Informed Universalism: A New Approach To International Relations

Written By: Drew Politico

Source: Open Talk Magazine  04/02/2011 02:08:00  

‘If you can’t beat them, join them’. The world seems to be suffering from a violent case of anti-Americanism owing to preponderance of realist policies implemented by successive American administrations. The Europeans now talk about Universalism and Institutionalism. The Chinese talk about maintaining a ‘harmonious world’. The Indians have been talking about Ahimsa or non-violence for decades. While all these may be just platitudes or strategies of the weak, there is no reason why America cannot find a creative interpretation of the very same ideals to its advantage.

This is where ‘Informed Universalism’ may help. Not that any such theoretical precept exists, but then that is the beauty of IR theory; the world is just waiting for someone to invent a new one; something that can help bridge the gap between the practical and the ideal.

The term ‘informed’ implies that the implementer of a policy has taken into consideration all the pros and cons of a particular course of action and having weighed the costs and the benefits in its entirety, has decided upon a course of action that gives the best pay offs for a given situation. The given situation, in this case need not be the most ideal situation of ‘benefit to all’ or ‘more benefits to most’ but one of ‘most benefits to self’. This in turn, implies that there are some benefits for others also.

Seen from such a standpoint, a Universalist approach that combines an ‘informed choice’ may well be the best bridge between traditional Realism and traditional Universalism.    

How does this rather complex formulation play out in the real world? Take for example the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). From the Universalist stand point, the UDHR should be statutorily applied across the world to all nations and entities. An ‘informed’ approach would recognize the limits of such an idealistic approach being impractical and impossible to implement. In such cases, ‘Informed Universalism’ would look at conditional formulations that can best approximate Universalist philosophy.

Take another example; Nuclear weapons. Now these cannot be ‘disinvented’. So the Indian calls for completely ridding the world of nuclear weapons in the 1980s by the late Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and President Barack Obama’s vision of a nuclear free world are Universalist utopia. Yet, under the ambit of ‘Informed Universalism’, a nuclear free world is very much possible. Here again, the concept of ‘most benefit to self’ (read American self) can be exercised, albeit with many more ‘conditionalities’, which should not be difficult for a nation that conjured up ‘leveraged derivatives’ in the financial world.   

 The point being made is that it serves nobody’s interest in trashing a popular sentiment. The neoconservatives might sniffle at Universalism and bristle at any suggestion that makes America look weak but then there are many ways to get to where you want and a head-on collision is not one of them. It is in this context that ‘Informed Universalism’ will come in handy in defining the future of international relations—the American way.

Sourced from: http://www.opentalkmagazine.com/its_political/foreign_affairs/3153-informed-universalism-a-new-approach-to-international-relations.html