Can Democracy Stop Terrorism

Bibliographic Data

ID3565930
AuthorsF Gregory Gause (0000-0001-5147-2778, corresponding author)
Year2005
Volume84
Issue5
Pages62
Publication date2005-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueForeign Affairs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0015-7120 • E-ISSN: 2327-7793
PublisherJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/20031706
OpenAlexW2541404652
LanguageEN
Citations received33

THE UNITED STATES is engaged in what President George W. Bush has called a generational challenge to instill democracy in the Arab world. The Bush administration and its defenders contend that this push for Arab democracy will not only spread American values but also improve U.S. security. As democracy grows in the Arab world, the thinking goes, the region will stop generating anti-American terrorism. Promoting democracy in the Middle East is therefore not merely consistent with U. S. security goals; it is necessary to achieve them. But this begs a fundamental question: Is it true that the more democratic a country becomes, the less likely it is to produce terror ists and terrorist groups? In other words, is the security rationale for promoting democracy in the Arab world based on a sound premise? Unfortunately, the answer appears to be no. Although what is known about terrorism is admittedly incomplete, the data available do not show a strong relationship between democracy and an absence of or a reduction in terrorism. Terrorism appears to stem from factors much more specific than regime type. Nor is it likely that democ ratization would end the current campaign against the United States. Al Qaeda and like-minded groups are not fighting for democracy in the Muslim world; they are fighting to impose their vision of an Islamic state. Nor is there any evidence that democracy in the Arab world would drain the swamp, eliminating soft support

Democracy · Economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Terrorism · Law · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

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