A broad range of significant institutions have an increasing power over and impact on the lives of each of us in this global era. The power to effect change continues to shift in important ways from the public to the private sphere. There is a slow shift away from the State as the dominant actor in world politics toward a more complex structure in which states, regional federations, networks of cities, global diasporas, global value communities, large corporations, and social movements interact.
To gain some perspective on global trends and rising global tensions, we look at the major political, economic and social actors.
The United Nations has been responsible for world peace and security as well as for the common concerns of humanity since 1945 with an annual budget of only $1.2 billion in contrast to the billions that are spent worldwide for war and defense. Kofi Annan warns us that global security is broken, the UN is in crisis, and radical change is necessary. The United Nations no longer reflects the world, as it exists today, especially the Security Council where only 5 nations carry real global power. We await further developments to see what role the United Nations will play in the future. Some are already talking about not merely UN reforms but the creation of a new global institution, which better meets the needs of the 21st century.
Problems cross borders today. As such, cooperation between states is essential for survival. We need planetary minds that can deal with the consequences of three emerging kinds of states that the international community must deal with:
Author Robert Kaplan is hoping for "a kind of world governance that's loose, informal, undeclared, and allows for a number of organizational powers - regional, global and great powers - to work together toward the larger good. I don't think we're there yet." Ideally a new or reformed global institution of nations would reconcile international law and global human moral intuition. But meanwhile many strands of a web are being woven.
Of the world's largest 100 economies, 49 are multinational corporations that are unaccountable to any global system of rules. Global trade is rigged in favor of industrialized countries limiting competition. Klaus Schwab, President of the World Economic Forum, warns that the market-driven system is under attack, with businesses no longer aligned with societal interests. Increasing economic tensions are twofold: the growing gap between the rich and poor, and the devastation to the environment.
Environmental concerns already are beyond sustainability. Reconstruction is necessary, as the demands we make on the earth exceed its ability to regenerate. Lester Brown, President of the Earth Policy Institute tells us that we do know what to do and that a few countries are already engaged in these new efforts. We now need to expand these successful efforts.
What is new about the emerging economy is that it is global, it favors information, ideas and relationships rather than tangibles, and it is intensely interlinked. This creates a global divide between those with access to communications technology and those without. Given these challenges can Transnational Corporations become a positive force? Peter Senge gives us his answer in Spirituality & Reality, Fall/Winter 2003.
Civil Society Organizations are now demanding a role in setting the global agenda. They exist as more than 26,000 international entities, about 2500 of which are affiliated with the United Nations. Empowered by information in an environment of increased identification with global citizenship, these CSOs became internationally empowered during the UN Conferences in the 1990s, when lasting links were made across borders.
The mobilized will of the people to shape a better future is the most potent force for change today. Jonathan Schell documents the power of people to change history through the ages in the Fall/Winter Issue of Spirituality & Reality. We honor individuals who make a global difference through their own creativity and collective movements that are changing history globally.
We will continue to follow the fundamental challenges of global governance. Among the most important are: 1) the issues of sovereignty and 2) the legitimate use of force. In the light of the deaths and abuse of millions inside state boundaries, the international community must grapple with these issues as a matter of highest priority. If the UN defends sovereignty it may be defending terrorism and tyranny, on the one hand, or the unaccountability of unilateral policies on the other.
A second emerging issue is the legitimate use of force. The US has now set a precedent for the use of pre-emptive force, which radically challenges the principles of world peace and stability documented in the UN Charter in 1945. In response Kofi Annan has invited an international panel to assess current security threats to determine under what circumstances force is justified in a world where tyranny, radical fundamentalism and nuclear proliferation live side by side.
The United Nations still serves as the body of legitimacy in world affairs. "And power without legitimacy, without support, without the world's respect and attachment, cannot endure," says Michael Ignatieff.
