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Title: Which World Order: Cosmopolitan or Multipolar?
Author(s): MOUFFE, Chantal
Journal: Ethical Perspectives
Volume: 15    Issue: 4   Date: December 2008   
Pages: 453-467
DOI: 10.2143/EP.15.4.2034391

Abstract :
It is often taken for granted that the Western interpretation of democracy and human rights is universally valid and ought to be implemented worldwide. Against this view, Chantal Mouffe argues that there is a plurality of 'good' regimes. Basing herself on the work of Raimundo Panikkar, among others, she shows that there are ways of respecting the dignity of the person other than through human rights. Similarly, other cultures can have political regimes that are different from, yet equivalent to Western democratic institutions. When inquiring about the possibility of global democracy, this plurality needs to be taken seriously. Accordingly, Chantal Mouffe argues for a multipolar world order, which recognizes multiple understandings of democracy and human rights and allows for the agonistic coexistence of different regional poles.

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