Preventing conflict - the Kantian 🔺

The Kantian 🔺

International oranisations — impact on democracy

• Promote democracy

• Example: states are accepted into the 🇪🇺 on democratic criteria

  • 🇹🇷 has not been accepted because of this

International organisations — impact on economic interedependence

• Provide free trade — 🇪🇺, ASEAN

• Joining a bloc of nations (an international org) creates more trade links for a state

3 important aspects of democracy

1. ↓ possibility of conflict as democratic states ↓ likely to fight one another

• War would be unpopular, so the leader/ruling party wouldn’t be voted in for a second term

2. Holds gov’ts accountable by reducing corruption and increasing transparency

• This then encourages foreign investment

2. Creates a stable base for trade

Fukuyama

• Democratic Peace Thesis/the End of History

The End of History

• Acceptance of liberal-democratic principles and structures + more FMC → ‘the End of History (aka no more conflicts)’ + more peaceful and stable global order

War between democratic states

• Has never happened

  • Shows that democracy prevents conflict

N. America and Europe

• Areas of democracy and therefore ‘zones of peace’

• Elsewhere is known as a zone of turmoil

2 controversies of spread of democracy

1. Seen as liberal interventionalism (aka neocolonialism)

2. Democracy can be imposed via militarial regime change