The Militant Face of Democracy: Liberal Forces for Good

Cambridge University Press, 10/10/2013
EAN 9781107037403, ISBN10: 1107037409

Hardcover, 397 pages, 22.8 x 15.2 x 2.8 cm
Language: English

Democratic peace theory - the argument that democracies very rarely go to war with each other - has come under attack recently for being too naïve and for neglecting the vast amount of wars fought by democracies, especially since the end of the Cold War. This volume offers a fresh perspective by arguing that the same norms that are responsible for the democratic peace can be argued to be responsible for democratic war-proneness. The authors show that democratic norms, which are usually understood to cause peaceful behaviour, are heavily contested when dealing with a non-democratic other. The book thus integrates democratic peace and democratic war into one consistent theoretical perspective, emphasising the impact of national identity. The book concludes by arguing that all democracies have a 'weak spot' where they would be willing to engage militarily.

Part I. Introduction
1. Investigating 'democratic wars' as the flipside of 'democratic peace' Anna Geis and Harald Müller
2. The empirical study of 'democratic wars'
methodology and methods Niklas Schörnig, Harald Müller and Anna Geis
Part II. Opting In, Opting Out
Liberal Democracies and War
3. The United States
the American way of leading the world into democratic wars Stephanie Sohnius
4. 'The right thing to do'? British interventionism after the Cold War Marco Fey
5. 'O ally, stand by me'
Australia's ongoing balancing act between geography and history Niklas Schörnig
6. Canada
standing on guard for international law and human security? Una Becker-Jakob
7. French ambiguities
of civilising, diplomatic and military missions Johanna Eckert
8. Burdens of the past, shadows of the future
the use of military force as a challenge for the German 'civilian power' Anna Geis
9. Moving beyond neutrality
Sweden's changing attitude towards the military use of force Carmen Wunderlich
Part III. Conclusion
10. Liberal democracies as militant 'forces for good'
a comparative perspective Anna Geis, Harald Müller and Niklas Schörnig
11. The appropriateness of the liberal use of force
'democratic wars' under US hegemony Anna Geis and Harald Müller
Appendix
methodology.

Advance praise: 'Focusing on the dark side of the democratic peace, this book inquires into the ambivalences that have arisen when democracies fight non-democracies. Focusing on different types of war since the end of the Cold War, this theoretically self-conscious, well-designed, data-rich, methodologically sophisticated, tightly argued and morally nuanced book opens up a new avenue for research that both enriches and unsettles the conventional wisdom. Its conclusions pose important intellectual challenges that will influence international relations research and graduate instructions for years to come.' Peter J. Katzenstein, Walter S. Carpenter, Jr Professor of International Studies, Cornell University