Democratic Peace: A Critical Review of its viability in the Contemporary context

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33324/dicere.v1i2.822

Keywords:

Democratic peace, International relations, Democratic regimen, Geopolitical rivalries, Non conventional threats

Abstract

The theory of Democratic Peace, which postulates that democracies tend to avoid warlike conflicts among themselves, has been a fundamental pillar in the study of international relations, but it has also been subject to criticism in the contemporary context. This article examines the sustainability of this theory, proposing that Democratic Peace faces serious challenges due to structural factors and emerging international dynamics. Through a critical analysis of recent cases and literature review, it is argued that economic interdependence and geopolitical rivalries complicate its central premise. Cases such as the interventions of democracies in the Middle East and the rise of unconventional threats such as terrorism demonstrate that even democratic states can become embroiled in protracted conflicts and are not exempt from deep rivalries. These factors underscore the need to re-evaluate theory in the current context, marked by increasingly complex global dynamics.

Author Biographies

Leonardo David Mogrovejo-Barrera, University of Azuay

Bachelor's Degree in International Studies from Universidad del Azuay.

Master in Business Administration from Universidad del Azuay.

Member of the University Council and the Academic Evaluation Commission of the Universidad del Azuay (2022-2023).

President of the School of International Studies (2021-2022).

Michelle Camila Molina-Barros, Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar

B.A. in International Studies, Bilingual mention in Foreign Trade from Universidad del Azuay.

Master's Degree in International Relations of the XXI Century from the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar Sede Ecuador.

Diploma in Political Science, Public Administration and Territorial Governance from the International University of Ecuador.

Diploma in International Relations, Cooperation and Human Rights from the Ibero-American Center for International Studies.

Author of the “Strategic Plan for International Cooperation for the Decentralized Autonomous Government of Canton Morona” (2022).

Specialist in International Relations, Cooperation and Electoral Observation of the National Electoral Council of the Republic of Ecuador.

References

Barbieri, K. (2002). The Liberal Illusion: Does Trade Promote Peace?. University of Michigan Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.16590

Biddle, S. (2022). Nonstate Warfare: The Military Methods of Guerillas, Warlords, and Militias. Princeton University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691216652

Bodansky, Y. (2004). The Secret History of the Iraq War. HarperCollins.

Brands, H. (2011). From Berlin to Baghdad: America's Search for Purpose in the Post-Cold War World. University Press of Kentucky.

Clarke, R. A., & Knake, R. K. (2012). Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and What to Do About It. Ecco.

Chomsky, N. (2003). Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance. Metropolitan Books.

Cronin, A. K. (2015). ISIS Is Not a Terrorist Group: Why Counterterrorism Won’t Stop the Latest Jihadist Threat. Foreign Affairs, 94(2), 87-98.

Doyle, M. W. (2005). Three pillars of the liberal peace. The Journal of Politics, 67(2), 379-400.

Fukuyama, F. (2006). America at the Crossroads: Democracy, Power, and the Neoconservative Legacy. Yale University Press.

Hoffman, B. (2006). Inside Terrorism. Columbia University Press.

Ikenberry, G. J. (2011). Liberal Leviathan: The Origins, Crisis, and Transformation of the American World Order. Princeton University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7rjt2

Kello, L. (2017). The Virtual Weapon and International Order. Yale University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1trkjd1

Koblentz, G. D. (2011). Living Weapons: Biological Warfare and International Security. Cornell University Press.

Kuperman, A. J. (2015). Obama's Libya Debacle: How a Well-Meaning Intervention Ended in Failure. Foreign Affairs, 94(2), 66-77.

Levitsky, S., & Ziblatt, D. (2018). How democracies die. Crown Publishing Group.

Maoz, Z., & Russett, B. (1993). Normative and structural causes of the democratic peace. American Political Science Review, 87(3), 624-638. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2938740

Mearsheimer, J. J. (2014). The Tragedy of Great Power Politics. W. W. Norton & Company.

Mounk, Y. (2019). The people vs. democracy: Why our freedom is in danger and how to save it. Harvard University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674984776

Rid, T. (2020). Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Risse-Kappen, T. (2016). A Community of Europeans? Transnational Identities and Public Spheres. Cornell University Press.

Russett, B. (1993). Grasping the democratic peace: Principles for a post-Cold War world. Princeton University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400821020

Shelley, L. I. (2014). Dirty Entanglements: Corruption, Crime, and Terrorism. Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139059039

Slaughter, A. M. (2017). The Chessboard and the Web: Strategies of Connection in a Networked World. Yale University Press.

Walt, S. M. (2022). The Hell of Good Intentions: America’s Foreign Policy Elite and the Decline of U.S. Primacy. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Zedner, L. (2009). Security. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203871133

Published

30.11.2024

How to Cite

Mogrovejo-Barrera, L. D., & Molina-Barros, M. C. (2024). Democratic Peace: A Critical Review of its viability in the Contemporary context. DICERE Revista De Derecho Y Estudios Internacionales, 1(2), 67–82. https://doi.org/10.33324/dicere.v1i2.822

Issue

Section

Articles