In the evolution of liberal democracy since the late eighteenth century, its values and institutions have been entangled with capitalism, empire, hegemony, and racism. Yet although it has been compromised by its historical association with these forces, the matrix of liberal democracy and liberal internationalism has always shown a capability of being “disembedded” from such phenomena. This has been the source of its dynamism, which offers a better way of organizing relations within states and among states.