The DPT (Dream-world Peace Theory)

The democratic peace theory (or DPT) is so tantalizing that criticizing its seemingly perfect world-view comes off as narcissistic and negative. However, the DPT is itself very far from perfect. Certainly, in an ideal world internal political revolutions would lead to less international conflict, but this is far from the case. The reality is that on a planet with 195 separate countries, governments, cultures, and ideologies, world peace may always be unattainable.

            Conversely, the DPT is not as hopeless as initially portrayed. Problems within the DPT are moderately simple but gravely entrenched, and the primary issue with this theory is the application of democracy globally. The American democracy is not just supported constitutionally, but culturally. Since its founding, the United States has upheld values of freedom, independence, and personal choice. These are not just words on a page, but deeply ingrained in the American psyche.

            A substantial problem with this democratic complex is that it does not seem to exist in non-democratic nations. Therefore, invading and militarily forcing democratic values on reluctant foreign nations may seem irrational. Logically, it is hard to justify expending time, money, resources, and American lives forcing others to adhere to our political ideology. It is somewhat ironic that this is not how a majority of presidents since Truman have felt. Beginning with the Truman Doctrine, American presidents have tended to believe that democratic nations are the safest, and intervened in a variety of places to ensure their ‘safety’. Scholars criticize a break in international affairs today and ideological goals of the future, but this is not the major problem at hand.

            Rather, the United States’ National Security Strategy needs to recognize that impressing its views on others is not the best way to approach the outside world. Cultures vary drastically from continent to continent, even across mere rivers, and it is virtually impossible to create a world in which everyone believes the same cookie cutter definition of democracy. Truly, there have been enough trial and errors to disprove this already. Continually, the American definition and structure of democracy hardly functions domestically, let alone applied to foreign nations. In our high tech age of instant communication, word processing, and around the clock access to politicians, we have had the most ‘do-nothing’ Congress in history. Few argue that our political system is healthy and functioning as planned, so attempting to apply this abroad seems shortsighted.

            In an ideal world with ideal workings, the democratic peace theory will eventually be achieved and function as best as possible. As stated by Jackson in the reading, the DPT has the most numerical and quantitative evidence backing it up. Hopefully numbers override history and cultural context and prove that world peace is possible; I would certainly love to be proven wrong.