Beyond Democratic Self-Defence

Most of the discussions in political theory of potential responses to populist movements and rising authoritarianism have been framed in terms of ‘democratic self-defence’ and potentially using measures of ‘militant democracy’ to protect democracy. Whereas proposals for militant democracy have been subject to various criticisms, the notion of democratic self-defence has been subject to very little critical scrutiny. This paper challenges the framework of democratic self-defence, arguing that it is problematic since it overlooks the global and broad nature of the threats posed by rising authoritarianism, beyond threats to democracy at home. The paper proposes and defends instead a new approach (the ‘Holistic Approach’) that better reflects the wider effects of rising authoritarianism. It goes on to argue that including these other broader effects has major implications in practice for tackling authoritarianism, including rendering militant measures more likely to be justifiable.