Effects of Liberalism on Security
Theory
The idea of liberalism was started by John Locke. Locke was mainly concerned with governance. Locke was of the opinion that we are all born equal and deserve constitutional representational democracy (Jones, Khoo and Smith 2013). According to Locke, governments are meant to serve the peoples’ interest of protecting their liberty. Locke further stated that everyone is entitled to freedom and civil rights (Jones, Khoo and Smith 2013). Later, Adam Smith got concerned about freedom in trade and expounded on Locke’s Idea. Adam saw the need for a free market trade and people owning property (Jones, Khoo and Smith 2013).
Second, liberalism has had a significant effect on security. It has led to the formation of the liberal pattern of security that depends on political solutions to solve security situations through the use of instruments like the international law, political integration, democratization, and international organizations (Jones, Khoo and Smith 2013). These instruments have proven useful in solving conflicts, hence, justifying the significance of liberalism on security.
Just like any other ideology, liberalism has its strength and weakness. First, it demonstrates its strength through the emergence of neoliberal governmentality. This form of governance has helped in the realization of peace in the previously ungoverned area (Leander and van Munster 2006). Neoliberal governmentality has also assisted in the prevention of the emergence of militia groups without causing international scenes. Governments have used the leeway created by neoliberal governmentality to hire private military contractors to help restore order in places where they are restricted (Leander and van Munster 2006).
On the other hand, liberalism can also be disadvantageous, especially when it leads to income inequality and poor social cohesion. The advanced capitalist countries are the most affected because of their highly unequal distribution of resources(Coburn 2000). The variation causes a big gap between the rich and the poor hence affecting their social cohesion.
Case Study
There are cases of disregard for liberalism in staunch Islamic states. For instance, countries like Iran still have strict rules against the rights of women. The Islamic women are not allowed to enjoy some rights like the right to vote or own property, which is a violation of the goals of liberalism (Amini and Rahmani 2016). Religious intellectualism causes this violation and eventually leads to women oppressed by men.
To deal with this situation, the government and religious leaders should promote the campaigns to empower women. Moreover, they can formulate laws to allow them to own properties too. Women empowerment will certainly lead to the realization of liberalism in the middle east (Amini and Rahmani 2016).
Bibliography
Amini, A. and Rahmani, A.H.M., 2016. Moderation Movement in Iran; Moving between Liberalism and Religious Intellectualism. Journal of Sociological Research, 7(1), pp.1-9.
Coburn, D., 2000. Income inequality, social cohesion and the health status of populations: the role of neo-liberalism. Social Science and Medicine, 51(1), pp.135-146.
Jones, D. M., Khoo, N., and Smith, M. L. R. 2013. Asian security and the rise of China: International relations in an age of volatility. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.
Leander, A. and van Munster, R., 2006. Private security contractors in darfur: reflecting and reinforcing neo-liberal governmentality. Copenhagen Business School. Working Paper 082. 1-19.
