigh the negatives that the consideration of other states would