Ballots and bullets : the elusive democratic peace / Joanne Gowa.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gowa, Joanne S.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Peace.

Democracy.

United States--Foreign relations--1993-2001.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 136 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

First paperback print.

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c1999.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

There is a widespread belief, among both political scientists and government policymakers, that "democracies don't fight each other." Here Joanne Gowa challenges that belief. In a thorough, systematic critique, she shows that, while democracies were less likely than other states to engage each other in armed conflicts between 1945 and 1980, they were just as likely to do so as were other states before 1914. Thus, no reason exists to believe that a democratic peace will survive the end of the Cold War. Since U.S. foreign policy is currently directed toward promoting democracy abroad, Gowa's findings are especially timely and worrisome. Those who assert that a democratic peace exists typically examine the 1815-1980 period as a whole. In doing so, they conflate two very different historical periods: the pre-World War I and post-World War II years. Examining these periods separately, Gowa shows that a democratic peace prevailed only during the later period. Given the collapse of the Cold War world, her research calls into question both the conclusions of previous researchers and the wisdom of present U.S. foreign policy initiatives. By re-examining the arguments and data that have been used to support beliefs about a democratic peace, Joanne Gowa has produced a thought-provoking book that is sure to be controversial.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Figures and Tables

Acknowledgments / Gowa, Joanne

CHAPTER 1. Introduction

CHAPTER 2. Analytic Foundations of the Democratic Peace

CHAPTER 3. Legislators, Voters, and the Use of Force Abroad

CHAPTER 4. Reinterpreting the Democratic Peace / Farber, Henry

CHAPTER 5. Interests and Alliances: Comparing Two International Systems

CHAPTER 6. Explaining Relative Dispute-Rate Patterns

CHAPTER 7. Conclusion

References

Index

Notes:

"Published under the auspices of the Center of International Studies"--t.p. verso.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 115-128) and index.

ISBN:

9786613310385

9781400822980

140082298X

9781283310383

1283310384

9781400811823

1400811821

OCLC:

759397376