The global political landscape presents complex challenges for democracies. Whether through globalization, geopolitical power shifts, or the changing roles and structures of (supra)national organizations and institutions, democracy today is faced with a host of global issues, from terrorism to climate change. Against this backdrop, many scholars have sought to address these challenges by advocating for global democracy. While proponents of global democracy have varying views on the nature of democracy and how it can be achieved, most see it as a necessary prerequisite for solving global problems.
Typically, the argument is that individuals should collectively rule themselves and that when decision-making power moves beyond the borders of national states, it should be democratically exercised. This view, in the neo-liberal tradition of normative international relations (IR), contrasts with more traditional views that maintain that state sovereignty is inviolate and that individuals have standing only through their national political systems. Critics, ranging from pragmatists to post-liberals and anarchists, have pointed out that this cosmopolitan vision is infeasible; the innate desire of states to maximize their absolute and relative power vis-à-vis other governments directly undermines the very idea of democracy.
In recent years, the focus of the debate has shifted to whether we have entered a period of democratic backsliding globally. In particular, the rise of populist leaders who reject pluralism and demand unchecked power to advance their own interests at the expense of minorities has led some to warn that the world is on the verge of another great clash of autocracy and democracy.