Causes of the Differences in War Involvement of Democracies since 1990
This project, which has been finished within the framework of the PRIF research programme on “Antinomies of Democratic Peace” in 2009, investigated the (non-)participation of liberal democracies in “democratic wars” since 1990. The end of the Cold War ushered in a new wave of liberal interventionism: Liberal democracies have been using force in conflict territories with the purpose of establishing their notions of a – universally valid – normative order (human rights, democracy, statehood). Some democracies participate in such interventions and wars rather often, others only at times, and a third group does refrain completely from the external use of force. This project departed from central assumptions of the monadic „democratic peace“ theory and investigated three types of „democratic wars“ that pose a puzzle to monadic democratic peace: the Gulf war of 1991 represents an “order war”, the Kosovo war of 1999 represents a “humanitarian intervention” and the Iraq war of 2003 represents a war for democratic regime change. Seven comparative case studies (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom, USA) analyzed for each war the domestic decision-making processes and the public discourses prior to the decision to participate with own troops or to abstain from the military action. The investigation of the public discourses included quantitative and qualitative content analysis of parliamentary debates, and the analysis of newspapers editorials and public opinion polls. Under which circumstances consider liberal democracies the use of force as legitimate? To what extent do “democratic wars” call central assumptions of “democratic peace” into question?
The project results show that the “democratic war“ is the flipside of the “democratic peace“: While liberal democratic publics are unable to construct acceptable justifications for making war on their fellow liberals, there do exist liberal-democratic norms that can legitimate the use of force against non-democracies under certain conditions. Public justificatory discourses include ‘motivating’ reasons such as the enforcement of international law, saving people from humanitarian disasters or the forcible overthrow of a dangerous dictator; they also include ‘facilitating’ reasons such as the expectation of few own or alien casualties or a broad multilateral support of a military operation. Most of the analyzed governmental decisions to use force have been supported by the majority of the citizens. The democratic peace theory assumption of a prior peacefulness of democratic citizenries thus requires qualification: They are not peaceful per se but they show a considerable reluctance towards the use of force which can be overcome by ‘valid’ reasons. The “democratic war” does not exist in a “pure” form since value-related and normative motives that are typical for liberal democracies always mingle with traditional motives of inter-state military conflicts such as national security or regional stability. These mixing ratios, however, vary among the several democracies. Some national discourses are dominated by more particularistic norms and values, others by more universal ones.
The project has been funded by the German Research Association (DFG). It was directed by Dr Anna Geis who was research fellow with PRIF from August 2002 to September 2009.
Downloads
- Kernprojekt IV/1.pdf
- Final dataset of the project "Wars of Democracies after 1990", all countries, all conflicts (.sav file for SPSS)
The dataset is exlusively published for the purpose of retracing the results of the project. If you like to use the data for further calculation, please contact the head of the project in advance.
- Müller, Harald
- Schörnig, Niklas
- Geis, Anna
- Fey, Marco
- Brock, Lothar
- Jakob, Una
- Sohnius, Stephanie
- Wunderlich, Carmen
- The Militant Face of Democracy | 2013
Geis, Anna / Müller, Harald / Schörnig, Niklas (eds), (2013): The Militant Face of Democracy. Liberal Forces for Good, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, https://www.cambridge.org/(...).
- Show details
- Friedensmächte, Kriegsmächte | 2011
Geis, Anna / Schörnig, Niklas (2011): Friedensmächte, Kriegsmächte. Demokratie als Weltordner, in: Baumgart-Ochse, Claudia/Schörnig, Niklas/Wisotzki, Simone/Wolff, Jonas (Hg.), Auf dem Weg zu Just Peace Governance. Beiträge zum Auftakt des neuen Forschungsprogramms der HSFK, Baden-Baden: Nomos, 71-92, http://www.nomos-shop.de/(...).
- Show details
- Demokratie, Frieden und Krieg | 2011
Geis, Anna / Wolff, Jonas (2011): Demokratie, Frieden und Krieg. Der "Demokratische Frieden" in der deutschsprachigen Friedensforschung, in: Schlotter, Peter/Wisotzki, Simone (Hg.), Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, Baden-Baden: Nomos, 112-138.
- Show details
- Liberale Demokratien und Krieg | 2010
Geis, Anna / Müller, Harald / Schörnig, Niklas (2010): Liberale Demokratien und Krieg. Warum manche kämpfen und andere nicht. Ergebnisse einer vergleichenden Inhaltsanalyse von Parlamentsdebatten, in: Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen, 17:2, 171-202, https://www.scm.nomos.de/(...).
- Show details
- Securing the State, Undermining Democracy | 2009
Geis, Anna / Deitelhoff, Nicole (2009): Securing the State, Undermining Democracy. Internationalization and Privatization of Western Militaries, in: TranState Working Papers, 92, http://www.sfb597.uni-bremen.de/pages/pubApBeschreibung.php?SPRACHE=de&ID=132.
- Show details
- Demokratischer Friede – Republikanischer Krieg | 2009
Lothar Brock, Demokratischer Friede – Republikanischer Krieg, in: Matthias Lutz-Bachmann/Andreas Niederberger (Hg.), Krieg und Frieden im Prozess der Globalisierung, Weilerswist (Velbrück) 2009, S. 25-56.
- Show details
- In der Opferfalle | 2009
Niklas Schörnig, In der Opferfalle. Die Bundesregierung und die zunehmenden Gefallenen der Bundeswehr in Afghanistan, HSFK-Standpunkte, Nr. 2/2009, Frankfurt/M.
- Download publication // Show details
- Von der „humanitären Intervention“ zur „Responsibility to Protect“ | 2008
Lothar Brock, Von der „humanitären Intervention“ zur „Responsibility to Protect“. Kriegserfahrung und Völkerrechtsentwicklung seit dem Ende des Ost-West-Konflikts, in: Andreas Fischer-Lescano/Hans-Pater Gasser/Thilo Marauhn/Nataliono Ronzitti (Hg.), Frieden in Freiheit. Festschrift für Michael Bothe zum 70. Geburtstag, Baden-Baden (Nomos), 2008, S. 19-32.
- Show details
- Der "demokratische Frieden" und seine Konsequenzen | 2008
Harald Müller, Der "demokratische Frieden" und seine Konsequenzen, in: Aus Politik und Zeitgeschehen, Nr. 43, Jg. 2008, S. 41-46.
- Show details
- Security studies' Cinderella? Why democratic peace theory should be invited to the King's ball | 2008
Harald Müller and Niklas Schörnig, Security studie's Cinderella? Why democratic peace theory should be invited to the King's ball, in: Matthew Evangelista/Harald Müller/Niklas Schörnig (eds.), Democracy and Security. Preferences, norms and policy-making, London and New York (Routledge), 2008, p. 187-208
- Show details
- Das Kantsche Friedensprogramm und seine Schattenseiten | 2007
Anna Geis/ Harald Müller/ Wolfgang Wagner, Das Kantsche Friedensprogramm und seine Schattenseiten, in: Anna Geis/ Harald Müller/ Wolfgang Wagner (Hg.), Schattenseiten des Demokratischen Friedens - Zur Kritik einer Theorie liberaler Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik, Studien der Hessischen Stiftung Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (Bd. 55), Frankfurt/M. (Campus) 2007, S. 11-42.
- Show details
- Demokratische Kriege als Antinomien des Demokratischen Friedens | 2007
Anna Geis/ Lothar Brock/ Harald Müller, Demokratische Kriege als Antinomien des Demokratischen Friedens: Eine komplementäre Forschungsagenda, in: Anna Geis/ Harald Müller/ Wolfgang Wagner (Hg.), Schattenseiten des Demokratischen Friedens - Zur Kritik einer Theorie liberaler Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik, Studien der Hessischen Stiftung Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (Bd. 55), Frankfurt/M. (Campus) 2007, S. 69-91.
- Show details
- Introduction | 2006
Lothar Brock/Anna Geis/Harald Müller, Introduction: The Theoretical Challenge of Democratic Wars, in: Anna Geis, Lothar Brock, Harald Müller (Hg.): Democratic Wars. Looking at the Dark Side of Democratic Peace, Houndmills (Palgrave Macmillan), 2006, S. 3-12.
- Show details
- Intervention und Kernwaffen | 2006
Harald Müller/Stephanie Sohnius, Intervention und Kernwaffen. Zur neuen Nukleardoktrin der USA, HSFK-Report Nr. 1/2006, Frankfurt/M.
- Download publication // Show details
- Die neue amerikanische Nuklearstrategie: Ein gefährlicher Irrweg | 2006
Harald Müller/Stephanie Sohnius, Die neue amerikanische Nuklearstrategie: Ein gefährlicher Irrweg, in: Reinhard Mutz/Bruno Schoch/Corinna Hauswedell/Jochen Hippler/Ulrich Ratsch (Hg.), Friedensgutachten 2006, Münster (LIT), 2006, S. 208-216.
- Show details
- Democratic Wars | 2006
Anna Geis/Lothar Brock/Harald Müller (Hg.), Democratic Wars. Looking at the Dark Side of Democratic Peace, Houndmills (Palgrave Macmillan), 2006
- Show details
- Triangulating War | 2006
Lothar Brock, Triangulating War. The Use of Force by Democracies as a Variant of Democratic Peace, in: Anna Geis/Lothar Brock/Harald Müller (Hg.), Demcoratic Wars. Looking at the Dark Side of Democratic Peace, Houndmills (Palgrave Macmillan), 2006, S. 90-119.
- Show details
- Kriege der Demokratien | 2006
Lothar Brock, Kriege der Demokratien. Eine Variante des demokratischen Friedens, in: Anna Geis (Hg.), Den Krieg überdenken. Kriegsbegriffe und Kriegstheorien in der Kontroverse, Baden-Baden (Nomos), 2006, S. 203-228.
- Show details
- Kants Schurkenstaat | 2006
Harald Müller, Kants Schurkenstaat: Der „ungerechte Feind“ und die Selbstermächtigung zum Kriege, in: Anna Geis (Hg.), Den Krieg überdenken. Kriegsbegriffe und Kriegstheorien in der Kontroverse, Baden-Baden (Nomos), 2006, S. 229-249.
- Show details
- The Case for a New Research Agenda | 2006
Lothar Brock/Anna Geis/Harald Müller, The Case for a New Research Agenda: Explaining Democratic Wars, in: Anna Geis, Lothar Brock, Harald Müller (Hg.), Democratic Wars. Looking at the Dark Side of Democratic Peace, Houndmills (Palgrave Macmillan), 2006, S. 195-214.
- Show details
- Die Zivilmacht Deutschland und die Enttabuisierung des Militärischen | 2005
Anna Geis, Die Zivilmacht Deutschland und die Enttabuisierung des Militärischen, HSFK-Standpunkte, Nr. 2/2005, Frankfurt/M.
- Download publication // Show details
- Schwedens Sicherheitspolitik im Wandel | 2005
Daniela Schüngel, Schwedens Sicherheitspolitik im Wandel. Zwischen Neutralität, NATO und ESVP, HSFK-Report Nr. 14/2005, Frankfurt/M.
- Download publication // Show details
- The Antinomy of Democratic Peace | 2004
Harald Müller, The Antinomy of Democratic Peace, in: International Politics, Jg. 41, Nr. 4, 2004, S. 494-520.
- Show details
- Demokratien im Krieg | 2004
Harald Müller, Demokratien im Krieg – Antinomien des demokratischen Friedens, in: Christine Schweitzer/Björn Aust/Peter Schlotter (Hg.), Demokratien im Krieg (AFK-Friedensschriften Band 31), Baden-Baden (Nomos), 2004, S. 35-52.
- Show details
Donors
www.dfg.de/en