Editing Democratic peace theory (section)

==Possible exceptions==
{{Main|List of wars between democracies}}
Some scholars support the democratic peace on probabilistic grounds: since many wars have been fought since democracies first arose, we might expect a proportionate number of wars to have occurred between democracies, if democracies fought each other as freely as other pairs of states; but proponents of democratic peace theory claim that the number is much less than might be expected.{{sfn|Bremer|1992}}{{sfn|Bremer|1993}}{{sfn|Gleditsch|1992}}<ref name="Doyle 1983"/>{{sfn|Ray|1998|p=89}} However, opponents of the theory argue this is mistaken and claim there are numerous examples of wars between democracies.{{sfn|Schwartz|Skinner|2002|p=159}}

Historically, troublesome cases for the Democratic peace theory include the [[Sicilian Expedition]], the [[War of 1812]], the [[American Civil War|U.S. Civil War]], the [[Fashoda Incident|Fashoda Crisis]], [[Ecuador-Peru conflict|conflicts between Ecuador and Peru]], the [[Cod Wars]], the [[Spanish–American War]], and the [[Kargil War]].{{sfn|White|2005}}{{sfn|George|Bennett|2005|p=52}}{{sfn|Steinsson|2018}}{{sfn|Schultz|2001|pp=161–196}}{{sfn|Hellmann|Herborth|2008}}{{sfn|Russett|2006}} Doyle cites the [[Paquisha War]] and the Lebanese air force's intervention in the [[Six-Day War]].<ref name="Doyle 1983"/> The total number of cases suggested in the literature is at least 50. The data set Bremer was using showed one exception, the [[French-Thai War]] of 1940;{{sfn|Bremer|1993}} Gleditsch sees the state of war between [[Finland]] and [[United Kingdom]] during [[World War II]], as a special case, which should probably be treated separately: an incidental state of war between democracies during large and complex war with hundreds of belligerents and the constant shifting of geopolitical and diplomatic boundaries.{{sfn|Gleditsch|1995}}{{sfn|Gowa|1999}}{{sfn|Maoz|1997|p=165}} However, the British did conduct a few military actions of minor scope against the Finns, more to demonstrate their alliance with the Soviets than to actually engage in war with Finland. [[Virginia Page Fortna|Page Fortna]] discusses the 1974 [[Turkish invasion of Cyprus]] and the [[Kargil War]] as exceptions, finding the latter to be the most significant.{{sfn|Page Fortna|2004}}