Liberal militarism and republican restraints on power: the problems of unaccountable interventions for American democracy

ABSTRACT

The average American citizen no longer directly pays, fights or votes for war. The war on terror and the rise of debt fuelled militarism has detached the average American citizen from the use of force. This has left American elites largely unaccountable and able to use military force with minimal oversight. This paper examines how democratic peace theory has neglected the changing nature of modern warfare. It further calls for a return to the consideration of republican restraints on power. A belief in the importance of individuals playing a role as active citizens was fundamental to Kant’s arguments in Perpetual Peace. Modern democratic peace theory largely ignores the routine use of military force and the implications this has on the role of American citizens as a check on power.

KEYWORDS:

• Liberal militarism
• democratic peace theory
• war
• security studies
• republicanism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author. The views and opinions in this article do not reflect those of the Baltic Defence College.