When Liberalism Meets the English School

In this chapter, we explore the overlap and interaction between liberal theory and the English School tradition. Especially in the context of the debate on the protection of human rights in the face of state sovereignty, we found that the dilemmas in both traditions reveal similar structural features. Unless it involves radical transformation of the international system, it can be seen that the solidarist wing of the English School heartily supports the liberal cosmopolitan ideas of Kant. The commonalities of the two traditions are more striking in matters such as humanitarian intervention, internationalism and democracy.