Author's Department/Program
Philosophy
Language
English (en)
Date of Award
January 2010
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Chair and Committee
Christopher Wellman
Abstract
Recent wars have led many to believe that the promotion of democracy cannot justify foreign intervention, but this is rash. A government's right to non-intervention should hinge on whether it adequately: 1) protects its subjects' human rights and: 2) represents their collective political will. I argue that when and where the international legal system's ability to enforce human rights matures and the social conditions for better representation emerge, the standards for adequate protection and representation should rise. Since democracy significantly augments both functions of government, eventually the right to non-intervention should depend on maintaining democratic institutions. Failure to do so will at that time provide a: defeasible) justification for pro-democratic intervention, up to an including the use of armed force.
Recommended Citation
Speetzen, David, "The Ethics of Forcible Democratization" (2010). All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs). 331.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/etd/331
Comments
Permanent URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.7936/K72V2D7B