Policy Briefs on Global Challenges to Democracy

This policy brief examines contemporary challenges to the legitimate state monopoly on the use of force and its possible future. The rule of law is being undermined and attacked and the state monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force is almost universally at risk. What are the values and the shortcomings of a legitimate state monopoly on the use of physical force? What does the concept in its ideal form mean and why are these principles questioned and challenged?

This Policy Brief begins by recalling the grounds for political obedience in terms of the distinction between law and legitimacy. What does citizenship mean in contemporary democratic societies as they become increasingly multicultural? Can dissent be used constructively to redefine the terms of engagement of minority groups with the state?  In the context of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it then briefly sketches the assertion of Hindu primacy in the 2014–19 years before examining the seminal events of 2019 and 2020, when protestors issued a clarion call on the conscience of the state to engage in dialogue with its citizens.