Preview

Pros And Cons Of The Democratic Peace Theory

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
348 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Pros And Cons Of The Democratic Peace Theory
The Democratic Peace Theory simply dictates, “a democracy will not go to war with another democracy” (Unit 7: Video Engager). There are several strengths of this theory and reasons why political scientists believe this is so. For example, those among a democracy are generally peacemakers and do not prefer war; thus leaders cannot make a decision to enter war without the permission of its people. In addition democratic counties are likely to be more established in infrastructure and riches; therefore democracies are less willing to enter war at risk of losing their assets. The Democratic Peace Theory had been used by policymakers to aid in the expansion of democracy throughout other countries. Policymakers such as Woodrow Wilson and George W. Bush believe in the positive outcome that the Democratic Peace Theory can bring. They consider that through spreading democracy to other countries means for a more peaceful world with less war. Although less war sounds perfect, this theory is still flawed. The chances of even going to war are slim to none. In addition to those small odds, democracies are at odds it self as there are not many democracies around the world yet. With that being said, “it's a bit premature to say that democracies never go to war with one another” (Unit 7: Video Engager). In fact, there has been an exception; the Spanish American War was between two democracies. This leads to …show more content…
Initially this theory seems to possess many strengths however I feel that policymakers should not use this theory, as it appears to be illogical and flawed. Especially as democracy spreads, we can never be certain that two democratic countries will not enter war against one another. Policymakers have to consider that our world is so diverse when it comes to values, morals, and foreign-policy goals, therefore expecting the idea of democracy to keep the peace is a flawed

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Apush Chapter 33

    • 1704 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The great appeal of democracy is that is allows for the peaceful resolution of differences between a country's social, cultural, and regional groups.…

    • 1704 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Question: describe and analyze changing views toward the concept of a “civil peace” (Burgfrieden) in Germany 1914-1918.…

    • 1357 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    "…It seemed clear that wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart."…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    War Thunder stands today at a pivotal point as the introduction of ships and advanced weapons receive more and more attention. One argument that has been around for many years is the possibility of adding the mammoth American bomber, the B-36 Peacemaker. The B-36 was a six engine bomber in service from 1949 – 1959. The massive size of the aircraft and its ability to carry an unheard of amount of ordinance has led to many to state, in the words of Ian Malcolm, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should;” your scientists meaning Ganjin, the company who owns and develops War Thunder. Due to the current game physics and gameplay, many feel that the B-36 has no hope in being added. The official form has come up with some innovative and intelligent answers to these problems though.…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Democratic nations are said to be less prone to making war, more economically stable, and more peaceful internally. This premise comes from what is known as the “democracy-peace theory.” Unfortunately, this theory is not completely sound. Democracies are just as likely to participate in warfare, especially if they are a newly democratized state. Studies show that within the first ten years of being established, new democracies are likely to engage in conflict with other democratic states as well as with authoritarian states (Bin. 2007). America began its road towards democracy while fighting for its freedom in the Revolutionary War. A short distance down the time line, the northern and southern parts of the…

    • 2996 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Pro War in Iraq

    • 2057 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The problem, of course, is that many peoples currently living under dictatorships might, if asked right now, come up with some deeply unpleasant policy decisions. They might even vote against democracy, saying they don't want it. This is the worry in many countries with an Islamic fundamentalism problem: if they can get a majority the fundamentalists are committed to democracy under the slogan "one man, one vote, just this once". That is not democracy.…

    • 2057 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Chapter 33 APWH Notes

    • 1634 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The great appeal of democracy is that it allows for the peaceful resolution of differences between a country’s social, cultural and regional groups. Democratic institutions gained ground in Eastern Europe and in Russia during the last decade. Since 1991, democracy has become the norm in Latin America.…

    • 1634 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Separate Peace Analysis

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The great writer George Orwell once stated, “Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not." (Orwell). Knowles had this same struggle, and like Orwell used it to his advantage. The novels of John Knowles reflect his personal background and frequently explore the time period in which he lived through WWII. Throughout his life he reflected on his childhood, nurtured his love and ability of writing, and was rewarded for his great works in literature.…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is very rare that you here about two democracies going to war with each other. Major wars in the past Century have not been fought between two democratic nations, for example the wars in both Vietnam and Korea were fought against two communist dictatorships. In 1999 (Rudolph J Rummel), while writing for the magazine Peace argued that a “Democracy is a general cure for political or collective violence of any kind.” He went on further to argue that a key to a Democracy is having regular elections and having multiple political parties that are competitive. With this argument from Rummel it means that during World War One, Germany was not a democracy. The Question very much so depends on how different theories see the matter and how different theorists determine what action a democracy should take instead of going to war.…

    • 1461 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    (1) the United States should encourage the limited and carefully managed proliferation of nuclear weapons in Europe…

    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Separate Peace Analysis

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A Separate Peace, suggests that true friendship requires honesty between friends, because without honesty there is no trust between friends, and trust is the basis of a friendship.…

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    At first glance it looks like a very logical and understandable that every state that has '' more democracy '' in respect to another, assist another country on the path of democratization. The United States as a world superpower and probably one of the most organized countries in the world should definitely do that. In practice, this is not necessarily always…

    • 247 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Imagine living in a place where the government is all a Democracy in all parts of the world. Democracy is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. Democracy is a strong form of government because it prevents monopoly of authority, it makes for a responsible and stable administration, and it allows a little chance of revolution.…

    • 882 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Democracy is a wondrous thing: its absence is suffocating and oppressive, the struggle to attain it is painful and dangerous, yet once obtained it's confusing and treacherous. Democracy complicates life, for citizens now have options and can make choices. They also acquire the burden of responsibility and lose the advantage of having an obvious culprit for their mistaken paths. Democracy also…

    • 352 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Democracy Through Time

    • 1304 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The idea of democracy is a timeless one. Before the term for democracy was given, the notion that people are better off governing themselves for the benefit of society as a whole was in the minds of philosophers. One such thinker was Lao-tzu. He advised his emperor to "Practice not-doing, and everything will fall into place."(p.22) Lao-tzu essentially wanted the emperor to trust the people and know that they are better off free. If they are free to govern themselves everything will workout for itself. Today, in a democratic nation, people possess freedom. They are free to vote, for or against potential leaders in government. This is placing much trust in the people, because their voting could potentially alter the way they are governed. They are free to purchase and sell land, they can marry almost whomever they want, and are free to speak against things that upset them. As a democratic nation, people will govern themselves in a way that is for the benefit of society. Lao-tzu points to a ruler that "has let go" so that "he can care for the people's welfare" (p.28). Our nation takes many great steps in caring for the people's welfare. Schools…

    • 1304 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays