Federal world government: The road to peace and justice?

Abstract

Within contemporary legal and political philosophy there is nothing more unpopular than defending a world state. It seems food for thought for writers like Huxley or Wells, but not a topic that deserves serious philosophical reflection. Fortunately, there are exceptions to this general rule. Theorists such as Höffe, Cabrera, Deudney and Yunker defend a version of a multilayered minimal world state – a model based on the dual principles of federalism and subsidiarity. The focus of this article is on the very fragile balance that proponents of this model have to keep between a simultaneous need for centralization and decentralization. On the basis of a critical analysis of the work of these theorists, it is argued in this article that the safeguards these authors defend to prevent a bloating of government themselves contain a tendency to hierarchical centralization. While some form of world state might be necessary to cope with the challenges posed by globalization, it is essential to discuss the shape and competences of the world state much more critically and in more detail than has been the case in the past.

Global Citizenship: A Typology for Distinguishing its Multiple Conceptions

“…This is viewed by some as a worthwhile but unlikely ideal (for example, Carter, 2001;Dewey, 1918Dewey, /1982Heater, 2002;Shaw, 2000;Singer, 2004), and by a minority as a real possibility (for example, Carneiro, 2004;Chase-Dunn and Inoue, 2012;Wendt, 2003;Yunker, 2011). However, the dream of instituting a formal status for all human beings of 'world citizenship' is criticised by many as unfeasible and Downloaded by [Rutgers University] at 14:58 08 April 2015 unrealistic (for example, Graber, 2004;Johnson, 2004;Tinnevelt, 2012), or indeed as undesirable (for example, Patomäki, 2012;Slaughter, 2004).…”

Educational internationalism, universal human rights, and international organisation: International Relations in the thought and practice of Robert Owen

“…Rather than focusing on Owen's ambitious proposals for a world consisting of small communities governed according to age group, this article has concentrated on those aspects of his thought and work which 131 put forward the 'infeasibility objection' that progress with respect to, for example, world federation, 'is very unlikely' to 'come into being'. 136 However, there were numerous problems with Owen's international thought, which were reflected in the failures of Owen's efforts to put his ideas into practice. A significant problem was the way in which many of his ideas alienated those whom he needed to convince to bring them into practice.…”