To change the world, first we must understand how it
currently exists, and why it is the way it is.
We live in a political world created over 500 years ago. In the 16th Century, after the conclusion of The 30 Years War, the Westphalia Treaty formed the world’s first countries, (politically known as States) and created the political parameters and rules of how countries behave. The main aspect is that States are sovereign in power, and responsible for their own survival. In essence this means that there is no political power higher than the State. The State answers to no one. The State is free to govern its internal affairs without interference. And the State is free to govern its external affairs without interference from any higher bodies. Thus history is littered with conflict, and war, and invasion for territory and resources. Those who study this anarchic political system of the world know this as Realism.
Intertwined with Realism in modern world governance, is another system, known to the same academics as Liberalism. This model takes away the State as the only real player in world affairs and introduces other players, which can, and do, affect the politics of the world. These players include governmental organisations, such as the United Nations, and European Union, and non government organisations, such as Red Cross, and Amnesty International, Greenpeace, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank, to name a few.
Both Realism and Liberalism have brought the modern world to the apex that it is today. Liberalism has globalised the world. Realism has kept the foundation of countries, and their cultures, traditions, and histories alive. Can the world be governed better? It certainly can. For, the true reason of governments is, and it has always been, to lift the living standards of people, to create a comfortable, abundant life, and lifestyle.
Let’s look at the world from a human perspective. There are 196 countries. We are 7 billion people. The world exists as a complex dynamic of commerce, politics, and social activity. We are a diverse world rich in culture, traditions, history, and future progress. We have become a global world, interdependent on exchange of trade, resources, monies, research, information, science, technology, art, travel, food, and charity. But, there is a world of difference between the richest and the poorest. The richest country in the world is worth 15 trillion GDP. The G7 (top 7 countries) have a combined worth of $33 trillion GDP. The poorest country in the world is worth $200 GDP per capita. The bottom 7 countries have a combined worth of $3389 GDP per capita. The richest man in the world is worth $74 billion. The top ten combined are worth, $405 billion. The poorest live on less than $1 a day. Three billion people live on less than $2.50 per day. 80% of the world’s population live on less than $10 a day. The world is massively unbalanced.
Imagine a different world.
