The “liberal” view of international relations recommends three ingredients: political democratization, deeper economic interdependence, and viable institutions through which East Asia’s states can conduct their affairs in a multilateral way. Because, as Immanuel Kant noted long ago, states with democratic political systems tend not to fight with each other, democracy should be encouraged in order to secure peace.
对此国际关系上的“自由主义”理念提出了三个要素：政治民主化，更深层次的经济依存度，并建立一系列机构，使各国得以通过多边方式处理相关事务。正如伊曼纽尔·坎特（Immanuel Kant）在很久之前所指出的那样，实行民主制度的国家一般都不愿互相攻伐，因此应该推动民主以实现和平。