Open AccessDoes the UN Security Council Compound the Global Democratic Deficit?
Author(s) -
Jeremy Farrall
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
alberta law review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1925-8356
pISSN - 0002-4821
DOI - 10.29173/alr210
Subject(s) - democracy , democratic deficit , security council , argument (complex analysis) , democratic governance , political science , norm (philosophy) , corporate governance , presidential system , public administration , international security , law , sociology , economics , politics , management , biochemistry , chemistry
Since the end of the Cold War, the UN Security Council has frequently endorsed the notion that democracy and democratic governance are desirable preconditions for domestic stability and international peace and security. However, the Security Council’s response to the 2008 Zimbabwean presidential elections called into question, perhaps for the first time since the end of the Cold War, its commitment to democracy as the preferred from of domestic governance. In this article, the author discusses the concept of the democratic deficit and explores its application to the UN Security Council. In addition, the author examines the relationship between democracy and international law, retracing the argument that there is an international norm promoting democratic governance. Finally, the author examines the relationship between the Security Council and democracy, suggesting a growing formal commitment to democracy, particularly in post-conflict environments.