Democracy and War

At the beginning of the 21st century, ‘nation building’ has become a catch-cry of the worldwide project to spread democracy – from East Timor and the Solomon Islands, to Iraq and Afghanistan, Western governments are engaged in exporting democracy and ‘democratic values’, often with the help of armed forces.

Provocative questions about this relationship between war and democracy are raised by the world’s first democracy – classical Athens.

Guests

John Keane
Founder and Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy (Westminster University, London)

Josiah Ober
Princeton University Department of Classics and the University Centre for Human Values; Constantine Mitsotakis Professsor at Stanford University.

Further Information

‘War, Culture and Democracy in Classical Athens’ Conference website

John Keane’s public lecture July 24