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Introduction: Can Democracies Go It Alone? [Full Text]

Ethics & International Affairs, Volume 23.1 (Spring 2009)

March 26, 2009

Whether one calls it a "League of Democracies" (John McCain) or a "Concert of Democracies" (John Ikenberry and Anne-Marie Slaughter), the idea that democratic states should establish their own exclusive venues for international cooperation provides an opportunity for fresh reflection on the global role of the United States and other liberal democracies, and on the future of multilateralism and the United Nations system.

On one level, the idea that democracies can and should pursue common interests responds to a practical challenge: the difficulty of achieving consensus in large intergovernmental settings. Related concepts, such as "coalitions of the willing," "core Europe," and "competitive multilateralism," propose that the capacity to act, especially in morally urgent situations, may be unduly constrained by current international arrangements. Institutionalized cooperation among democratic states, it is argued, offers the best hope of coping with pressing dilemmas of collective action, such as humanitarian intervention.

While such a proposed new organization might offer new answers, there is no doubt that it also raises important new questions. Would the actions of such an organization be legitimate? If so, by what standards of legitimacy? What would be the implications for multilateralism in general, and for the United Nations in particular?

The idea that a compact among democracies is possible is based on the assumption that liberal democracies share similar values that determine common interests. To what extent is this true of the current global situation? What role should the ethical standard of "democracy" play globally? Can a liberaldemocratic "club" contribute to the spread of democracy by its power of attraction? Or does it risk dividing the world across "civilizational" lines? In what policy areas is such democratic cooperation crucial, and in what areas must democracies not "go it alone"?

The Carnegie Council has long provided a forum for the discussion of provocative ideas, and it is in this tradition that we have invited four responses to these important questions. Each of the following essays was written independently of the others, and together they represent a variety of views. We hope that this Roundtable will provoke further discussion of the topic, and we invite responses from our readers.

—The Editors

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The Carnegie Council's flagship publication, Ethics & International Affairs is an interdisciplinary resource for scholars, students, and policy analysts concerned with the moral dimensions of global issues. The journal covers global justice, civil society, democratization, international law, intervention, sanctions, and related topics.

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The Editors welcome responses to Features and Essays published in Ethics & International Affairs. To be considered for publication, responses should be no longer than one thousand words, including endnotes (which should be kept to a minimum). Responses are not peer-reviewed, and are published at the Editors' discretion. All responses are subject to editing for length and style. In the event of any questions or substantive editing, the response will be returned to the author for final approval prior to publication. Responses are published online, alongside the article they address.