This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by FORSYTHE, D. P. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Democracy, War, and Covert Action

Department of Political Science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

It is well established that stable industrialized democracies do not use overt force against each other. But do democracies ever use covert force against other elected governments? This article confirms the US threat or use of forcible covert action against a series of elected non-European governments during the Cold War: Iran (1953), Guatemala (1954), Indonesia (1955), Brazil (1960s), Chile (1973), Nicaragua (1980s). There are other examples of US covert non-forcible action against elected governments. Three types of analysis are offered for this pattern. On the most obvious level, the US acted on the basis of an expansive conception of its perceived security interests, fearing future developments that would work to the advantage of the USSR, even though the US was not faced with clear and present dangers to its territorial integrity and political independence. A deeper unique explanation is that, as Michael Hunt has argued, the US was encouraged in these covert actions by an informal ideology entailing beliefs in US greatness, fears of social revolution, and racism. A deeper theoretical explanation is that the targeted regimes did not qualify as mature liberal regimes showing the characteristics of neo-Kantian liberalism: representative and specialized democracy, democratic alliance, and extensive private commerce. Moreover, the neo-Kantian reliance on representative decision-making to avoid major war did not affect secret decisions involving probabilty of few US deaths.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. G. Cox and A. C. Drury Democratic Sanctions: Connecting the Democratic Peace and Economic Sanctions Journal of Peace Research, November 1, 2006; 43(6): 709 - 722. [Abstract] [PDF]

				W. Aviles The Democratic-Peace Thesis and U.S. Relations with Colombia and Venezuela Latin American Perspectives, May 1, 2005; 32(3): 33 - 59. [PDF]

				C. I. Clement Confronting Hugo Chavez: United States "Democracy Promotion" in Latin America Latin American Perspectives, May 1, 2005; 32(3): 60 - 78. [PDF]

				M. Caprioli Democracy and Human Rights Versus Women's Security: A Contradiction? Security Dialogue, December 1, 2004; 35(4): 411 - 428. [Abstract] [PDF]

				H. Ravlo, N. P. Gleditsch, and H. Dorussen Colonial War and the Democratic Peace Journal of Conflict Resolution, August 1, 2003; 47(4): 520 - 548. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. ANDERSSON United Nations Intervention by United Democracies?: State Commitment to UN Interventions 1991-99 Cooperation and Conflict, December 1, 2002; 37(4): 363 - 386. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. A. TURES Democracies as Intervening States: A Critique of Kegley & Hermann Journal of Peace Research, March 1, 2001; 38(2): 227 - 235. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. Caprioli Gendered Conflict Journal of Peace Research, January 1, 2000; 37(1): 51 - 68. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. Peceny Forcing Them To Be Free Political Research Quarterly, September 1, 1999; 52(3): 549 - 582. [Abstract] [PDF]

				B. A. Leeds and D. R. Davis Beneath the Surface: Regime Type and International Interaction, 1953-78 Journal of Peace Research, January 1, 1999; 36(1): 5 - 21. [Abstract] [PDF]

				C. W. KEGLEY JR. and M. G. HERMANN A Peace Dividend? Democracies' Military Interventions and Their External Political Consequences Cooperation and Conflict, December 1, 1997; 32(4): 339 - 368. [Abstract]

				D. A. Van Belle Press Freedom and the Democratic Peace Journal of Peace Research, November 1, 1997; 34(4): 405 - 414. [Abstract]

				M. Peceny A Constructivist Interpretation of the Liberal Peace: The Ambiguous Case of the Spanish-American War Journal of Peace Research, November 1, 1997; 34(4): 415 - 430. [Abstract]

				H. Starr Democracy and Integration: Why Democracies Don't Fight Each Other Journal of Peace Research, May 1, 1997; 34(2): 153 - 162. [Abstract]

				C. W. KEGLEY JR. and M. G. HERMANN Putting Military Intervention into the Democratic Peace: A Research Note Comparative Political Studies, February 1, 1997; 30(1): 78 - 107. [Abstract]

				J. MEERNIK United States Military Intervention and the Promotion of Democracy Journal of Peace Research, November 1, 1996; 33(4): 391 - 402. [Abstract]

				C. W. KEGLEY JR and M. G. HERMANN How Democracies Use Intervention: A Neglected Dimension in Studies of the Democratic Peace Journal of Peace Research, August 1, 1996; 33(3): 309 - 322. [Abstract]

				D. Adams Internal Military Intervention in the United States Journal of Peace Research, May 1, 1995; 32(2): 197 - 211. [Abstract]

				C. W. KEGLEY JR and M. G. HERMANN The Political Psychology of `Peace through Democratization' Cooperation and Conflict, March 1, 1995; 30(1): 5 - 30. [Abstract]

				M. D. Alleyne Thinking about the International System in the `Information Age': Theoretical Assumptions and Contradictions Journal of Peace Research, November 1, 1994; 31(4): 407 - 424. [Abstract]

				D. ROY Neorealism and Kant: No Pacific Union Journal of Peace Research, November 1, 1993; 30(4): 451 - 453. [Abstract]

				N. P. GLEDITSCH Democracy and Peace Journal of Peace Research, November 1, 1992; 29(4): 369 - 376.