New Democratic Peace Seminar in Second Life Blog

I'll be teaching in SL a seminar on the democratic peace, and have set up a RW blof for this purpose. Anyone can attend, but discussion and questions will be limited to those who do the required reading. The blog is <A HREF="http://dp-sl.blogspot.com/">here.</A>

As some of you may know, the idea of democratic peace theory has become widely accepted in political science, particularly among those teaching international relations, and it is now the basic foreign policy of the United States, as it was under Clinton.

With all due respect (this is meant as an honest question, not a personal attack, &c - I find this very hard to reconcile).


We have relations with our ally, Pakistan, precisely *because* the democratic will of the people there has been suppressed by its current government (they would be much more Islamic).

Same with Turkey - when people voted for more religious involvement in government and that was suppressed, where was support for democratic will?

We ally with the House of Saud and numerous other "anything but democratic" friends, and entreat them with arms sales that help *sustain* their grip on nondemocratic power.


So... I'm kinda struggling with democratic peace theory as the basic premise for United States foreign relations. Not saying that's good or bad in a dangerous world, just... saying I don't see it. What am I missing?

Desmond, remember, "democracy" is a code word to the present administration, like to other repressive regimes. It means "governments that are we need on our side or that we can control." As in "the Pakistan democratic initiatives."

Sort of like "freedom," which means "access to your energy reserves." As in "bringing freedom to Iraq."

~ F ~

Responding to Desmond Chang first, in war or during threats to national security, the age-old balance of power law always holds--a friend of my friend is my friend, an enemy of my friend is my enemy, and an enemy of my enemy is my friend. Remember, during WWII, we even aided and supported Stalin in the war against Hitler. This is good strategic thinking, and says nothing about the democratic peace.

As to Frank Lardner's comment, I disagree with his characterization of the ends of our foreign policy, but nonetheless, it is a fact that the Iraq people have been freed from enslavement at the hands of a bloody tyrant, have voted in two national elections, have determined their own constitution, and have elected their own government. They are now democratically free. And they manage their own oil and the proceeds from its sale.

I invite both Desmond and Frank to attend my SL seminar on the democratic peace.