Write a critically essay on Liberalists view of International

Write a critically on Liberalists view of International relations.Are these views of any relevance in modern day worldJustify your answer - Essay Example These theories can be divided into two. Positivist and the post positivist theories. The difference between these two theories lies in the fact that while positivist theories such as, realism, liberalism, and neo liberalism aim at explaining the simple question of why and how power is exercised in the international realm, the post positivist theories mainly focus on the question of what power really is, what it is, how it is reproduced and/or experienced. (Introduction to international relations, 2008) The liberalists are those in support of the liberal theory/school of thought in international relations. There are various types of liberalism; interdependence, institutional or even sociological and republican liberalism. (Jackson & Sorensen, 2007) The theory has its basis on the idealism theory of international relations. The theory came about soon after World War 1 and is associated with such people as Woodrow Wilson and Emmanuel Kant. The theory sought to explain he causes of World War One and how it could be avoided in future. According to Woodrow Wilson, war only served to destroy. Thus, if countries could avoid war the better for them. They would gain more from the international cooperation than they would from any war. (Introduction to international relations, 2008) Thus, the liberal school of thought operates on certain core assumptions. The first and most fundamental premise of the liberal school of thought is the argument that the relationship that states have with other actors, state and non state, in the international community to a great extent shapes their behavior by influencing their preferences. To the liberalists, how states behave in the international arena has more to do with their preferences rather than their capabilities. Consequently, depending on such internal factors in states such as culture, the economic system or even the type of government therein, the preferences are likely to be different from state to