Item Details
Skip Navigation Links
   ActiveUsers:3960Hits:20925985Skip Navigation Links
Show My Basket
Contact Us
IDSA Web Site
Ask Us
Today's News
HelpExpand Help
Advanced search

In Basket
  Journal Article   Journal Article
 

ID097127
Title ProperDemocracy or death? will democratisation bring greater regional instability to East Asia?
LanguageENG
AuthorAcharya, Amitav
Publication2010.
Summary / Abstract (Note)The article challenges the view that democratisation is a recipe for regional disorder in East Asia. This view is not supported by evidence. Critics of democratisation fail to consider a number of mitigating factors that may check the destabilising consequences of democratisation while accentuating its peace-causing effects. These factors are not necessarily other liberal forces, like economic interdependence, or regional institutions, although these do matter. Certain dynamics associated with democratisation, such as focus on economic rebuilding for regime legitimation, positive nationalism ('democratic pride'), involvement of civil society, etc., may lessen the potential for inter-state conflict. These mitigating factors do not necessarily correspond with the normative and institutionalist logic underpinning the democratic peace theory, and they have been largely overlooked by the critics of that theory. After identifying them, this paper shows that the East Asian experience does not show that democratisation leads to greater conflict between states. On the contrary, democratisation might create better prospects for cooperative peace in the region.
`In' analytical NotePacific Review Vol. 23, No. 3; Jul 2010: p.335 - 358
Journal SourcePacific Review Vol. 23, No. 3; Jul 2010: p.335 - 358
Key WordsAsian Democracy ;  Asian Security ;  Asian Regionalism ;  Democratic Peace ;  Cooperative Security


 
 
Media / Other Links  Full Text