Global Governance: Mirage or Horizon?

The author contends that a Marxian conceptual apparatus could be quite useful for deciphering the world of today. Despite technological development & economic globalization, the Earth is still divided among sovereign states, each in control of its own people & territory. There is no world go...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Politique étrangère 2008-01, Vol.Hors série (5), p.141-151
Main Author: Moreau Defarges, Philippe
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Governance
Marxism
Sovereignty
Transnationalism
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Summary:The author contends that a Marxian conceptual apparatus could be quite useful for deciphering the world of today. Despite technological development & economic globalization, the Earth is still divided among sovereign states, each in control of its own people & territory. There is no world government, much less a world state. Is the absence of unified world power a problem? This paper first distinguishes between government & governance. Essentially the latter is not an entity but a system of procedures, rules, & relations that is constantly under negotiation. Power shifts within it from one elite sector to another of the population. It belongs temporarily to those at the crossroads of networks, markets, & stock exchanges, ie, the financial sector. Politics, however is more than technology & economics. Global governance is seen as a goal toward which humans move, a horizon involving solidarity activities & humanitarian actions. Global governance emerges from historic dynamics, which can be fragile. The author explains that the line between horizon & mirage is unpredictable but suggests how global governance can be achieved & considers whether it could produce a calmer, more peaceful humanity. References. S. Stanton
ISSN:0032-342X
1958-8992
DOI:10.3917/pe.hs02.0141