Global Governance Models and the Future

The different forms of global governance models are world hierarchy, world authority, and world anarchy and world constitutionalism.

Under the world hierarchy category, the text uses IGO relationship examples of Islamic empires, Communism and Colonialism. The idea that Islamic governments are unwilling to work well with non-Islamic governments should be dispelled by looking at the UN General Assembly, and communist governments often receive most favorite nation status from capitalist nations. Does the IMF still offer currency rates for communist nation-states? As for colonialism, I hold the view that it never truly ended and actually evolved into private sector colonialism through IGOs such as the World Bank, IMF and WTO. It is possible that a centralized unitary government may exist one day on the international stage, but I would have to predict it to emerge out of the private sector if it ever occurred.

The world authority example is evident in the United Nations hegemony of the UN Security Council. As the text book states, there is no significant role for NGOs under the world authority because the dominant forces are really not pressured by NGOs and will only utilize the information and influence generated by NGOs if it does not conflict with the economic-military-political interests of the most powerful nation-states, or if that information can be used to justify occupation or regime removal which would generate more revenue off natural resources. The UN has been able to work for several decades now, but it is evident that members of the five-seat Security Council are beginning to develop differing interests that they deem vital for protection or enhancement, and our children could very possibly see the UN begin to develop similarities to the League of Nations during their lifetime.

World Anarchy, or realism, is where I would expect the international stage to return to, if not for globalization and the quickening consolidation of world capital by international private sector blocks. At some point since WWII, and more specifically since the Cold War, the shift in power has evolved from nation-states to private capital. As things stand now, I predict a realist model of individual pursuits by private sector (corporate states, if you can call them that) similar to how nation-states competed after Westphalia.

World Constitutionalism, with its examples of the EU and UN general assembly, are nice illusions using examples of democratic voting by people or parliaments, but the weight of the votes are stacked in most important international IGOs like the UN and EU, or even more dangerous is the element of votes vulnerable to purchase by private sector lobbyists (which can be found in domestic representative democracies all the way up to international, parliamentary structured IGOs).

The future will be interesting.