Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention

The Golden Arches theory of conflict prevention is a theory that suggests that countries with McDonald's restaurants don't start wars with each other. The idea is that McDonald's is so popular and recognizable in countries around the world that countries with McDonald's have more of an incentive not to fight each other because it will harm the reputation of the business. It was first suggested by Thomas Friedman, a journalist, in 1996. So, in short, countries with McDonald's restaurants may be less likely to fight with each other because they don't want to hurt their favorite fast food restaurant.