democracy and war elie baranets

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Année universitaire 2013/2014 Collège universitaire

Semestre de printemps

Democracy and war

Elie BARANETS

Syllabus

The aim of the course is to study the behaviour of democratic states regarding war. It will mainly be done within the framework of the discipline of International Relations. Scholars have seriously challenged the widespread vision of democracies as peaceful and vulnerable entities. Lately, the subject has fuelled intense debates and several questions of note have been raised: Are democracies peaceful in their relations with each other? If so, then why? Do democracies have many allies or friends? Do they remain democratic when resorting to war? Are they successful in fighting wars? Each session will be dedicated to a specific question. The theoretical dimension of our discussions does not exclude an in-depth analysis of historical events. Then main arguments within the existing literature will be addressed and hypothesis will be shaped to confront reality. From the Peloponnesian War in ancient times to the last intervention in Libya, the relation between democracy and war has always been an object of controversy. Such is the state of the art among researchers and practitioners alike. Thus, this course is supposed to provide students with conceptual and empirical knowledge to help them study a contentious issue through rigorous methods.


Outline

Part I: What are we talking about?

1st session. What do we know about democracy and war? Jan 22 Introduction. What can we learn from political thinkers? 2nd session. Can we seriously draw borders? Jan 29 How to define war? How to define a democracy? Should we use numbers to be sure? --Baylis, J., Smith, S., & Owens, P. 2011. The globalization of world politics: An introduction to international relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapter 13 “The changing character of war” by Michael Sheehan, p. 214-229.

3rd session. Who asks the question? Feb 05

What is IR theory?

1st stage: -Baylis, J., Smith, S., & Owens, P. 2011. The globalization of world politics: An introduction to international relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapter 5, “Realism” by Time Dunne and Brian C. Schmidt, p. 84-99; Chapter 6: “Liberalism” by Tim Dunne, pp. 100-114. 2nd stage: -Reus-Smit, C., & Snidal, D. 2008. The Oxford handbook of international relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Chapter 7 “Realism” by William C. Wohlforth, pp. 131-149, and Chapter 17 “Constructivism” by Ian Hurd, pp. 298-316.

Part II: Democracy and peace

4th session. Are democracies peaceful? Feb 12 The monadic dimension: Does a conventional wisdom stand up to scrutiny? The dyadic dimension: Are democratic norms more powerful than democratic institutions? -Doyle M. W., 1997. Ways of War and Peace: Realism, Liberalism, and Socialism. New York: W.W. Norton, Chapter 8: Internationalism: Kant, pp. 251-300. -Russett B. 1993. Why Democratic Peace? In: M.E. Brown, S.M. Lynn-Jones, and S.E. Miller, eds. 1996. Debating The Democratic Peace. Cambridge: MIT Press, pp.82-115. 5th session. Can democracy explain anything on its own? Feb 19 An eclectic perspective: What if the economy was also an important factor? -Mousseau M., Hegre H., and Oneal J.R. 2003. How the Wealth of Nations Conditions the Liberal Peace. European journal of international relations. 9(2), pp.277-314. 6th session. Beyond liberalism: Can democracy explain anything at all? Mar 05 A constructivist perspective: What if it was all about democratic wars? -Risse-Kappen T. December 01, 1995. Democratic peace – warlike democracies? A social constructivist interpretation of the liberal argument. European Journal of International Relations, 1, 4, 491-517. A realist perspective: What if power politics was the only important factor? -Rosato, S. 2003. The Flawed Logic of Democratic Peace Theory. American political science review. 97(4), pp.585-602.


Part III: Democracy and the conduct of war

7th session. Do democracies have many friends? Mar 12 Does reliability exist in international relations, and can democracy do something about it? -Choi, A. 2003. The Power of Democratic Cooperation. International Security. 28(3), pp. 142-153. -Gartzke, E., & Gleditsch, K. S. October 01, 2004. Why Democracies May Actually Be Less Reliable Allies. American Journal of Political Science, 48, 4, 775-795.

8th session. What do democracies fight for? Mar 19 Do democracies only fight easy wars? -Reiter D. and Stam A. C. 2002. Democracies at War. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press. Chapter two: Democracy, War Initiation, and Victory, pp.10-58. Do democracies only fight just wars?

9th session. Do democracies “try harder in war”? Mar 26 Are democracies more determined than other regimes to win their wars? -Bueno de Mesquita B., Morrow James D., Siverson R. M., and Smith A. 1999. An Institutional Explanation of the Democratic Peace. The American political science review. 93(4), pp.791-807. Can liberal democracies handle the death of human beings well? -Gelpi C., Feaver P.D., and Reifler J. 2006. Success Matters. Casualty Sensitivity and The War in Iraq. International security. 30(3), pp.7-46.

10th session. Do democracies remain democratic in times of war? Apr 02

Are democracy and war mutually exclusive? 11th session. Are we making war in the name of peace? Apr 09 Should we try to spread democracy? - Downes, A. B. & Monten, J. 2013. Forced to Be Free?: Why Foreign-Imposed Regime Change Rarely Leads to Democratization, International Security, 37:4, 90-131. -Goldsmith, A. 2008. Making the World Safe for Partial Democracy? Questioning the Premises of Democracy Promotion, International Security, 33:2, 120-147.

12th session. Conclusion Apr 16

Final Exam


Assessment 25 % Short individual oral presentation 25 % Group research paper (3-4 students) 50 % Final exam (1 hour) This does not take into account the adjustment of the final grade (+/- 2 pts.) depending on each student’s behaviour and involvement in the discussions. References

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democracy and war elie baranets

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