The Kantian peace - The Pacific benefits of democracy, interdependence, and international organizations, 1885-1992

The authors test Kantian and realist theories of interstate conflict using data extending over more than a century, treating those theories as complem entary rather than competing. As the classical liberals believed, democracy , economic interdependence, and international organizations have strong and statistically significant effects on reducing the probability that states will be involved in militarized disputes. Moreover, the benefits are not li mited to the cold war era. Some realist influences, notably distance and po wer predominance, also reduce the likelihood of interstate conflict. The ch aracter of the international system, too, affects the probability of dyadic disputes. The consequences of having a strong hegemonic power vary, but hi gh levels of democracy and interdependence in the international system redu ce the probability of conflict for all dyads, not just for those that are d emocratic or dependent on trade.