Global Governance Is Needed Now More Than Ever - The World Federalist Approach

The basic idea: World federalists recognize that many of the most serious problems facing humanity are beyond the capacity of nations to resolve on their own or by mere coalitions of power between states.

What form of global governance will best suit the world? World Federalists support the application of the federal principal to global politics. Federal political systems are those in which law making responsibilities are divided between different levels of government. For example, in Canada some issues are within the legal and administrative responsibility of the national government, while others are handled by provincial or local governments. Jurisdiction is sometimes shared by the various levels of government.

World Federalists seek to apply the principles of federalism on a global basis. Our goal is to bring about democratic federal government for our largest community, the world. An effective global federal system--for example, a reformed and strengthened UN--will allow for the protection of state jurisdictions, and also for the establishment of international enforceable laws to preserve the environment and essential resources, to protect human rights, and to provide for international judicial procedures for resolving international disputes. Global problems require global solutions. That’s why world federalism makes sense to so many people.

But as well as the practical political reasons, there is also a moral, ethical component which attracts people to the world federalist cause. Our personal sense of citizenship takes on an added, global dimension when we involve ourselves in working to bringing about new institutions like the International Criminal Court.

World federalists were advocating the creation of an international criminal court for decades. People thought it was merely utopian, an idealist hope that wouldn't come about. Finally in the 1990's many people, including politicians! recognized that its time had come. The world federalist organizations --there are twenty countries with world federalist NGO's--worked behind the scenes to help establish the Treaty of Rome in 1998, and the World Federalists of Canada has played a significant role in this. For more info check out World Federalists of Canada

The World Federalist approach was certainly appropriate before Sept. 11. Now it is even more urgently required. Can you think of any way to prevent manufacture of biological and chemical weapons other than enforceable international law? Can there be such enforceable international law without the evolution and creation of a new global federation within which such laws can work? Can you think of any way to prevent the use of war to capture alleged international criminals (and achieve other objectives covertly) than the establishment of an international judicial procedure (unlike the state based system of the Security Council) to resolve international disputes and to issue enforceable warrants for international arrests?

- Leonard Angel