The Transnational Dimension of Liberal Democracy

Abstract

The idea of demoicracy as multilateral democracy can be understood as the unfolding of liberal democracy’s normative core in the context of interaction among liberal democratic peoples and their citizens. I insist on the qualification of democracy as liberal because democracy as such does not necessarily connect to individual autonomy.¹ Liberal statespeoples, however, must recognize each others’ popular sovereignty; they also ought to take into account the individualistic dimension of their constitutional core, and their inner pluralistic character stemming from different choices of free individuals and groups.² Both features add an inherent transnational dimension to liberal democracy but they do not undermine the idea of a statespeoples right to self-determination.