This paper intends to show the points of tension, strong hypothesis, and optimistic and/or pessimistic thesis which go through the connections between the Westphalian international model of sovereignty, the democratization of the international system, and the international civil society. This article has four parts. First, we review the classical debate about democratization and international relations. Second, we address the relations between globalization and democracy. The third part is dedicated to the tensions between transnational democracy and new notions of representation. Finally, we pin-point the critical aspects of the celebratory vision of the international civil society, as advocated by the cosmopolitan theories of democracy.
Cosmopolitan Democracy; International Relations; Representation; Nation-State