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Colonial War and the Democratic Peace

Author

Listed:
  • Hilde Ravlo

    (Department of Political Science Vanderbilt University, Nashville)

  • Nils Petter Gleditsch

    (International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO))

  • Han Dorussen

    (Department of Government University of Essex)

Abstract

Proponents of the democratic peace have been criticized for failing to discuss colonial wars. Democratic countries have repeatedly fought such wars, which critics hold to be incompatible with democratic peace theory. Three reasons are suggested to explain why colonial wars do not invalidate the democratic peace argument. First, although democracies rarely, if ever, fight one another, they participate in war as much as nondemocracies. Thus, mixed political dyads have the greatest propensity for war. If nonstate adversaries are commonly perceived to be nondemocratic, democracies should fight colonial wars more frequently. Second, the nature of colonial conflict has changed over time. The relationship between democracy and colonial war is examined in colonial, imperialist, and postcolonial periods. Finally, a correct assessment of the democratic peace argument needs to rely on a multivariate model. With a suitable set of control variables, the positive relationship between war and democracy disappears. We also observe that in the post-World War II period, democracies fight colonial wars less frequently than non-democracies. We surmise that this might be related to changes in the perception of non-European peoples.

Suggested Citation

  • Hilde Ravlo & Nils Petter Gleditsch & Han Dorussen, 2003. "Colonial War and the Democratic Peace," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 47(4), pages 520-548, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jocore:v:47:y:2003:i:4:p:520-548
    DOI: 10.1177/0022002703254295
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dixon, William J., 1994. "Democracy and the Peaceful Settlement of International Conflict," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 88(1), pages 14-32, March.
    2. Patrick James & Glenn Mitchell, 1995. "Targets of covert pressure: The hidden victims of the democratic peace," International Interactions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(1), pages 85-107.
    3. Ward, Michael D. & Gleditsch, Kristian S., 1998. "Democratizing for Peace," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 92(1), pages 51-61, March.
    4. Kristian S. Gleditsch & Michael D. Ward, 1999. "A revised list of independent states since the congress of Vienna," International Interactions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(4), pages 393-413, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Santiago Sanchez-Pages, 2004. "Conflict as a Part of the Bargaining Process: Theory and Empirical Evidence," Edinburgh School of Economics Discussion Paper Series 129, Edinburgh School of Economics, University of Edinburgh.

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