USQ Law Society Law Review
Chelsea Keirsnowski
Winter 2021
factor in the rise of authoritarianism is marked by the increase in power of China and Russia and the consequent rise in tensions with the US. Whilst authoritarianism is not inherently belligerent, the frameworks of democratic institutions promote perpetual peace, while elements of authoritarianism often lead to the contrary, as indicated by the democratic peace theory. This essay will not use evidence based on whether democracies or authoritarian states initiate conflict because the initiating causes of conflict are often multifaceted, and each side tends to blame the other.8 Rather, this essay will engage the debate on the faults of democracies or authoritarian states which initiate conflict. Research concerning the correlation between democracy and lack of war uses different definitions of what constitutes as a democracy, war or armed conflict.9 Some researchers argue that many studies use restricting definitions, resulting in small sample sizes that ignore outliers that may refute the democratic peace theory.10 Despite this, most research shows that many of these outliers are states transitioning to democracy and that there are no wars between mature liberal democracies.11 A further study also supports that democratic states are also less likely to be involved in smaller militarised interstate disputes.12 Democratic peace is attributed to: requiring broad political support in order to mobilise for war; the ensured accountability of governments for their public decisions leading to increased hesitation to initiate war; the use of diplomatic efforts to resolve tensions peacefully; typically possessing wealth and resources that states do not wish to endanger; as well as the tendency to form alliances, collaborate, negotiate and their commercial interdependence.13 Further, democratic states see the same impediments in other democracies and thus can expect a peaceful relationship. Aversion to force is not so apparent in authoritarian foreign policies and this prompts democracies to act with more aggressive policies to protect their liberal democratic policies from being exploited.14 The repressive policies of authoritarian states can create instability through producing violent extremism and refugees attempting to flee.15 Authoritarian states have higher frequency internal systematic 8
Nils Gleditsch, Lene Christiansen and Håvard Hegre 2004, ‘Democratic Jihad? Military Intervention and Democracy’, PRIO (Conference Paper, 20 March 2004) <https://www.prio.org/Publications/Publication/?x=525>. 9 Rudolph Rummel, Power Kills: Democracy as a Method of Nonviolence (Transaction Publishers, 1997); James Ray, ‘A Lakatosian View of the Democratic Peace Research Program’ in Colin Elam and Miriam Elman (eds), Progress in International Relations Theory (MIT Press, 2003) 1; Spencer Weart, Never at War (Yale University Press, 1998). 10 James Ray, ‘Does Democracy Cause Peace?’ (1998) 1 Annual Review of Political Science 27, 89. 11 Edward Mansfield and Jack Snyder, ‘Democratic Transitions, Institutional Strength, and War’ (2002) 56(2) International Organization 297, 297; Rudolph Rummel, Power Kills: Democracy as a Method of Nonviolence (Transaction Publishers, 1997). 12 James Ray, ‘A Lakatosian View of the Democratic Peace Research Program’ in Colin Elam and Miriam Elman (eds), Progress in International Relations Theory (MIT Press, 2003) 1. 13 Christopher Gelpi and Michael Griesdorf, ‘Winners or Losers? Democracies in International Crisis, 1918–94’ (2001) 95(3) American Political Science Review 633; James Ray, ‘A Lakatosian View of the Democratic Peace Research Program’ in Colin Elam and Miriam Elman (eds), Progress in International Relations Theory (MIT Press, 2003) 1; David Leblang and Steve Chan, ‘Explaining Wars Fought by Established Democracies: Do Institutional Constraints Matter?’ (2003) 56(4) Political Research Quarterly 385. 14 Christopher Gelpi and Michael Griesdorf, ‘Winners or Losers? Democracies in International Crisis, 1918–94’ (2001) 95(3) American Political Science Review 633. 15 Jacob Carozza 2017, ‘Democracy is Retreating, Authoritarianism is Rising’, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Article, Fall/Winter 2017/8) <https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/democracyretreating-authoritarianism-rising>.
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