Diacritica 25-2_Filosofia.indb - cehum - Universidade do Minho

THE RAWLSIAN IDEA OF DEMOCRATIC PEACE AS
PEACE BY SATISFACTION
A IDEIA RAWLSIANA DE PAZ DEMOCRÁTICA COMO PAZ
POR SATISFAÇÃO
Maria João Cabrita *
In this article I will try to show how the realistic utopia of the Law of Peoples
provides one of the more persuasive versions of the “democratic peace” thesis,
safeguarding the hope of the enlargement of the peace zone even to those nondemocratic
peoples that promote respect and equal treatment in the international
context, and the trust necessary for a generalized peace. With this purpose, I begin
by clarifying the roots of this thesis in the Kantian idea of a foedus pacifi cum and
its relevance in the contemporary debate on international relations (idealism versus
realism); thereaft er I will analyze the contribution of “Th e Law of Peoples”(1999)
for this discussion, focusing on the idea of “peace by satisfaction”, a phrase that
Rawls borrows from Raymond Aron (1962), and on the notions of “just peace” and
“duty of assistance” – key concepts of the nonideal theory of the Law of Peoples
which embody the Rawlsian political idea of peace.
Keywords: realistic utopia, democratic peace, peace by satisfaction, just peace, duty
of assistance
Neste artigo procurarei mostrar como a utopia realista da Lei dos Povos providencia
uma das vias mais persuasivas da tese da “paz democrática”, permitindo
salvaguardar a esperança no alargamento da zona de paz a povos que, conquanto
não democráticos, fomentam o respeito e a igualdade de tratamento no contexto
internacional, a confi ança indispensável a uma paz generalizada. Com este propósito,
começo por elucidar o enraizamento desta tese à foedus pacifi cum kantiana
* CEHUM, Universidade do Minho.
Diacritica 25-2_Filosofia.indb 95 05-01-2012 09:38:23