A neo-Kantian perspective: democracy, interdependence and international organizations in building security communities

Abstract

In this chapter I explore elements of a partial but arguably nascent global security community. To think about such a global scope requires treating the concept of security community somewhat loosely, and surely it applies unevenly, to some regions more strongly than to others. At one end of the spectrum, some “hot spots” manifest no security community whatsoever; other parts of the global system have plausibly reached the stage of ascendant (South America) and even mature (Europe) security communities. Overall, true interstate conflicts have become rare with the end of the Cold War, just as intrastate conflicts have multiplied. So what we must do here is to consider elements - partial and potential as well as actual - of a global security community. In doing so we take the hard case, focusing on global processes and institutions and thereby push the envelope of this discussion on security communities. What seems to be transpiring, at the very least, is a blurring and extension of the boundaries of regional security communities, as they exist or as they are emerging. By focusing on the global parts, particularly the United Nations, I do not imply that everything about these organizations works as intended. Rather, I am trying to capture the essential vision of many of the founders of the UN, previous commentators, and recent contributions to the discourse on reforming the UN. A Kantian framework As a way of introducing some of these elements in a Kantian framework, begin with a puzzle about the end of the Cold War.