Review: Cosmopolitanism: Ideals and Realities

Cosmopolitan theory can be traced back to the Stoics and the writings of Emmanuel Kant, but is all the more relevant for contemporary global law and politics. Over the past decade David Held has written numerous essays on the topic of cosmopolitanism, and a selection of his work forms the basis of his book Cosmopolitanism: Ideals and Realities in which Held pleads for a cosmopolitan approach in international affairs. Key to his argument is the relationship between democracy, globalization and cosmopolitanism. Held sets out the different conceptions of cosmopolitanism, its core principles and justifications and the role cosmopolitanism has played in shaping our current framework of global politics, from the international human rights regime to the European Union to the Kyoto protocol. Focusing on the three most pressing global challenges of our time, the international security agenda, the financial crisis and climate change, Held argues that cosmopolitanism is the only way forward and shapes the direction policy must take to overcome these challenges (p. 521-522).