Do you find the evidence supporting the democratic peace theory to be compelling, or do you support the criticisms set forth by Realist theory? Be specific in your answer

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The ideal answer should:
a. Define the democratic peace theory as a body of scholarship that argues that although democracies are not generally pacifist, they tend not to fight each other.
b. Note that the democratic peace theory is rooted in Liberal theory,which argues that because democraciesshare common political beliefs and institutions, hold each other in mutual respect, and communicate reasonably, they are less likely to go to war with each other but will wage war against autocratic governments.
c. Explain the Realist theory counterargument that posits that all states, democratic or not, are constantly vying for power and that political institutions have little effect on the actions of the states that they govern, noting that realists contest the claim thatspreading democracy is the best way to promote American security interests.
d.Argue either (1 ) for the democratic peace theory by noting the data that support it, including increased global interdependence between states fostered by the expansion of economic partnerships and international organizations, which has bolstered diplomatic ties between states,and noting that as the world has added democratic states, there have been fewer outbreaks of war between them; or (2 ) against the theory by noting that there is debate about how to definethe key terms used in the theory and noting that some of the main causal claims about why democracies tend not to fight each other are not supported by the empirical record.