ABSTRACT
This chapter explores why international actors become involved in democratization processes in other countries despite their adherence to the principle of sovereignty in international relations, and adds to the nascent study of international norms in the international relations discipline. The emergence of an international norm of support for democracy has influenced international actors' decisions to implicate themselves in democratization tasks in countries or regions outside their borders. European countries, for example, have influenced and been influenced by international norms of democracy. Their influence emerges from work within the regional body, the European Union, and from wider international developments. The chapter describes the theory of norms, particularly as it pertains to international relations. It identifies the emergence of the norm of democratic entitlement as the key variable explaining international mobilization. The chapter explores the limitations of the democratic norm and sovereignty in the global era.
