The open-access, interdisciplinary academic journal, the Journal of Critical Globalisation Studies, have just released a new special issue on the theme of ‘Democracy and Law’. The issue centres on the relationship between legal and political regimes, most of the articles problematize the notion of law as a neutral instrument of governance. The issue’s contributions run the gamut from the empirical to the theoretical  Antonio de Lauri’s article, for instance, based on extensive field work, offers a critique of how the notion of legal pluralism has been implemented in post-2001 Afghanistan. At the other end of the spectrum, taking a genealogical approach, Julia Suárez-Krabbe’s article seeks to establish the racist ideas underlying human rights. In its broadest sense, the issue contributes to furthering the increasingly productive exchange between the fields of critical legal studies, international relations, and the study of social movements.