So what if democracies don't fight each other

Bibliographic Data

ID12356014
AuthorsDaniele Archibugi (0000-0001-9629-0353, National Research Council, corresponding author)
Year1997
Volume9
Issue3
Pages379-384
Publication date1997-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePeace Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1040-2659 • E-ISSN: 1469-9982
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10402659708426080
OpenAlexW2074468127
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited2

About 15 years ago, international relations scholars began observing that democratic states do not actually fight each other. Of course, democracies often get involved in wars, and sometimes engage in aggression and international law violations, but they don't seem to pursue armed conflicts with each other. It's almost as if they've “stipulated” some tacit agreement for a separate peace. After making historical and statistical analyses, developing data banks, and performing multiple regressions, some scholars have elevated this observation into a law—perhaps the only one of any general value in international relations. The extensive research has been largely descriptive and statistical, whereas little has been done to explain why democracies never fight each other. The thesis requires more exploration. We must critically evaluate the claim that democracies do not fight each other (or, that they have devised a separate peace). How robust is the historical evidence that democracies do not fight each other? How can we use this finding to create not only a more peaceful but also a more democratic world? Finally, is there any congruence between the internal and external conduct of democratic states

Democracy · Development economics · Economics · International law · International relations · Law and economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Post-Soviet Geopolitical Dynamics

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