Democratic States and Commitment in International Relations

Razina Ahmed

Abstract

In the anarchic international system, governments have a significant challenge while trying to fulfil their promises. According to a long-held belief, this is especially true for democracies because leaders find it challenging to uphold agreements over time due to shifting popular preferences. However, a number of crucial components in the institutions and principles that have distinguished the liberal democratic governments need to strengthen their capacity to uphold international obligations. In fact, a study of the longevity of international military alliances reveals that those between democratic governments have stood the test of time better than either alliances between non-democracies or alliances between democracies and non-democracies.