Dissertations and Theses
Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Thesis
Department
International Relations
Keywords
Turkey, Israel, Democratica Peace
Abstract
This thesis hypothesizes that shared democratic values and institutional constraints, proposed as explanations by Democratic Peace Theory (DPT), should in theory prevent small powers from engaging in physical conflict. However, because these democracies are small and developing, these constraints may not influence outcomes in the same way as they do in larger and more developed powers. To test this hypothesis, a dyadic case study was conducted of the relationship between Turkey and Israel. Specific focus was given to two related events, both of which could have resulted in a physical conflict between the two countries: the May 2010 Flotilla incident and the release of the United Nations Palmer Report. The study concluded that DPT can be said to have limited applicability to small democratic powers, as issues such as balance of power, self-interest and country size appear to play a larger role in determining outcomes even when two states share some democratic norms.
Recommended Citation
Lattin, Robert, "Does Democratic Peace Theory Apply to Small Powers? A Case Study of Turkey and Israel" (2012). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/100