|
A Modest Proposal: Cities Instead of Nations as Basis of Global Governance
Lucile W. GREEN
Tuesday, December 03, 2002 10:50 PM
ººº Abstract: We might consider replacing the current foundation of
"sovereign" nation states with a more people-oriented base, for exampled
organized in cities. Nations are artificial creations, cities are natural
and voluntary concentrations of people in communities with local systems of
organized self-government. Some "Global Cities" could be asked to convene,
every one or two years, an event open and available to all citizens. It's
conceivable to manage, beginning with a few participating cities and
interested citizens. These city-centered constituencies would be a
democratic support base for a global "People's Assembly" or Parliament ººº
[Facilitator's note: The attached message regards both the role of cities in
global governance and suggests possible means of their role and development
within a world parliament. We will be discussing the second part of this
focusing on the world parliament in next month's discussion, in January, so
please save your responses in regards to this until then. However, if you
wish to respond to the idea that cities can play an important role in global
governance in general, and to discuss what this could be please, feel free
to respond now.]
Since we are dealing with the Architecture of Global Governance, we might
consider replacing the current foundation of "sovereign" nation states (as
in the UN Charter, Chapter I) with a more people-oriented base. Nations are
artificial creations, their boundaries made, enforced and disputed mostly by
wars and military treaties. Their "sovereignty" and power are questionable
in view of now larger international corporations that control them. Since
"democracy" means that "sovereignty" belongs to the people anyhow, not to
the states, and states are no longer even "sovereign;" what should be the
foundation for (a more democratic) global governance?
How about cities? Cities are natural and voluntary concentrations of people
in organized communities with local systems of organized self-government.
Many of them have their own periodic People's Assemblies or "town meeting"
type of events. They are also clearly definable by geographical boundary and
size of population. As a result, they are not inherently competitive or
militant, as are nation states with their artificial, disputed boundaries.
Imagine identifying one thousand of the largest cities in terms of
population and calling them "Global Cities." They could be asked to convene,
every one or two years, an event open and available to citizens within their
radius of up to six million people. This could include adjacent towns,
villages and farms. A few hundred might show up; others might participate by
computer, but everyone should be * invited *. It's conceivable to manage,
beginning with a few participating cities and interested citizens. In the
long run, one thousand cities could involve, theoretically, all the citizens
of Earth and, practically, those interested enough to be involved.
Agenda for these global "town meetings" would be "acting locally and
thinking globally" in that order, with city representatives involved
(including the mayor as "honorary chair"?) Non-government organizations
(NGO's) with their expertise and with branches in many cities would also be
important in this process. At the final session there would be election of a
Delegate to the Global People's Assembly.
Expectations are that in the beginning the process would be gradual,
starting with maybe twenty-five cities. (Already twenty of the largest
cities in the world have had "People's Assemblies" in the last ten years.)
As more cities are involved, delegates would come from more parts of the
Earth. Meanwhile, more people become aware of the relation of local to
global issues, and these city-centered constituencies of about six million
each would be a democratic support base for a global "People's Assembly" or
Parliament, providing input to its evolving agenda and structure.
One caveat is that this proposal is based on the assumption that the
thousand largest cities would represent about six million people each. (Just
learned that Shanghai has already sixteen million!!) What to do (if anything
* can * be done) about an exploding population? Can it even be governed?
democratically?? If not, there's * no time to lose! *
Lucile W. Green
WP21 Alliance Forum on a World Parliament for the 21st Century
E-mail : world-parl@forums.alliance21.org
Fax 1 717 264 5036
Information, inscriptions, désinscriptions: germa@alliance21.org
|
|
|
english ·original·
[FORUM]
[DISCUSSION]
[SYNTHESES]
[DOCUMENTS]
[CALENDAR]
[PARTICIPANTS]
[SUBSCRIBE]
[CONTACT]
[HOME]