Liberal assumptions and historical overview

Liberal internationalism is embedded in the larger world view of liberalism. Rather than
providing a specific blueprint for politics, liberalism provides a framework of underlying values,
principles and purposes which can flexibly help interpret international relations. It has the
following core assumptions:
1. Its main concern has been to expand the capacity for collective self rule and address the
problem of illegitimate violence and abuse of power.
2. Liberalists believe humans have moral principles and they possess moral unity
3. Liberalists believe in individual freedom and autonomy
4. Within liberalism persons are not only the subject of moral discourse, but also regarded
as key agents of historical and political change but how they see human nature varies.
5. Kants view of humans as having self-interest and a desire for self-preservation yet also
possessing the capacity for moral thought, reason, and human sympathy fits with the
liberal tradition in a moderate way avoiding both extremes.
6. Liberalists emphasis upon education, individual, and collective responsibility for action,
and the notion of enlightened self-interest as the best hope for individual and collective
progress.
During the 19th century, liberalism was mainly focused on achievement of domestic
political gains. Major emphasis on free trade and self-determination, market based
realms. Liberalist, Richard Cobdens famous dictum as little intercourse as possible
between Governments, as much connection as possible between the nations of the world.
However, this was greatly shattered as WW I occurred. Liberalisms belief in universal
values came under critique especially by Carr. He argued that liberalisms claim to
present universal values and identifies universal goods were the unwitting reflection of
particular national and class interests, remains pertinent.
Following World War II, mainstream liberalism became increasingly absorbed with the
question of the Soviet threat and rallied round the policy of containment as a way to
prevent the spread of state socialist or communist regimes. Containment was
criticized by both Right and Left liberalism. Former considered it too moderate while
latter criticized its militarization of foreign policy.