This book makes a bold and comprehensive case for recognizing democracy as a fundamental human right. Against the backdrop of globe-spanning advances in surveillance, media manipulation, and artificial intelligence, it argues that democratic governance has become a critical and essential safeguard of individual autonomy. In a world where emerging technologies amplify the power of states and private actors alike, democracy is no longer merely one political system among others. It is a moral necessity. The book contends that global distributive justice—understood as the fair allocation of resources, opportunities, and burdens across the world’s population—can be realized only through robust collaboration among democratic nations committed to equality, transparency, and mutual accountability. This book is of interest to scholars and students of political theory, human rights, international law, and global justice, as well as policymakers and engaged citizens concerned with the future of democracy in a technological age.

David M. Jackson is an adjunct professor of philosophy at Utah Valley University. His work is driven by the conviction that democracy is not merely a local preference or an instrumental tool, but a fundamental human right and a necessary precondition for meaningful global distributive justice. He has been a member of the American Section of the International Association for Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy (AMINTAPHIL) since 2006 and has presented three papers there. One appears in Economic Justice: Philosophical and Legal Perspectives, edited by Helen Stacy and Win-Chiat Lee and published in the Springer series Studies in Global Justice. He has also contributed entries to the Encyclopedia of Global Justice, edited by Deen Chatterjee. David lives in Salt Lake City, where he enjoys cycling, making music, and talking with his daughter, Lila.