An access control policy engine associated with a resource determines whether to allow a request to access same. The engine receives the request with an security token, retrieves the token determines a type thereof, and maps access decision information in the token to a common format as at least one security claim setting forth adequate information to determine a right of the requestor. Thereafter, the engine retrieves a set of rules for accessing the resource, applies the rules to the security claims to determine whether to allow the request from the requestor, and if the request is to be allowed, provides the requestor access to the resource in accordance with the request and the rights of the requestor as determined based on the security claims.