POLI 304 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Democratic Peace Theory, Christopher Layne, Occupation Of The Ruhr
28 Feb 2016
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Kant or cant: the myth of the democratic peace (5-49) The theory that claims democratic states behave differently towards each other and toward non-democracies is at the heart of ir debate. Many believe that if the international system would be composed by a critical amount of democracies, it would be possible to supress effect of anarchy and overcome the security dilemma. The logic of the democratic peace theory can be divided in 2 features: institutional constraints explain the absence of war b/w democracies. Opposition parties: democracies" shared norms and culture. They respect the belief that peaceful settlement is a viable way to solve disputes. Thus, they are likely to negotiate with one another but also fight non- democracies that are alien to their values. The author looked at 4 different cases where democracies almost engaged in war. He concludes that realism is superior to dpt (democratic peace theory) in explaining outcomes in the international arena.
