Democracy at the Point of Bayonets

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, International, International Relations, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book Democracy at the Point of Bayonets by Mark Peceny, Penn State University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mark Peceny ISBN: 9780271042152
Publisher: Penn State University Press Publication: October 13, 1999
Imprint: Penn State University Press Language: English
Author: Mark Peceny
ISBN: 9780271042152
Publisher: Penn State University Press
Publication: October 13, 1999
Imprint: Penn State University Press
Language: English

No country has worked harder to coerce others to adopt liberal institutions than the United States. This book examines the promotion of democracy during U.S. military interventions in the twentieth century, showing it to be one of the central ways in which the United States attempts to reconcile the potential contradictions involved in being a liberal great power.

Examining interventions from the Spanish-American War through recent actions in Bosnia, Mark Peceny shows how the United States has encouraged the institution of free elections and other liberal reforms—often at the point of bayonets. Peceny applies statistical analysis to ninety-three cases of intervention and presents six case studies: Cuba and the Philippines after the Spanish-American War, Vietnam during the Kennedy administration, El Salvador during Reagan's first term, and Clinton's interventions in Haiti and Bosnia.

By forging a synthesis of realist and domestic liberal approaches, Peceny illuminates the roles that both security concerns and liberal values play in the formulation and implementation of foreign policy. He shows how presidents often initially choose proliberalization policies to serve U.S. security interests and how Congress exerts pressure when presidents fail to take the initiative. Under these circumstances, he shows, presidents use the promotion of democracy to build domestic political consensus and to legitimize interventions.

Although the United States has failed to promote democracy in most interventions, Peceny demonstrates that it has often had a profound and positive impact on the democratization of target states. His study offers new insight into the relationship between American power, the promotion of democracy, and prospects for the liberal peace in the decades to come.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

No country has worked harder to coerce others to adopt liberal institutions than the United States. This book examines the promotion of democracy during U.S. military interventions in the twentieth century, showing it to be one of the central ways in which the United States attempts to reconcile the potential contradictions involved in being a liberal great power.

Examining interventions from the Spanish-American War through recent actions in Bosnia, Mark Peceny shows how the United States has encouraged the institution of free elections and other liberal reforms—often at the point of bayonets. Peceny applies statistical analysis to ninety-three cases of intervention and presents six case studies: Cuba and the Philippines after the Spanish-American War, Vietnam during the Kennedy administration, El Salvador during Reagan's first term, and Clinton's interventions in Haiti and Bosnia.

By forging a synthesis of realist and domestic liberal approaches, Peceny illuminates the roles that both security concerns and liberal values play in the formulation and implementation of foreign policy. He shows how presidents often initially choose proliberalization policies to serve U.S. security interests and how Congress exerts pressure when presidents fail to take the initiative. Under these circumstances, he shows, presidents use the promotion of democracy to build domestic political consensus and to legitimize interventions.

Although the United States has failed to promote democracy in most interventions, Peceny demonstrates that it has often had a profound and positive impact on the democratization of target states. His study offers new insight into the relationship between American power, the promotion of democracy, and prospects for the liberal peace in the decades to come.

More books from Penn State University Press

Cover of the book Income Inequality in Capitalist Democracies by Mark Peceny
Cover of the book Feminist Policymaking in Chile by Mark Peceny
Cover of the book Pound's Cantos Declassified by Mark Peceny
Cover of the book Reading Shaver’s Creek by Mark Peceny
Cover of the book A Companion to Michael Oakeshott by Mark Peceny
Cover of the book Elizabeth Bishop by Mark Peceny
Cover of the book Women and Guerrilla Movements by Mark Peceny
Cover of the book The Tempietto del Clitunno near Spoleto by Mark Peceny
Cover of the book The Warsaw Ghetto in American Art and Culture by Mark Peceny
Cover of the book Multilingualism and Mother Tongue in Medieval French, Occitan, and Catalan Narratives by Mark Peceny
Cover of the book Rousseau Among the Moderns by Mark Peceny
Cover of the book Study in Black and White by Mark Peceny
Cover of the book Warfare and the Miraculous in the Chronicles of the First Crusade by Mark Peceny
Cover of the book Middle English Marvels by Mark Peceny
Cover of the book Beyond the Aesthetic and the Anti-Aesthetic by Mark Peceny
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy