The United Nations of Liberals

Question: Is the UN a realist or liberal organization?

I am no expert on the United Nations in any sort of historical way, but I do know a bit about its rudimentary purposes. Without going into deep analysis of the UN’s history, I am confident in saying that it was founded with a liberal agenda. Thus, I looked into the UN charter. Here it is:

PREAMBLE

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED
to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and

to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and

to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and

to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

AND FOR THESE ENDS

to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and

to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and

to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and

to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples

http://www.un.org/aboutun/charter/index.html

Now there are chapters and chapters to elaborate more on these basic principles but I think this preamble is all the evidence I need to prove that the UN was founded as a purely liberal organization. The first point about war is completely anti-realism. Realists are all for using war as a tool to better your country while liberalism is largely against war. It recognizes that war is more detrimental both economically and socially since people won’t support a long-term war in a liberal society because it just means more death of fellow countrymen. This first point alone allows one to argue that the UN couldn’t possibly be founded as a realist organization since it is completely against war.

The UN, whether or not they actually accomplish their goals, are driven to achieve equal human rights. Liberalism is also founded on the concept of humanism and individual rights for everyone, not just those in power. Also, cooperation of states is emphasized in the theory of liberalism, just as it is in the UN charter. There need be an element of trust in the treaties and international law that the charter mentions; this falls under liberalism’s habit of compromise. Countries need to work together to maintain peace, unlike realism, which supports isolation from and mistrust of other countries (some maybe say paranoia).

Liberalism, just like the UN, is also established on the principle of creating the best standard of life for everyone. This is explained through the concept of absolute and relative gains. Liberals like the idea of relative gains because it means that everyone is benefiting (even if it’s not equally) and therefore countries will be able to cooperate more effectively whereas realists feel threatened by relative gains because if another country is advancing too it could, might, maybe, possibly overthrow your country.

The UN’s idea of being a good neighbor pertains directly to liberals who are all about cooperating because they think war is more harmful than beneficial. I guess what it all comes down to is that fundamental fact: the UN does not support war or use of arms unless it is absolutely necessary just as is stated in the theory of liberalism. What more can a person argue beyond this?

Well, the only perspective I have taken into account is what the UN was supposed to be, not what it actually is…. what it was supposed to do, no necessarily what has been done in its history. The idea of the UN is liberal even though there have been realist regimes bouncing in and out that may have effected the organization otherwise. On top of that, it is a liberal idea to have international institutions like the UN to maintain order and “help states achieve rational consensus” (PTJ liberalism lecture). The UN was founded on liberal ideals.
I’m eager to hear everyone else’s response… for me, mine was an obvious answer, which perhaps adds an element of doubt to my argument… like am I missing something? “Of course the UN is a liberal organization” was my initial reaction. Tell me what you think of my argument, I really want to hear from the other side!