Knowra Idealism in international relations Idealism in international relations An approach to international politics that emphasizes cooperation, international law, collective security, and institutions as ways to reduce conflict and advance moral principles.
Woodrow Wilson : The 28th president of the United States, who promoted a postwar order based on national self-determination and international organization. His Fourteen Points and support for the League of Nations became emblematic of interwar idealism.
International law : The body of rules and principles governing relations among states and other international actors. Idealists treat legal rules as constraints on state conduct and tools for settling disputes.
Arbitration : A process in which disputing parties submit a conflict to a third party for a decision or award. It offers a peaceful alternative to resolving interstate disputes by force.
Realism (international relations) : An approach to international politics that emphasizes anarchy, state power, national interest, and competition. Realism doubts that cooperation and legal rules can reliably overcome security competition.
United Nations : An international organization founded in 1945 to maintain peace, foster cooperation, and promote human rights. Its collective-security system renewed the ambition to organize peace through common institutions.
Fourteen Points : Woodrow Wilson’s 1918 proposals for a postwar settlement, including open diplomacy, national self-determination, and a general association of nations. They set out a prominent program for replacing power rivalry with rules and cooperation.
Collective security : An arrangement in which states commit to oppose aggression against any member of the group. It turns cooperation into a proposed deterrent against unilateral conquest.
Diplomacy : The conduct of relations among political entities through negotiation, representation, and communication. Negotiation is the practical means by which cooperation and dispute settlement can be pursued.
Neorealism : A theory that explains state behavior through the structure of the international system, especially its distribution of power. It shifts explanation from human motives to systemic pressures that idealism often seeks to reform.
United Nations Security Council : The United Nations body charged with primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. Its authority to authorize measures against threats embodies collective security, constrained by veto powers.
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