The Democratic Peace Empirical finding that democracies do not go to war. Norms & democracy. Institutions & democracy. Critiques of the democratic peace. One of the most widely accepted findings/theories in IR.
Immanuel Kant, Perpetual Peace. 1795 If the consent of the citizens is required in order to decide that war should be declared nothing is more natural than that they would be very cautious in commencing such a poor game, decreeing for themselves all the calamities of war.
Ultimately, the best strategy to ensure our security and to build a durable peace is to support the advance of democracy elsewhere. Democracies don't attack each other. Bill Clinton
` And the reason why I'm Im so strong on democracy is democracies don't go to war with each other. And the reason why is the people of most societies don't like war, and dthey understand dwhat war means... I've got great faith in democracies to promote peace. George W. Bush
The best protection for our security is a world of well-governed democratic states. -European Security Strategy
The democratic peace is as close as anything we have to an empirical law in international relations. -- Jack Levy, Political Scientist, Rutgers University. Former president of the International Studies Association
The Democratic Peace Scholars began to notice an empirical pattern that democracies do not go to war against each other. Reasons for this correlation are debated. Democratic norms? Democratic institutions? Spurious relationship?
The Democratic Peace Naïve view: democracies are more peace-loving and are more cautious about war. a) costs of war fall on the people b) democracies respect human life Easy to discount, democracies frequently go to war. Not just defensive wars, but have also attacked others. WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Falklands War, Iraq War.
Democratic Norms Support of public is needed for war. Democracies see one another as legitimate. Difficult to establish justness of war against a democracy. Democratic political culture emphasizes compromise and mutual respect. Democracies share a common worldview and see each other as part of the same team.
Institutions: Executive Constraints Leaders of democratic countries are more cautious about the use of force. Failure in war means being voted out of office. Studies have shown that democracies tend to win the wars they begin. Democratic leaders choose fights carefully ( risk aversion ), and fight hard to win (resolve). Two democratic leaders will be reserved about the use of force & cannot be assured of swift victory.
Institutions: the Role of Information Fearon suggested that poor information may contribute to war. Democracies have multiple forums for debate. Policy debates are very public. Freedom of press. Open public debate and transparent t institutions reduce uncertainty about capabilities and resolve. e Joint democracy minimizes informational problems.
Institutions: Credible Commitments Fearon also suggested that inability to make promises credible may lead to war. Democracies have domestic institutions that can enforce international agreements. In the US, president can sign treaties, ti 2/3 ratification in Senate makes it law. Courts can enforce international ti treaties. ti Audience costs : publicly made promises increase costs for breaking them.
All Good News? Stable democracies may be unlikely to go to war against each other. Yet, research has found that democratic transitions may increase probability of war. Regime instability increases external attacks; also leads to aggression. Weimar Germany; Turkey/Cyprus conflict. Diversionary i war: leaders may be likely l to create international crises to get a boost in popularity. Rally around the flag effect.
Critique of the Democratic Peace The Democratic Peace finding is a fluke. The number of democracies prior to WWII was small. Since war is rare, the odds of two democracies at war is low. After WWII, the United States enforced peace among democracies. Common Cold War threat. Yet, still no wars since end of Cold War.
Democratic Peace and US Foreign Policy The promotion of democracy is a key aspect of US foreign policy. Bush s speech: It should be clear that the advance of democracy leads to peace, because governments that respect the rights of their people also respect the rights of their neighbors. US Imposed democracies in Germany and Japan. Intervention in Haiti (1994, 2004) to remove military junta and restore democracy Iraq war partly justified by democracy promotion.
Discussion Should the US be promoting democracy abroad? Should this be a primary goal of US foreign policy? If so, how should democracy be fostered? What means are acceptable? What costs?