Democratic peace theory (or simply the "democratic peace") is the theory that democracies do not go to war with each other. In contrast to theories explaining war, it is a "Theory Of Peace".
Some have preferred terms like "mutual democratic pacifism" or "inter-democracy nonaggression hypothesis" for the theory, to clarify that it is not the peace itself that is democratic, but rather the countries involved.
Among proponents of the theory, several explanations have been offered for it:
- that democratic leaders must answer to the voters for war, and therefore have an incentive to seek alternatives;
- that such statesmen have practice settling matters by discussion, not by arms, and do the same in foreign policy;
- that democracies view non-democracies or their people as threatening, and go to war with them over issues which would have been settled peacefully between democracies;
- that democracies tend to be wealthier than other countries, and the wealthy tend to avoid war, having more to lose.
- Physicist turned historian Spencer R. Weart disagrees with this, saying, "It is not because of their advanced economic developmentâwealthy countries fight wars about as often as poor ones."
Among those who dispute the theory, there are also several opinions: that the claim is a statistical artifact, explicable by chance; and that definitions of democracy and war can be deliberately cherry-picked to show a pattern that may not be there.
Read more about Democratic Peace Theory: History, Definitions, Possible Exceptions, Statistical Difficulties Due To Newness of Democracy, Conflict Initiation, Internal Violence and Genocide, Explanations, Criticism, Academic Relevance and Derived Studies, Influence
Famous quotes containing the words democratic, peace and/or theory:
“Experts are saying that President Bush’s goal now is to politically humiliate Saddam Hussein. Why don’t we just make him the next Democratic presidential nominee?”
—Jay Leno (b. 1950)
“All of us realize that war requires action. What is sometimes harder for us to realize is that peace and neutrality also require action.”
—Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908–1973)
“By the “mud-sill” theory it is assumed that labor and education are incompatible; and any practical combination of them impossible. According to that theory, a blind horse upon a tread-mill, is a perfect illustration of what a laborer should be—all the better for being blind, that he could not tread out of place, or kick understandingly.... Free labor insists on universal education.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)