How did the fall of the Berlin Wall affect liberal internationalism?

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 served as a catalyst for a significant renaissance in liberal internationalism. As the Cold War division between East and West dissolved, the ideology—which emphasizes multilateralism, international law, and institutional cooperation—gained renewed momentum in global politics.1

Following the wall's collapse, the traditional norm of absolute state sovereignty was increasingly challenged. This shift facilitated numerous humanitarian interventions justified by the protection of universal human rights. During this period, the United Nations experienced a brief period of reinvigoration, and the European Union emerged as a prominent model for future supranational governance.1

This era also saw the rise of the "end of history" thesis, which posited that Western-style liberal democracy had emerged as the final ideological stage of human development. However, this optimism faced significant setbacks following the September 11 attacks in 2001, which complicated the liberal internationalist agenda and led to ongoing debates regarding its influence on state behavior and its potential perception as a form of Western imperialism.21