Democracy', as a description of the institutions and processes required for an appropriate degree of accountability to be maintained over time, has been successful largely. The success is because of its ability to accommodate a wide range of interests within a relatively stable political environment. Identity politics can be viewed both as an outgrowth of liberal thought and as a critical response to it. This chapter discusses current controversies within the field of democratic theory. An ambiguity of democracy concerns the extent to which the undesirable outcomes ought to be addressed and mitigated or tolerated and accepted. The function of democracy is to ensure the diffusion of power by stipulating that each citizen has the ability to influence the outcome of political decision-making. As Richard Tuck has shown, the modern account of 'human rights' is firmly grounded in a narrower base of property rights.