1.SELF-INTEREST The imposition of liberalism is to eliminate/reduce real or perceived threats against a nation and/or for reasons of economic self-interest 2.HUMANITARIANISM The imposition of liberalism for moral or ethical reasons, such as, to impose adequate living conditions or to stop human right violations

One of the most common arguments for establishing liberalism through intervention is economic self-interest. Exporting liberal democracy has both economic and security benefits. Benefits the economy of the nation which will in turn encourage trade with other countries, including more liberal democracies. Countries that embrace liberalism are less likely to threaten the security of other liberal democracies.

 “The world understands that whilst, of course, there are dangers in acting, the dangers of inaction are far, far greater- -the threat of further such outrages, the threat to our economies, the threat to the stability of the world.” ……Tony Blair, October 7, 2001

US invades Iraq in 2003 arguing that the country was a threat to the US because Iraq could begin to use Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) to aid terrorist groups or attack other nations. This military action did not receive international approval or support from the United Nations, which was using weapons inspectors to monitor Iraq’s military capabilities. What the US did, is called unilateral action.

Nations fully support the notion that they need to intervene in the policies of other nations in order to make the lives of those citizens better or to a higher standard. This humanitarian motive can also be called an ‘altruistic’ motive. There are those who believe that liberal countries should not tolerate the abuses of human rights that go on in other parts of the world, and they must intervene to stop those abuses.

Canadian troops have been fighting in Afghanistan since 2001, when a US led coalition of nations began efforts to destroy al Qaeda forces and remove the Taliban. When nations decide to promote liberalism in the world they have to assess the potential positive and negative outcomes within the economic, political and social structures of society. For liberalism to truly be successful it must have an impact on all three structures of society.

THU 2JozF4o 59k OyM After viewing the videos answer the following question: How successful has the imposition of liberalism been in Afghanistan?

Finally, how to nations react to the imposition of liberalism? Are all nations jubilant and welcoming to new ideas and practices? Do some nations struggle to embrace all aspects of liberalism? The belief that democratic elections will somehow guarantee peace, stability and good governance don’t always ring true. Liberal democracy has difficultly surviving conditions such as unemployment, inflation, and civil unrest in a country without an existing liberal democratic tradition.

Foreign governments insistence on democratic reforms may sometimes ignore the volatility of a country’s domestic affairs. When democratic elections or reforms are held in unstable political or economical climates, these reforms do not always help the situation. Some argue that if the right conditions for success are not present, it may even be harmful to another country’s security to try and foster liberal democracy too soon. We have seen this same issue manifest itself in the rise of Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Haiti, Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya, etc. -oc&safe=active