Making the World Autonomous

As the 21st Century opens there are four key areas of human activity that require attention from a governmental union that embraces most of the world. These are control of weapons and keeping the peace; the environmental protection of the globe; general enforcement of basic human civil rights; and setting an acceptable floor to poverty. To achieve these aims a minimal global democratic confederation is required. These objectives can only be reached through consent. The only way by which confederation is likely to emerge is through a process of 'widening and deepening' as practiced in the European movement since the1950s. The European Union has the potential to be not only the model for this development but also its vehicle. In this powerful survey and proposal Anthony Clunies-Ross sets forward a path for the European Union to deliver on these goals. The Union must refrain from some actions and encourage others. Above all it must make clear that it is open for any country that fulfils the Union's basic political criteria (democratic, law-governed, observant of basic human rights and protective of minorities) to join.
This book will appeal to all those who are interested in looking forward to seeing how the world will cope with the challenges its people face, be they students of international affairs, of world politics or of development.