By David Hoghton-Carter, Research Associate, UK Defence Forum

A review of an article by Stephen J. Stedman

When John McCain talked about a new 'league of democracies' to counter the growing power of authoritarian states such as Russia and China, he harked back to an old stalwart of liberal theory – that building a democratic consensus helps secure peace, both amongst participating states and by encouraging others to follow suit in the hope of seeing the same benefits. Of course, McCain's idea (or, one might assume, the idea his policy team formulated for him) has a slightly different spin, chiming with the US neo-conservative approach to foreign affairs. Instead of wielding an olive branch, McCain's variant of the 'democratic peace' ideal wields a made-in-America M16. But, in essence, what we are seeing is the same beast, and it lives by the flawed notion that we can create favourable outcomes on the international stage by drawing together democracies and by either sidelining non-democracies or by threatening them with confrontation (whether military, political or economic).

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By George Friedman

Barack Obama has been elected president of the United States by a large majority in the Electoral College. The Democrats have dramatically increased their control of Congress, increasing the number of seats they hold in the House of Representatives and moving close to the point where - with a few Republican defections --they can have veto-proof control of the Senate. Given the age of some Supreme Court justices, Obama might well have the opportunity to appoint at least one and possibly two new justices. He will begin as one of the most powerful presidents in a long while.Truly extraordinary were the celebrations held around the world upon Obama's victory. They affirm the global expectations Obama has raised - and reveal that the United States must be more important to Europeans than the latter like to admit. (We can't imagine late-night vigils in the United States over a French election.)

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