Professor Daniel Tirone

POLI 2057: Introduction to International Politics

24 September 2020

Reaction Paper Two

The article, Building on Success, Opportunities for the Next Administration, by Joseph R.

Biden Jr., discusses the work of the Obama Administration in foreign affairs, and what Biden

believes to be the responsibilities of the next American Administration concerning international

politics. The article, The Myth of the Liberal Order: From Historical Accident to Conventional

Wisdom, written by Graham Allison, discusses the false claims of the advocates of the "liberal

international rules-based order," and Allison explains why these claims are not accurate. The

article, The Resilient Order, written by Daniel Deudney, conveys why the liberal order is

resilient throughout the history of international politics and why it will be successful in the future

sphere of international politics.

U.S power sources in the international realm are largely attributed to America's stance as

the strongest global leader in foreign affairs, Biden discusses this as America's usage of hard and

soft power. Primarily, Biden highlights that the foundation of American power is its "dynamic

economy, peerless military, and universal values" (Biden 46). Moreover, America's source of

power comes from the way it utilizes its strengths when interacting in foreign affairs throughout

all regions of the world, "America's greatest strength is not the example of our power but the

power of our example" (45 Biden). America's power comes from its commitment to

demonstrating its "values and tolerance" in communication with other nations. Biden states,"

U.S. leadership has never sprung from some inherent American magic. Instead, we have earned
it over and over again through hard work, discipline, and sacrifice" (Biden 57). America seeks to

expand its allies and pursue relationships with other global powers such as Russia and China

who have differing values. Biden strongly supports establishing the Trans-Pacific Partnership to

further economic prosperity, "Thanks to U.S. leadership, the deal includes provisions that will

raise international standards for the protection of workers' rights, the environment, and

intellectual property" (50).

Moreover, Biden emphasizes that America's willingness to recognize and combat global

issues is another important aspect of America's power and seizes economic opportunities from

building relationships with more allies. Biden conveys that the United States' leadership is the

most valuable asset to the world's nations: another power. There is no country better suited to

pioneer the evolving and ever-changing international system.

The first claim made by proponents of the "liberal internationalist rules-based order" is

that liberal order contributed to the last seven decades of peace, also known as the "long peace"

between the world's major powers. Allison contradicts this claim, explaining that the "long

peace" resulted from the Cold War. Allison states:

Each initiative served as a building block in an order designed first and foremost to defeat

the Soviet adversary. Had there been no Soviet threat, there would have been no Marshall

Plan and no NATO. The United States has never promoted liberalism abroad when it

believed that doing so would pose a significant threat to its vital interests at home.

(Allison 2)

The second claim made is that the liberal international rules-based order was the United States'

motive to interact in international politics. Allison disagrees with this claim; he counters this

claim, conveying that the United States' primary reason for involving itself in foreign affairs is to
protect the liberal democracy within the United States. The third claim is that the Trump

Administration is the greatest menace to the global liberal order. Although Allison states that

Trump's actions as a president have conflicted with the liberal order, he is not the most

significant threat. Specifically, Allison points out that wars in the Middle-East, the financial

crisis, and the Great Recession have negatively impacted the liberal order's influence on a global

scale. "These disasters have done more to diminish confidence in liberal self-government than

Trump could do in his critics' wildest imaginings, short of a mistake that leads to a catastrophic

war" (Allison 4).

Deudney and Ikenberry argue that the liberal order is resilient because it opposes

illiberalism and the threats a primarily illiberalism world could have on its nations. "Overall,

liberalism remains perennially and universally appealing because it rests on a commitment to the

dignity and freedom of individuals. It enshrines the idea of tolerance, which will be needed in

spades as the world becomes increasingly interactive and diverse" (Deudney and Ikenberry 1).

The authors state that the Chinese Communist Party threatens the liberal order values, which in

turn strengthens the liberal order even more because any alternative to the liberal order would be

unsuitable. Additionally, Deudney and Ikenberry convey that liberal democracy fluctuates in its

role as an overall influencer in international politics. However, liberal democracy remains

appealing because of its pragmatic abilities to international affairs. Deudney and Ikenberry go on

to discuss Westphalianism:

Consider the Soviet Union's cooperative efforts during the Cold War. Back then, the

liberal world order was primarily an arrangement among liberal democracies in Europe,

North America, and East Asia. Even so, the Soviet Union often worked with the

democracies to help build international institutions. (Deudney and Ikenberry 3)

Even more, Deudney and Ikenberry point out that the liberal order is resilient because of its

capability to survive despite nations' changing government policies in international politics. It is

not dependent on every country being a liberal democracy all the time.

In conclusion, Biden and Deudney and Ikenberry offer similar perspectives in their belief

of global democracy. Biden conveys that it is in the best interest of America to demonstrate its

values in all foreign policy, "uphold basic human dignity by banning torture, calling for a more

enlightened immigration system, expanding opportunities for women, and defending the rights of

the LGBT community at home and abroad" (47). He reveals that aligning foreign policy interacts

with American values is the "right strategy." Deudney and Ikenberry argue that a global liberal

democracy promotes human rights, pragmatic solutions to global issues, and tolerance

comparable to Biden's arguments. On the contrary, Allison's piece challenges these claims

explaining that the peace between nations is a result of the Cold War and is not a product of the

"liberal internationalist rules based-order." Allison exclaims that the United States' primary

reason for interacting in global politics is to protect American liberal democracy and has little to

do with promoting “liberal internationalist rules based-order."

 Works Cited

Biden, Joseph R. “Building on Success: Opportunities for the Next Administration.”

Foreign Affairs​, vol. 95, no. 5, 2016, pp. 46–57., www.jstor.org/stable/43946955. Accessed 21

Sept. 2020.

Allison, Graham. "The Myth of the Liberal Order: From Historical Accident to

Conventional Wisdom." ​Foreign Affairs​, vol. 97, no. 4, July-Aug. 2018, p. 124+. ​Gale In

Context: Biography​,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A545671147/BIC?u=lln_alsu&sid=BIC&xid=5dfb18a0.

Accessed 21 Sept. 2020.

Deudney, Daniel, and G. John Ikenberry. "The Resilient Order." ​Foreign Affairs,​ vol. 97,

no. 4, July-Aug. 2018, p. 16+. ​Gale In Context: Biography​,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A545671137/BIC?u=lln_alsu&sid=BIC&xid=a2dc4f47. Accessed

21 Sept. 2020.