Anna Geis is Professor of International Relations at the University of Magdeburg, Germany. Harald Müller is Executive Director of the Peace Research Institute, Frankfurt (PRIF) and Professor of International Relations at Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany. Niklas Schörnig is a Senior Research Fellow at the Peace Research Institute, Frankfurt (PRIF).

'Focusing on the dark side of the democratic peace, this book inquires into the ambivalences that have arisen when democracies fight non-democracies. Focusing on different types of war since the end of the Cold War, this theoretically self-conscious, well-designed, data-rich, methodologically sophisticated, tightly argued and morally nuanced book opens up a new avenue for research that both enriches and unsettles the conventional wisdom. Its conclusions pose important intellectual challenges that will influence international relations research and graduate instructions for years to come.' Peter J. Katzenstein, Walter S. Carpenter, Jr Professor of International Studies, Cornell University

• Part I. Introduction: 1. Investigating 'democratic wars' as the flipside of 'democratic peace' Anna Geis and Harald Müller; 2. The empirical study of 'democratic wars': methodology and methods Niklas Schörnig, Harald Müller and Anna Geis; Part II. Opting In, Opting Out: Liberal Democracies and War: 3. The United States: the American way of leading the world into democratic wars Stephanie Sohnius; 4. 'The right thing to do'? British interventionism after the Cold War Marco Fey; 5. 'O ally, stand by me': Australia's ongoing balancing act between geography and history Niklas Schörnig; 6. Canada: standing on guard for international law and human security? Una Becker-Jakob; 7. French ambiguities: of civilising, diplomatic and military missions Johanna Eckert; 8. Burdens of the past, shadows of the future: the use of military force as a challenge for the German 'civilian power' Anna Geis; 9. Moving beyond neutrality: Sweden's changing attitude towards the military use of force Carmen Wunderlich; Part III. Conclusion: 10. Liberal democracies as militant 'forces for good': a comparative perspective Anna Geis, Harald Müller and Niklas Schörnig; 11. The appropriateness of the liberal use of force: 'democratic wars' under US hegemony Anna Geis and Harald Müller; Appendix: methodology.