Joseph S. Nye's Liberalism Revived

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Joseph S. Nye’s article, “Liberalism Revived”, supports this view as he describes three strands of liberal thinking—economic, social, and political. His three strands of liberal thinking help explain how states attain their self-interest by means of interdependence, cooperation, and the establishment of institutions. In the economic strand, he asserts that states focus heavily on interdependence, as trade helps avoid conflict because it causes states to pursue economic growth without the necessity of military conquest. In order for a state to be able to trade vital goods, they must be able to cooperate and communicate, and that is where the social strand comes into play. The social strand of liberal thinking argues that communication reduces …show more content…
In the beginning of her speech, the audience can grasp that Ambassador Power’s perspective on international relations is primarily based on a liberalist point of view. Prior to even discussing about the threat that Russia is imposing to the United States, Ambassador Power begins her speech by stressing the fact that “some of the most rewarding and impactful work [she] has done at the UN has come in the times when [her] Russian counterpart and [her] have been able to cooperate.” This statement demonstrates that she agrees with the fact that cooperation is what leads state to attain their security; it is congruent with Scott Silverstone’s perspective on the liberal tradition. As the paper progresses, Ambassador Power’s remarks continue to fall in line with the liberal assumption that cooperation guarantees security and guides a state to attain their self-interest. For example, she states that in order to confront Russia’s attempt to divide the nations, the nation must confront the threat together by adapting and strengthening the orders to which their interests depend. Despite the fact that cooperation between the United States and Russia has been deterred due to President Putin’s “aggressive and destabilizing actions,” Mrs. Power wholeheartedly believes that “it is in the [United States’] interest to try to solve problems with Russia” because communication between the two countries is imperative to the United States security. She proposes four methods to addressing the US-Russian conflict, all four centered around assumptions similar to those of the liberalist

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