The Establishment of a World Authority: Working Hypotheses *

Abstract

This paper diagnoses the present-day global disorders and upheavals—social, political and economic—as symptoms of a transition set in motion by the incapacity of existing international arrangements to contain and mediate tensions and conflicts, both actual and potential, in international affairs. They point to the need for the creation of a new international institution that would take into account the widespread aspiration and urge for a restructuring of the international power system. It finds in history, especially since the emergence of modern nation-states (coincidentally with the expansion of the capitalist mode of production and its global thrust for the creation of a market global in its sweep), evidence of attempts at setting up international order-keeping institutions. The last such attempt in the shape of the United Nations, although more universal and democratic than its predecessors, mirrored the power structure that existed at the time of its birth. The world scene has changed enormously since, thanks to the emergence of many more new nation-states following decolonization, all conscious and assertive of their rights and all grappling with the complex problems bequeathed to them by colonialism. The UN has time and again demonstrated its incapacity to cope with the various problems—even in such a crucial sphere as war-prevention and peace-keeping. The article proposes, as a solution, the creation of a world authority that would facilitate the transition to a new world order. It then defines the functions of such a world authority and the powers it will have to be armed with to perform its functions.