A democratic intervention is a military intervention by external forces with the aim of assisting democratization of the country where the intervention takes place. Examples include intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq. Democratic intervention has occurred throughout the mid-twentieth century, as evidenced in Japan and Germany after World War II, where democracies were imposed by military intervention. Democratic intervention can be facilitated by the mechanisms of military aggression but can also involve non-aggressive methods. The legal grounds for democratic intervention remain disputed and surround the tension between narrow legislative interpretations and the weak binding nature of international law regimes. States engage in democratic intervention for a variety of reasons, ranging from national interests to international security. Proponents of democratic intervention acknowledge the superiority of democracies to autocratic regimes in facets of peace, economics and human rights. Criticisms of democratic intervention surround the infringement of state sovereignty of the country where the intervention takes place and the failure of democratic intervention to consider a nation's cultural complexities. Western liberal democracies like the United States (US) are in favor of democratic intervention while other countries such as China and North Korea view it as a mechanism of furthering the hegemony of an intervening state. Methods The various methods that may be used to enact policies of democratic intervention range from military aggression to non-violent means. They include: Military aggression: the use of military force to forcefully impose democratization on another country via occupation or other means. Proxy warfare: the funding, co-ordination and incitement of pro-democratic armed groups against their non-democratic opponents and their non-democratic allies. Economic sanctions: the imposition of commercial and financial penalties against non-democratic states with the intent of inspiring democratization. Information warfare: the use of information and communication technology to spread propaganda and disinformation in non-democratic states to instigate pro-democratic movements. Foreign aid: the provision of resources to encourage and support the transition from autocracy to democracy. History The occupation of Japan and Germany following the victory of the Allies in World War II are early examples of democratic intervention. In Japan during the years 1947 to 1952, the wartime cabinet was removed via military aggression and was replaced by a cabinet acceptable to the Allies and one that would implement the Potsdam Declaration which called for the promotion of a Parliamentary Democracy. The United States Government took an active role in shaping the policies of the democratic intervention into