Post-cold War Peace

Since the end of the Cold War the foundations of peace is one of the most pressing theoretical and practical issues in international politics. This dissertation undertakes a theoretical survey and empirical analysis of international peace. Proceeding from the trends of economic globalization, political democratization and cultural pluralization, it applies historical materialism and dialectical analysis to examine peace at the levels of economics, politics and culture; it examines the interdependence between economics and peace, peace and democracy and peace and cultural diversity. It systematically assesses the rise and development of new theories which have arisen since the end of the Cold War: 損eace and economic interdependence,?the 揹emocratic peace?theory, and the 揷lash of civilizations?debate. It analyses the logical predicaments of these three theories, and questions their validity using historical and present-day data. On this basis it proposes the basic principles for reconstructing international peace in the post-Cold War era, and it sets forth China抯 strategic choices for reconstructing peace in the post-Cold War era. This dissertation is made up of six parts: an introduction, four main chapters and a conclusion. The introduction defines the concept of peace and summarizes the topics and organization of the following chapters. It explains that the analysis uses the most general meaning of peace, as the absence of war. Chapter One analyses peace and economic interdependence. It examines the historical development of the theory of mercantile peace and the controversy this theory has enjoyed. This chapter focuses on the question of whether, under conditions of economic globalization and trade liberalization, the strengthened economic interdependence between countries is beneficial to the advancement of international peace. The author concludes that the strengthening economic interdependence between countries does indeed enhance countries?bonds of common interests and thereby encourage them to seek non-violent means for solving international disputes. On the other band, when countries exploit military advantage to control other countries?economic sovereignty, economic interdependence as such is not beneficial to peace. That is, asymmetric interdependence has an extremely negative effect on international peace. The author concludes that the economic foundation of peace in the twenty-first century must be economic interdependence and equality of interdependence. Chapter Two examines peace and democracy. It surveys the development of the 揹emocratic peace?theory and the controversy this theory has aroused. It examines whether there is a necessary relationship between democracy and peace, and it also analyses the many factors, which explain the long peace, which Western countries maintained between themselves after the Second World War. The author concludes that the long peace that Western democracies have observed between themselves offers some support for the democratic peace theory. That is, the democratic peace thesis that the institutional arrangements of democracy, including mechanisms for the peaceful resolution of international disputes, has partial validity for at least relations between the Western countries. In theory and in practice, however, there are many doubts about the democratic peace theory. There is no necessary relationship between democracy and international peace, and it is clear that for certain Western countries to basis their...