Liberal Peace, Liberal War: American Politics and International Security (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) [Hardcover]

John M. Owen (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cornell Studies in Security Affairs | Publication Date: November 1997

Liberal democracies very rarely fight wars against each other, even though they go to war just as often as other types of states do. John M. Owen IV attributes this peculiar restraint to a synergy between liberal ideology and the institutions that exist within these states. Liberal elites identify their interests with those of their counterparts in foreign states, Owen contends. Free discussion and regular competitive elections allow the agitations of the elites in liberal democracies to shape foreign policy, especially during crises, by influencing governmental decision makers. Several previous analysts have offered theories to explain liberal peace, but they have not examined the state. This book explores the chain of events linking peace with democracies. Owen emphasizes that peace is constructed by democratic ideas, and should be understood as a strong tendency built upon historically contingent perceptions and institutions. He tests his theory against ten cases drawn from over a century of U.S. diplomatic history, beginning with the Jay Treaty in 1794 and ending with the Spanish-American War in 1898. A world full of liberal democracies would not necessarily be peaceful. Were illiberal states to disappear, Owen asserts, liberal states would have difficulty identifying one another, and would have less reason to remain at peace.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 246 pages
• Publisher: Cornell Univ Pr (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801433193
• ISBN-13: 978-0801433191
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,757,392 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Logical and empirical supporting argument in favor democratic peace, September 23, 2011

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Publius - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Liberal Peace, Liberal War: American Politics and International Security (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) (Paperback)

Brooks conducts research that shows and explains why liberal democracies are peaceful to likeminded societies. Specifically Brooks purports to show that perceptions among societal elites and the citizenry determine the likelihood that nations experiencing political conflict will go to war. Brooks cites numerous case studies from the early 18th century until the Spanish-American War to support his hypothesis. What is apparent from the research is that war is dependent on the perceptions that opposing poltical elites have regarding the level of representative governance in the adversarial nation. For example, the USA did not initiate war with Spain in the middle 18th century because Americans did not want to undermine the nascent republican government in Spain. Similarly, wars with Great Britain in the middle 18th century were averted because influential sectors of the British society viewed America's republican government as non-threatening and admirable, particularly after the elimination of slavery. In contrast, the USA went to war with Spain in the late 18th century because the monarchy had secured power from the republicans. Likewise, the US went to war with both France and Great Britain in the early 18th century because American Federalists considered the French despotic while the Republicans felt the British monarchy equally oppressive.

In sum, an interesting book that does a good job explaining the hypothesis in early chapters and later cites case studies to examine the validity and reliability of the hypothesis of liberal peace with like minded societies.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It works, December 17, 1999

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Thomas D. Payne, III - See all my reviews

This review is from: Liberal Peace, Liberal War: American Politics and International Security (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) (Hardcover)

Liberal Peace, Liberal war gives an intriguing look into the thought processes of liberal countries in concern to peaceful and conflictual relations with other countries that it sees to be either liberal or illiberal. This books give a new approach to the role of national values and institutions in shaping of foreign policy.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Liberal Peace, Liberal War, January 4, 2007

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K. Benner (Greenville, SC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Liberal Peace, Liberal War: American Politics and International Security (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) (Paperback)

Excellent work. Clearly defines how the word "liberal" is applied and how other institutions and players utitize the word to describe their posturing and tactics. Once he has you clearly understanding just exactly what "liberal" is, at least in his application, there isn't a muddy sentence in the whole work. Extremely well written, concise, no ambiguity. Clearly defines a logical path to systems of application that are rational for today's world.