The LIO is stronger than ever. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a uniting force behind liberalism.
Chaudoin et al. 23 – Assistant professor in the Department of Government at Harvard University.
Stephen Chaudoin, Helen V. Milner, and Dustin Tingley, “‘America First’ Meets Liberal Internationalism,” in Chaos Reconsidered: The Liberal Order and the Future of International Politics, Eds. Robert Jervis, Diane N. Labrosse, Stacie E. Goddard, and Joshua Rovner, Columbia University Press 2023, pp. 379.
As an update in August 2022 to our arguments, we note that while the war in Ukraine is deeply troubling, the norms enshrined in the Liberal International Order (LIO) are showing their strength. Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine, in February 2022, did not change the dynamics we describe in this chapter. In the United States, the massive sanctions placed on Russia enjoy bipartisan support among lawmakers and the public.39 European countries have also taken a remarkably united stance against the war and in favor of strong economic sanctions. Even Switzerland broke with its longstanding neutrality to participate in the sanctions regime, while EU countries pledged to increase their defense spending.40 NATO countries are working together tightly, and more countries are in the process of joining. The United States and its allies have come together strongly to oppose this violent attack on another nation and on the LIO. The military attack on a sovereign nation has galvanized many nations and underlined the continuing relevance of the LIO and its institutions.