Johan Karlsson

This dissertation is a sharp critique of current theoretical approaches to global democracy. Its main targets are cosmopolitan democratic theory, represented by David Held, and globalized theories built on deliberation, inspired by Habermas in particular. In addition to these primary sources, the book discusses many commentators' and critics' ideas as well. The continual citations of dispersed arguments are a bit of a burden, but fortunately the author develops his most important points in a fairly independent manner.

My own dislike for both Held's and Habermas' philosophy predisposed me to agree with the author's criticism, although at times I did not have sufficient interest in the original argument to engage fully with the analysis. My favorite parts were chapters 3 and 5. In the former the author discusses the all-affected-interests principle, which he identifies as the most solid theoretical basis for Held's model of cosmopolitan democracy. He convincingly argues that the boundary problem is unsolvable in principle. Chapter 5 deals with Held's and his follower's more practical proposals for global political order and shows their defects. Together these two chapters provide a good refutation of the strongest parts of current models in transnational democratic theory.

Chapter 4 discusses the relation of democratic theory to human rights, while chapter 6 deals with the idea of democratic deliberation in international settings. The ideas Held, Habermas and their followers offer on these fronts are so uninteresting that I could not summon much effort to study the author's rebuttal. It seemed clear to me from the beginning that human rights and democratic theory should preferably not be intertwined and that deliberation is a completely utopian ideal in global matters. A more interesting point emerges toward the end of the book where the author ponders the value of his negative criticism, which seemingly lacks positive counter-suggestions. The author perceptively turns the table by noting that new ideas for transnational democracy will benefit from taking a different starting point than the ones that current models have utilized. The search for an alternative framing can commence when the weaknesses of present models have been pinpointed.

In conclusion this is an informative book. With such weak foundations, it is no surprise that current theories of transnational democracy are so irrelevant to real-world politics. Although it seems premature to expect a viable global democratic system to emerge in our lifetime, democratic theorists must of course blaze the trail as far as they can. This book will hopefully guide future generations onto other trails than the ones Held and Habermas have staked out.… (más)