Agreeing to Disagree: Applying the Liberal Tradition of Tolerance to U.S. Foreign Policy

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Liberal constitutional governments have a long tradition of "tolerance", that is, permitting attitudes or expression that is neither whole heartedly acceptable nor completely valueless.  With the constraints on their authority that liberal constitutionalism demands, liberal regimes embrace tolerance both as a moral virtue and as necessary for a government to maintain its liberal character.  

The United States faces a similar dilemma as the preponderant power and chief sponsor of the international system.  U.S. leadership carries with it an expectation of compliance among member states, but it does not demand, nor can it enforce, perfect compliance.  Indeed, a resurgent Russia and emerging India, Brazil, Turkey, and other regional powers may agree to be apart of the U.S.-led international system, but, to a large degree, each on their own terms.  If one takes seriously important similarities between liberal constitutionalism and what is often described as the "liberal international order," the concept of tolerance is helpful in developing an analytical framework for determining what forms of dissent among its allies and partners the United States can ultimately learn to live with.

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