COVID-19 Crisis and EU: Liberal Values versus National Interest.

• Author: Obaid, Saddam Abdulkarim

Introduction

Throughout history, humanity has sought to achieve security and, therefore, has established different security systems that led to the concept's expansion. However, such expansion makes it difficult to define the security concept clearly. (1) As such, the concept of security has been exploited to impose the domination of dictatorial regimes. It has restricted freedom of thought and violated human rights, and in the name of security, the regimes can impose their will over their citizens. This trend has eventually led intellectuals to adopt visions and theories to preserve human values, including liberal ideas in international relations.

Immanuel Kant was one of the first scholars to put in place the cornerstone of liberal theory on which the EU was created. Kant's liberal key assumptions include the rational qualities of individuals, faith in the feasibility of progress in social life, and the conviction that humans, despite their self-interest, can cooperate and construct a more peaceful and harmonious society. He also focused on democratic government, economic interdependence, international law, and international organizations as tools to overcome the security dilemma in the international system. (2)

These liberal ideas significantly impacted the collapse of dictatorships in Europe, especially in the post-World War II era, when democratic regimes began to spread and continent-wide wars disappeared. Accordingly, a large class of politicians and scholars of international relations have argued that liberalism is the preferred option for avoiding war and achieving peace among people.

After the end of the Cold War, the international system was transformed from a multipolar system into a unipolar one led by the U.S. This new situation led to the creation of a new international political order based on liberal values. During this time, the theoretical frameworks developed by Francis Fukuyama in his book The End of History and the Last Man were one of important works that encouraged European leaders to adopt a democratic approach in Europe. The argument that the world has not witnessed a war between two democracies while witnessing the hundreds of wars that erupted between dictatorial regimes was one of the powerful arguments that adherents of this theory cited. Consequently, European states that suffered from conflicts did not want to engage in future conflicts again and found in the liberalism theory the basic foundation for the formation of lasting peace in the region. (3)

Europe has suffered many national and sectarian conflicts and was the greatest example among classical liberals to prove their theory. After World War II, with the collapse of dictatorships and the takeover of democratic leaders who sought to bring peace and prosperity to their countries, Europe's new leaders realized that true prosperity required greater market efficiencies than any European country alone. As a resuit, a complex network of mutual economic dependence has emerged, and this network underpins democracy, which also directly strengthens peace. As such, economic integration started with industries that were important to support wars, such as the coal and steel industries. (4)

Liberal Ideas and EU: A Historical Overview

Austrian Count Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi and French Prime Minister Aristide Briand were among the first politicians that called for the establishment of the United States of Europe. However, their efforts did not succeed due to the worsening economic crises and the rise of nationalism in Europe. After World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill renewed these calls for European states to establish the United States of Europe. (5) Churchill's efforts aimed to create a third global power alongside the Soviet Union and the U.S. and protect Europe from Soviet socialist expansion. However, these efforts failed again until 1951, when six European countries, namely France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, established the European Coal and Steel Community to prevent the German industry from becoming a war industry again. (6)

Six years later, the Treaty of Rome 1957 was signed between the countries to establish the European Economic Community and a common European market. This was considered the first step toward the founding of the European Union. This agreement was then amended by the Maastricht Treaty 1993, under which the European Union was established, and the euro was adopted as a common currency of the union. The treaty also aimed to develop common policies for internal, foreign, and defense affairs. In 2007, the Treaty of Lisbon was signed to make the union more democratic, address global...