Is democracy here to stay? On one hand, the commitment to democracy is more widely shared than ever. On the other, popular will has a decreasing impact on political decisions. Existing democracies suffer from a combination of technocratic governance and populist reactions; exported democracy creates failed states and increases international tensions; global political communication has foundered with addressing urgent problems such as climate change, global social justice and economic-financial crises. This book places our political condition in its historical context, reconsiders key issues of political thought and compares current democracies across different world regions.