![]() In fact, promoting democracy is promoting world peace. It should be clear that democracies are a way to nonviolence. But not one of these millions were killed in a war or violence between democracies few, if any, citizen of a democracy have been killed by their own government for other than civil crimes like murder (the number of criminals executed in the whole history of the United State by federal and local authorities up to 1982 is 13,630). And then there were the assorted butcheries in Ethiopia, Vietnam, Syria, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Indonesia, East Pakistan, and elsewhere.Ī twentieth century, global blood bath of over 100,000,000 over 140,000,000 people when battle-deaths in foreign and domestic wars are included. ![]() The major perpetuators are well known disagreement now only exists about the numbers: Hitler may have slaughtered as many as 14,000,000 people, including near 5,000,000 Jews Stalin surely outdid him by murdering well over 20,000,000 Mao Tse-tung possibly liquidated even more Pol Pot in Cambodia exterminated around 2,000,000 Cambodians the Young Turks killed over 1,000,000 Armenians during World War I. Consider that in this century alone, aside from foreign or domestic wars, totalitarian governments have killed in cold blood more than 115,000,000 people, over three times the number killed in battle in all wars in this century, including the two world wars. In many parts of the world, genocide and totalitarianism are almost synonymous. Second, democracies tend to have the least internal violence (riots, revolutions, guerrilla warfare, civil war) those countries with the least freedom tend to have the most.įinally, democratic governments just do not kill their own citizens for any but the most reprehensible civil crimes, such as executions for murder the least free tend to kill their citizens by the millions for political, religious, or racial reasons. ![]() And, it is no accident that Western Europe is also totally democratic. There is not even the expectation of war among these countries. In its long, bloody history, for example, Western Europe is finally at peace. Not only has there been or is there no war between them, but there is not even the threat of war none of these democracies arm against each other. Note that there are 167 sovereign nations in the world today, 60 of them democracies. The most war occurs between the least free countries. There has been no war and virtually no threat of violence between two countries that are democratic. First, democracies do not make war on each other. Now, on the other side of the coin, research on war and peace has shown the following results. I think that most newsmen would agree with this. Plainly, a free press is essential to democracy, but I would put this even in stronger terms: promoting freedom of the press also promotes democracy-a way to democracy is by working to create a free press. Indeed, it is inconceivable that it could be otherwise. For all countries, without exception, as shown by the latest Freedom House survey of freedom ( Freedom at Issue, January/February, 1989), the most democratic have the freest media the least democratic have the least free media. This is clear from a survey of governments around the world. Except in a time of war, censorship and democracy are not only seen as incompatible-they are incompatible. And the latter, of course, means not only the freedom to publish criticism of the government, but even to advocate revolution. To most people, correctly I argue, democracy is easily defined by certain rights: that of voting and the secret ballot, of being able to run for any political office, including the highest, and of freedom of speech. Only to academics is democracy a complex term requiring elaborate definition. Quite simply, a free press promotes peace creating a universally free press would promote universal peace. But surprisingly, few editors seem to be aware of or articulate the strong connection between the two. Nor do they need to be lectured on the virtues of peace. Newspaper editors hardly have to be told about the importance of press freedom. 4: War, Power, Peace (see e.g., Propositions 16.11 and 16.27 "Democracies ARE less warlike than other regimes" "Libertarian Propositions on Violence Within and Between Nations: A Test Against Published Research Results" ![]() "Libertarianism, Violence Within States, and the Polarity Principle" "Libertarianism and International Violence" Q & A On Democracies Not Making War on Each Other "The rule of law: towards eliminating war" "Waging denuclearization and social justice through democracy" Other Democratic Peace Documents On This Site
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