Reforming the global order

• Dennis Phillips
• Australian Review of Public Affairs

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Image: loswl / flickr

05 March 2010

It is easy to sympathise with those who despair at the current state of global politics. Twenty years ago a peaceful end to the Cold War appeared to herald a new and more progressive era. At last nations could move away from confrontation and redirect their efforts toward a more co-operative effort to mitigate war, disease, poverty and inequality. Rather than realise a post-Cold War peace dividend, we have been burdened instead by bloody conflicts in Iraq, the Balkans, Afghanistan, Somalia and Sudan, to name but a few. Superimposed upon all this has been a global war on terrorism, as well as a series of mass atrocity crimes of which Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo, Somalia, Darfur and the Congo represent only a partial list. Not only has the world political system failed to prevent these slaughters, it has also struggled to cope with natural disasters and the worst international financial crisis in 60 years. Then, when confronted with an ominous and long-range security threat to all of us, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change failed to rise to the challenge at Copenhagen in December 2009.

Despite the many reasons to be pessimistic about the current world situation there are some distinguished optimists out there, with concrete plans for change for the better. What are their plans and will they work?

Image: loswl / flickr