Democratic Solidarity: Why Do Democracies Owe Support to Democracy Movements?

Abstract

This article starts by pointing out the internal tensions in the idea of a human right to democracy, which makes it difficult to use such a right as a normative reference for decisions on interfering in domestic conflicts in other states. Despite this, the second part of this article shows that it is still admissible for outsiders to interfere in domestic affairs when democracy is seriously curtailed or democratic revolutions are occurring. The article ends by showing why democracies owe support to democracy movements abroad. Democracies should show solidarity with these movements in the pursuit of their aim to democratize the political order of the state in question — a support that is not unconditional, but tied to a specific cause.

Keywords

• Human Rights
• Democracy
• Regime Change
• Philosophy of International Affairs.