Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This paper assesses the robustness of the liberal peace proposition by challenging two common practices: pooling data for different geographic regions, and using conflict at any level as a proxy for interstate war. The findings indicate that there are statistically significant differences between regions, and that conflict and war have somewhat different relationships to key variables overall and regionally. Expectations based on some prominent arguments about regionally-specific dynamics appear to be fairly well supported by the results. While I do not argue that these results undermine the general liberal peace proposition, they do represent powerful qualifications that provide insight into its theoretical foundation. They also point to the continuing importance of concepts such as security communities and norms as liberal factors distinct from democracy, economic interdependence, or international organizations.