Liberalism Theory and the Global Reach Event of Black Lives Matter (Essay Sample)

The global reach of “Black Lives Matter” in the wake of George Floyd’s death
Introduction
The footage of Floyd's violent death in police custody on May 25, 2020, sparked some of the largest Black Lives Matter protests in history in countries all over the world. Floyd's death was seen by Black activists across continents and cultures as a symbol of the bigotry and injustice they experience at home. The uprisings, protests, demonstrations and riots experienced in different parts of the world under the banner Black Lives Matter can be interpreted from different international relations viewpoints. Two such theories are liberalism and realism. However, this essay argues that the liberal international relation theory best explains the rise of global civil rights movements against racial injustices as compared to realism theory. To evidence this, this essay includes two main parts. Part 1 discusses how liberalism theory best explains this event, and part 2 discusses why realism theory cannot well explain this event.
Part 1: Liberalism Theory and the global reach event of Black Lives Matter
The features of International Liberalism Theory
Liberalists believe that the current world system has a capability of engendering a peaceful global system. They further postulate that civil animosity and disorder can be corrected by either perfecting the government or man (Bell, 2014). In other words, the wrongs or evils done by man and the government should be corrected to achieve the national good. The basic feature of this framework is that nations are the core actors within the international system, though they do not act in unison owing to domestic politics. It is also featured by factors beyond the state’s power which inhibit state actions and behaviour(Carlsnaes, 2013). Also, the interests of states are multiple and changing. Major concepts contained in the liberal world include international law, democracy, free trade, and international institutions (Shiraev, 2014).
Liberalism emphasises on international partnership as a way of promoting national interests