Editing Democratic peace theory (section)

===Nuclear deterrent===
A different kind of realist criticism stresses the role of nuclear weapons in maintaining peace. In realist terms, this means that, in the case of disputes between nuclear powers, respective evaluation of power might be irrelevant because of [[Mutual assured destruction]] preventing both sides from foreseeing what could be reasonably called a "victory".{{sfn|Jervis|2002}} The 1999 [[Kargil War]] between India and Pakistan has been cited as a counterexample to this argument,{{sfn|Page Fortna|2004}} though this was a small, regional conflict and the threat of WMDs being used contributed to its de-escalation.{{sfn|''The Nation''|2006}}

Some supporters of the democratic peace do not deny that realist factors are also important.{{sfn|Russett|Layne|Spiro|Doyle|1995}} Research supporting the theory has also shown that factors such as alliance ties and major power status influence interstate conflict behavior.{{sfn|Ray|2003}}