Cosmopolitan Democracy

The form of international regulation which dominated world politics
for more than forty years has collapsed, while no alternative has
yet emerged. The end of the Cold War has created new opportunities
for developing an international order based upon the principles of
legality and democracy. But if these opportunities are not seized,
there is the danger that force will again prevail in the settings
of international politics, both within Europe and beyond.

The contributors to this volume offer an analysis of the
contemporary conjuncture in international politics and present an
alternative model of international organization: cosmopolitan
democracy. This model is based upon the recognition of the
continuing significance of nation-states, while arguing for a layer
of governance that would constitute a limitation on national
sovereignty. The case is made for the creation of new cosmopolitan
institutions which would coexist with the system of states but
would override states in clearly defined spheres of activity. The
term democracy in this context refers not merely to the formal
construction of new democratic institutions, but also the
possibility of broad civic participation in decision-making and the
redistribution of power at regional and global levels.

The six essays which comprise this volume present a highly original
overview of the key international issues of our times as well as a
novel agenda for the extension of democracy on a transnational
basis. The contributors are Norberto Bobbio, Luigi Bonanate, Mary
Kaldor, David Held, Daniele Archibugi and Richard Falk.