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Democracy and Democratization: The Problem with Using the Democratic Peace Theory as a Principle of Foreign Policy
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DEMOCRACY AND DEMOCRATIZATION:
THE PROBLEM WITH USING THE DEMOCRATIC PEACE THEORY AS A
PRINCIPLE OF FOREIGN POLICY
Paper presented at the annual meeting of the ISA's 49th ANNUAL CONVENTION,
BRIDGING MULTIPLE DIVIDES, Mar 26, 2008
The Democratic Peace theory argues that democracies do not make war against each other.
Immanuel Kant made the argument in his essay “Perpetual Peace,” that republican forms of government and an international organization dedicated to peaceful resolution of disputes is the prescription for a world without war. From Michael Doyle and Bruce Russett to Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, political thinkers have argued that empirical evidence supports the thesis of the Democratic Peace. The argument has been made that it is “the nearest thing to law.” Yet, when the United States has attempted to use the idea of a Democratic Peace as the basis for foreign policy, it has backfired. Attempts to set up functional democracies in Iraq and Afghanistan appear to be failing. Reasons for this failure run the gamut of foreign opposition, extensive terrorist activity and severe economic problems. Yet, a fundamental cause of difficulty appears to be that the very idea of what a democracy is may be flawed. If we do not have a well understood definition of democracy, we use the Democratic Peace Theory as the basis of foreign policy actions at our peril.
MICHAEL J. WILLIAMS
SPOKANE FALLS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
E-MAIL
## email not listed ##
Revised March 18, 2008
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| | Authors: Williams, Michael. |
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DEMOCRACY AND DEMOCRATIZATION:
THE PROBLEM WITH USING THE DEMOCRATIC PEACE THEORY AS A
PRINCIPLE OF FOREIGN POLICY
Paper presented at the annual meeting of the ISA's 49th ANNUAL CONVENTION,
BRIDGING MULTIPLE DIVIDES, Mar 26, 2008
The Democratic Peace theory argues that democracies do not make war against each other.
Immanuel Kant made the argument in his essay “Perpetual Peace,” that republican forms of government
and an international organization dedicated to peaceful resolution of disputes is the prescription for a
world without war. From Michael Doyle and Bruce Russett to Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush,
political thinkers have argued that empirical evidence supports the thesis of the Democratic Peace. The
argument has been made that it is “the nearest thing to law.” Yet, when the United States has attempted to
use the idea of a Democratic Peace as the basis for foreign policy, it has backfired. Attempts to set up
functional democracies in Iraq and Afghanistan appear to be failing. Reasons for this failure run the gamut
of foreign opposition, extensive terrorist activity and severe economic problems. Yet, a fundamental cause
of difficulty appears to be that the very idea of what a democracy is may be flawed. If we do not have a well
understood definition of democracy, we use the Democratic Peace Theory as the basis of foreign policy
actions at our peril.
MICHAEL J. WILLIAMS
SPOKANE FALLS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
Revised March 18, 2008
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