Few developments in modern history have been more significant than the worldwide rise of democracy, with its ability to protect billions of people from despotic cruelty and arbitrary rule. Today, however, that success appears to be faltering. GSoD data show that countries with net declines in democracy outnumber those with gains. And the progress that seemed so promising at the turn of the century has flattened out over two decades.
The challenge is complex, as globalization and the emergence of new contenders for power are changing both the nature of international politics and the way that democracies interact with one another. The growth of inter-state competition and cooperation also challenges the traditional alliance between democracy and the nation-state. In addition, the rapid spread of advanced information technologies makes it possible to organize coordinated movements in support of a global democracy based on decentralized and democratized communications.
Some proponents of a global democratic movement make intrinsic arguments, suggesting that the expansion of political control beyond borders is morally desirable irrespective of the benefits it could generate (e.g., the cosmopolitan claim that all humans are ultimate units of concern). Others argue that global democracy is necessary for epistemic, problem-solving, or justice-based reasons (e.g., John Dryzek argues that it would be more likely to generate compliance with international rules by including more perspectives in their formation; Laura Valentini argues that it is essential for overcoming global problems like climate change).
Still other scholars emphasize instrumental considerations and propose that a global democratic project be built incrementally by transforming current intergovernmental organizations into democratic global institutions, which are then federated later into a full-fledged global democratic world government. This approach aims to address both the problem of democratic backsliding and the growing gap between economic and social globalization.
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