Piecing a Democratic Quilt?: Regional Organizations and Universal Norms

In recent years, a “democratic entitlement” doctrine, in which citizens have a universal right to be governed according to democratic standards, has begun to take form in international law. Acceptance of this doctrine is widely, but not fully, shared throughout the world. Developing a global consensus on democratic entitlement has been, and continues to be, a daunting task. While domestic factors, including the growth of civil society and the functioning of the state government, will always play a significant role in the level of democratization within a state, increasingly important components of this international factor are regional organizations. The role of regional organizations is a compelling and important, but as yet highly uneven and incomplete, story.

McMahon and Baker fill in the gaps in this story by assessing the differing approaches that regional organizations are developing to promote and protect member state adherence to democratic principles. Timely, and written in an engaging and highly readable style, Piecing a Democratic Quilt provides essential insights and analysis of processes and organizations that affect the lives of everyone on the planet.