F.A. Hayek and liberal international order

Abstract

The debate on the demise of the Liberal International Order (LIO) lacks engagement with liberal thought, leading to a neglect of liberal alternatives to the main presentation of LIO. To address this knowledge gap, this article presents and analyses the views on international relations of Friedrich Hayek, one of the most influential classical liberal thinkers of the twentieth century. The few scholars in this debate that engage with Hayek’s ideas tend to cherry pick from his writings to support their own position. Consequently, Hayek’s critique of the worldview of liberalism in international relations theory is misrepresented, and the alternative he offers for the debate on LIO is overlooked. In this article his views will be compared to those of the leading LIO theorist G. John Ikenberry, focussing on the main ideas underpinning the idea of LIO as presented in Ikenberry’s main writings. The comparison yields some similarities between Ikenberry and Hayek, in particular regarding the Westphalian foundations of international order. Yet Hayek’s focus on individual liberty, free market economics and a limited state offer a clear classical liberal alternative to Ikenberry’s established ideas on liberal international order, with their focus on state action.