Global Democracy and Justice

1. The History and Future of Democracy

Popular struggles in the 19th century led to national level democracies with more equality and justice. Imagine what a similar struggle on the global level could do in the 21st century.

2. A Democratic World is Possible

Global Democracy Q&A: Why make democracy global if even nationally it fails? What about starting from below? And the UN? And how to prevent concentration of power?

3. Federalism and World Federalism

Should a vision of global democracy be based on a model of a federation or a confederation? Learn about the great differences between the two, and why it’s world federalism that could better balance global diversity and unity.

4. Is Globalisation the Problem?

The Anti-Globalisation Movement and the World Social Forum believed ‘another world is possible’ and wanted ‘globalization from below’. Right-wing populists want de-globalisation. Learn why democratic globalism is the best option.

5. Love is All You Need, Or is it?

While Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ is surely beautiful, the hard truth is that love and solidarity are really not sufficient for world peace. A Democratic government is a necessary condition for peace and justice, and it can and should be achieved globally.

6. What is Global Governance?

Who governs the world, and how? Learn about international organisations like the United Nations, World Bank, G20. Find out about multi-stakeholder networks and how badly they dealt with COVID through COVAX. Grasp the problems of ISDS. See how undemocratic our world is!

7. Global Apartheid or Democracy

Like the Apartheid of South Africa, the international system divides humanity to ‘Bantustans’ of the nation-states, while the global market allows the world’s elite to exploit the majority. The alternative is Global democracy.

8. How to Make Human Rights Real?

Why can't the Universal Declaration, the international treaties, the UN agencies and even the ICC provide us with real human rights? And what kind of democratic mechanism is needed to make them real?

9. The Real Climate Solution

What kind of ‘system change’ is needed to seriously cope with the climate crisis? To prevent the strong from polluting freely, we need nothing short of replacing the dysfunctional international system with a democratic federal framework for the world.

10. A Real Solution to Global Economic Inequality

How can we really reduce the rates of poverty and inequality that have soared since the 1980s? While the international system allows the world’s elite and corporations to evade taxes, and all the charity industry and ‘development goals’ are but a distraction, what we really need to bring about justice and equality is a democratic world government.

11. Migration and Refugees

Borders can’t solve the root causes of immigration such as poverty and persecutions. All the international organizations, agencies and ‘compacts’ only make it look as if something is being done, but to truly deal with these root causes we need global democracy.

12. Rosika Schwimmer: A Feminist’s Struggle for World Citizenship

Hear how a leading women’s rights campaigner and peace activist came to realise that a democratic world government with a world parliament and world constitution are needed to really ensure the rights of all women, minorities and stateless people.

13. Albert Einstein: A Vision of a Unified World

Einstein’s life story led him to the kind of cosmopolitanism that has no illusions about human nature. Especially today, as we cluelessly face global problems, it’s worth listening again to his clear call to establish a democratic federal government above the nation-states to really bring about peace and justice.
 

14. Jawahlarlal Nehru: An Anti-Imperialist’s Quest for One World

Hear how India’s first Prime Minister sought to unite the post-colonial world into a democratic, socialist world federation, or ‘One World’, to bring about peace, equality and justice.

15. Josue de Castro: World Federation to End World Hunger

Learn how this Brazilian activist struggled to turn the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) into a global body that would end world hunger. And how, like his colleague John Boyd Orr, he realised that only a supra-national world government could achieve that.

16. Kwame Nkrumah: World Federalism instead of Neo-Colonialism

Hear how the first President of Ghana sought to unite Africa in a Pan-African Federation, while his colleague Komla Agbeli Gbedemah worked for world federation through the World Movement for Federal World Government and the nascent United Nations.

17. Hideki Yukawa: World Peace through World Federation

Learn about this leading Japanese scientist’s work through the Pugwash Conferences and the World Federalist Movement to persuade countries to renounce war, as Japan had done in its Article 9 of the Constitution.

18. The History of the World Federalist Movement

From the Montreux Congress to the Coalition for the International Criminal Court and beyond, learn about the ideas and campaigns of WFM, the leading international organisation working towards peace, justice and world unity.

19. Debunking the Objections to Global Democracy

There are many doubts and misconceptions about the idea, that can be dispelled by a close observation. On the way, we take apart some of the great lies that the current world order is built on.

20. Localism or Globalism?

Small-scale eco-communities can’t really solve the world’s problems. In our reality of shared global social and ecological systems, we also need a shared global democracy so we can really live in justice, equality and sustainability.

21. Domesticating the International System

Most people don’t think about the great divide between domestic politics and international politics, but we have to close it to bring about justice, democracy and peace.

22. Real World Citizenship

What does it mean to be a global citizen? Imagine a world without borders, in which everyone has real human rights and a world passport, and there are democratic global elections and perhaps even a global welfare state.

23. From Global Oligarchy to Global Democracy

When European empires fell the colonies seemed to get independence, but they actually became tied into a system of post-colonial domination. Real liberation will only come with global democracy.

24. The Way to a World Parliament

A parliament of humanity should be at the core of democratic global governance, the place where representatives of the world’s people can decide on global issues. Learn about the Campaign for a United Nations Parliament Assembly (UNPA), Citizens Assemblies, and global democracy.

25. Pathways to World Federation

The pathways: to democratize the UN, set up new institutions and strengthen regional unions. But most exciting is the ‘Great Convergence’ of movements who realize it’s instrumental for their cause. Here’s how to get involved!