Flagging Democracy

Because of the globalisation of social life, various scholars are developing models for the globalisation of democracy. The need for this lies in the increasing inability of governments to rule. National politics reacts rather than acts. This article does not dispute the misfit of social, political, legal, economic and environmental structures, and its related problems; it does dispute, however, the idea that a solution can be found in scaling up democracy to international proportions. The signifier 'democracy', although increasingly flouting, had become predominant in International Relations discourse. For serious application beyond rhetoric in international relations, this notion of democracy should be split up in concrete indicators, such as transparency, accountability and respect for Human Rights. Moreover, aspiring international democracy ignores that the presence of a central authority (that can be held accountable and responsible) is a precondition inherent to the concept of democracy. Creating this precondition may be worse than the perils of globalisation.