Liberalism needs a generation of leaders who realize that they have been cheated in their Wilsonian bargain; the community of liberals defends the rights of states, but the community of states does not reciprocate by defending liberal values. Leaders willing to challenge the idea that Wilsonian means are the only legitimate path to liberal ends would ignite the debate within liberalism that Beinart wants. Eventually, liberals would decide which Wilsonian commitment -- defending the absolute power of states within their domestic realms, or defending the final authority of supranational institutions -- should be relaxed when abused. They would choose a direction for advancing their revolution, either from the bottom-up, actively pursuing the transformation of illiberal governments into forms more liberal, or from the top-down, participating only in international forums that pay heed to liberal principles. They would find their way to a path for engaging the outside world.
Read the whole thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment