Friday 29 May | One World Government

After WWI, the League of Nations was formed. It couldn’t prevent WWII. After that war, the UN was founded, along with the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and dozens of other global agencies. None of them prevented the advance of climate change, the 2008 global recession, or 2020’s coronavirus pandemic. What will the next step in global politics be?

Apart from increased nationalism and isolation, there are voices calling for even more global connectedness. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, for example, is advocating a temporary one-world government to tackle the pandemic. An institution that, unlike the UN, can make broad political and economic decisions that will actually be enforced.

A one world government is a nightmare scenario for many thinkers. But even a nightmare is better faced than left to fester in our unconscious. ‘Global citizens’ as we are, we should at least think about it. What would a one world government look like? Would it tend towards democratic values, or be authoritarian? Who would be in charge? Where would the ‘capital’ be? How would it enforce its decrees? Power is not often relinquished: if we tried it out for a while, like Brown suggests, could we ever let it go? Or would Pandora’s Box be forever left open? And if so, would that be any worse or better than what we’re facing now?

Studium Generale created a Corona Care Package to make #StayingIn as pleasant as possible. In the following weeks we will share videos, blogs, articles and podcasts within four focus areas: Mental Health, The World After Corona, Arts & Culture and other online events.