Power and the Varieties of Order - Liberal Leviathan: The Origins, Crisis, and Transformation of the American World Order - page 41

common interests in the establishment of a cooperative world order organized around prin-
ciples of reciprocity and the rule of law. There is an assumption in liberal theories that states
can overcome the constraints of a competitive and decentralized international system and co-
operate to solve security dilemmas, pursue collective action, and create an open, stable sys-
tem. There is also an assumption that powerful states will act with restraint in the exercise of
their power and find ways to credibly convey commitments to other states. Liberal theories
have shared the view that trade and exchange have a modernizing and civilizing effect on
states, undercutting illiberal tendencies and strengthening the fabric of international commu-
nity. Liberal theories also share the view that democracies are—in contrast to autocratic and
authoritarian states—particularly able and willing to operate within an open, rule-based in-
ternational system and to cooperate for mutual gain. Likewise, liberals have shared the view
that institutions and rules established between states facilitate and reinforce cooperation and
collective problem solving. Governments and domestic actors have incentives and impulses
embedded in the deep structures of society to trade, bargain, negotiate, and seek cooperation
for joint gain. 41
These assumptions—and the liberal vision—are tied together by the idea that societies are
involved in an ongoing process of modernization. Modernization itself is driven by the deep
forces of science and technology that are constantly evolving and transforming human capa-
cities. These evolving human capacities have manifold implications for the ways in which
power, communication, relationships, interests, community, and political possibilities are ar-
rayed. In this sense, there is directionality to the logic and character of states and internation-
al order. Modernization tends to take societies down a common path of political pluralism
and market openness. Modernization across societies and cultures tends to produce similar
sorts of challenges and responses—and the general movement is toward loosely convergent
sorts of political-economic institutions. 42 This developmental logic suggests that internation-
al order is not static or tending toward equilibrium. There is a logic of change implicit in the
liberal ascendancy. While realists see war as a major engine of change, and Marxists look to
revolution, liberals emphasize learning and adaptation.
The liberal claim is that these modernizing forces and movements reinforce each other,
pushing and pulling the global system forward in a progressive direction. In particular, the
three components of liberal international order—liberal democracy, economic interdepend-
ence, and international institutions—are understood to reinforce each other. Liberal democra-
cies are able to overcome the insecurities generated by anarchical order, at least in their rela-
tions with each other. Trade and other forms of exchange are mutually beneficial across the
liberal democratic world and create incentives and stakeholders for the continuation of stable
international order. International institutions facilitate exchange and cooperation. 43 The ex-
pectation is that liberal democracies will thrive in this expanding international order. The