The riddle of all constitutions : international law, democracy, and the critique of ideology

The book examines current debates about the emergence of an international legal norm of democratic governance and also considers some of the wider theoretical issues to which those debates give rise. It asks should international law seek to promote democratic political arrangements? If so, on what basis, and using which of the many competing conceptions of democracy? The promotion of democracy is today a familiar feature of foreign policy, and an accepted part of the activities of international organizations. Should international law join in this move to promote democratic political arrangements? If this is so, on what basis, and with which of the many competing conceptions of democracy? Drawing on an eclectic range of source material, this book examines current debates about the emergence of an international legal & lsquo;norm of democratic governance & rsquo;, and considers how proposals for such a norm might be rearticulated to meet some of the concerns to which they give rise. It also uses these debates to illustrate some more general points about approaches to the study of international law. In doing so, the book seeks to defend an approach to international legal scholarship that takes its cue from the tradition of ideology critique The promotion of democracy is familiar in foreign policy and the activities of international organizations. The author considers whether international law should join this move to promote democratic political arrangements