Number of words: 268

Democracies, it is often observed, do not go to  war with one another. That scholars have taken to combing the annals of diplomatic history in search of notable exceptions only proves the rule. But though this familliar axiom is often stated as if it needs no further explanation, the logic behind it is crucial for any understanding of the link betweens democracy and security.

Why don’t democracies go to war with one another? Many think the answer lies in the shared values of peoples living in democratic states, such as respect for human life, a love of peace, tolarance of differences, and the desire to improve one’s standard of living. These values are believed to make democratic peoples reluctant to fight wars, in which lives are lost and property is destroyed, unless the citizens of the democracies believe there are no alternatives. A measure of the depth of this reluctance is that no matter how large the dispute between modern democracies, the prospect of wars breaking out between them is almost inconceivable. For instance, the idea that tensions between the U.S and France over intervention in Iraq could precipitate the war between the two countries is laughable. Similarly, the visits by Japanese prime ministers to the shrine honoring Japanese soldiers killed in World War II is deeply offensive to South Koreans, but such visits will not trigger  a war between the two Asian democracies. Even an issue as divisive and seemingly intractable as Northern Ireland will never be resolved by war between a democratic Great Britain and the Irish.

Excerpted from ‘The case for Democracy’ by Natan Sharansky