Communicating World Federalism

This was published in the Canadian World Federalist, circa 1986. I probably wouldn't change much if I were writing it today, but I would add a "community of democracies" component.

Dieter Heinrich

Communicating World Federalism

If the world federalist movement is going to grow, it will be through persuasive communication. We are more than anything engaged in a process of putting across ideas in ways others can accept. If we want to become more effective, we must be willing to constantly think and think again about how we present our message.

With this in mind, I would like to offer four suggestions for presenting world federalism:

1. Present it as the right idea in principle. Begin in the abstract, then move to the concrete.

If the world is one interdependent society, then in principle it requires the institutions of a society to manage its interdependence. If states are not to resolve disputes by force, then it makes sense in principle that some sort of peaceful dispute settlement process is needed, and that process must be based in principle on shared norms (laws), and a compulsory obligation on the part of states to use the process. Beginning from the larger principles (and returning to them whenever the questioning gets intense) allows you to avoid getting bogged down in details of how a world federation would be structured, how many elected representatives there should be, etc. This is "premature specificity."

Another technique is to seek agreement on the level of abstract euphemism before getting more concrete. For instance, "shared norms" instead of "laws." People will generally agree when it's put euphemistically that the world needs "a way of making and implementing policy on behalf of the common global interest" and needs "peaceful, mandatory means to settle disputes." But if you start by saying the world needs a "world government," the uninitiated often recoil. The more concrete word "government" raises immediate associations, usually negative and almost inevitably inaccurate. People will automatically imagine the structure and qualities of the governments they know at the national level instead of thinking about the unique structures and qualities that would likely emerge at the global level. By being concrete too soon you can sometimes end up communicating less.

2. Prove it's achievable, or at least that progress is possible.

Most people do eventually agree with the analysis and principles, but become stuck when they cannot see how our vision could possibly come about. They conclude we are just too far ahead of our time to be relevant, or worth bothering about.

Ask the person to stand back from the daily news and look at the unmistakable larger trends. History has seen humanity merging into larger and larger social units (don't ignore that this was often accomplished by war, but point out that it is being sustained and deepened voluntarily in most places). Show how the essential principles (from point one) are already being implemented. Show how for almost a century humanity has been building institutions of international law (League of Nations, U.N., Law of the Sea, International Criminal Court, etc.) and how the evolving consensus in international society is to put ever more constraints and obligations on states. You might also draw from spiritual thinkers and new consciousness theorists to show there is a metaphysical and spiritual basis for world federalism in the evolving nature of life and consciousness.

The real question is, therefore, not whether world federalism is possible--it's happening. The question is, is it happening fast enough to avert disaster? The question is how can we speed things up.

3. Address the "anarchist" perspective

Anarchism is essentially a call for radical democracy through participatory self-government, hence the close connection with the idea of political decentralization. Anarchists distrust government. We ignore anarchist thinking at our peril because it is one of the most important political trends of our age. It has certainly become very influential in the grassroots peace, ecology and international development movements.

World federalism with its call for a global centralization of power seems at first to buck the popular anarchist/localist/decentralist trend of the times. In fact there is a great deal of common ground between anarchist and federalist theory. Federalism is itself an homage to decentralization. It is about finding a balance between centralization and decentralization. It is a way of centralizing no more than necessary.

Anarchist decentralists can be our toughest critics because they have studied politics, they are half right, and they are fervent about seeing the decentralization half of the picture as the whole truth. So consider the anarchist critique and build these two themes into your presentation of world federalism:

Firstly, show how world federalism is precisely about creating "participatory self-government" for our largest community, the world, where it is now lacking. Anarchists tend to think from the national level down; those who do develop a global vision often come around very quickly to world federalism. Secondly, show world federalism to be essential to the democratization and decentralization of political life down from the national level. World federalism makes possible the dismantling of the national-security apparatus of nation-state governments, the most anti-democratic and centralizing influence in our societies. A small shift of power upwards from the national to the global level will pave the way for a shift of power downwards to more local levels, hence net decentralization.

4. Show that world federalist organizations are making a difference, and that the individual can make a difference.

Communication lies not in what you think you are saying, but in what the other person is hearing. To communicate, you must know the other person's starting position, and most people these days are starting from a position of negativism, defeatism and ultimately alienation. In Western culture today people generally have a low estimation of human nature and our social potential. They tend to emphasize the difficulties of change rather than the positive possibilities. Pessimism is realism for most. Cynicism is fashionable.

If there is a secret to communicating world federalism, it is to address the negative assumptions people have about the future, about society and about the prospect of change and their own ability to influence it. If we as world federalists can show people there is a reasonable basis for believing the world really could be better, and moreover that they really can do something personally to change things, we will find legions of supporters among those who are tired of feeling despair. At bottom, most people would really rather feel hope. But we have to deliver proof.

Show all the practical things world federalists have done, are doing or could do to help move the world in the direction of federalism. We can't prove great successes in U.N. reform, but we can show concrete results in propagating the consciousness and the values necessary for world federalism. This is meaningful in itself. Argue that the well-placed efforts of a few people have often changed history, and can do so again. Also, put it to people that they cannot help but make the difference of exactly one person more or less. In the end, they're still responsible for making the critical choice: help prop up the old consciousness, or herald the new.

Other Useful Do's and Don'ts

1. Do speak in terms of the other person's experience. 2. Do speak in terms of the other's self-interests. 3. Don't be led into making statements about aspects of world federalism you haven't thought through. It's better to say you haven't thought about something than to make speculations which undermine the credibility of the whole thesis. 4. Don't say world government, say world federal government. The distinction helps. Better yet for most purposes is the term world federation. 5. Don't sound naive about government as the source of all benevolence. We lose credibility when we fail to notice that the first tendency of governments is to serve their elites. 6. Do promote world federalism through positive statements, not by bashing the status quo. Remember, people are looking to us for hopeful, positive alternatives, not another round of invective. Rather than attack national sovereignty, say world federalism would allow states to best protect and enhance their legitimate sovereign rights. 7. Never attack the disarmament movement. They remain our allies and our single greatest constituency. If they are feeling resentful and defensive toward us, we will communicate nothing of our vision. 8. Don't expect to take people all the way in one discussion.

Dieter Heinrich is President of the World Federalists of Canada and Chairperson of the Task Force on Disarmament and Security of the World Federalist Movement.