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PFPC
by Boris Stremlin
10 May 2003 17:31 UTC
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Warren Wagar writes:

As an incorrigible utopographer, I applaud Dr.
Prugovecki's draft
statement of principles.  The goals he sets for
humankind are probably
shared by most of us in this list.  I would only
suggest that we cannot
make the transition from the new American century now
emerging to a
people's century without concerted efforts at the
planetary level (as well
as locally and regionally) to disarm national military
establishments
and dispossess corporate oligarchs.  Dismantling the
modern world-system
and replacing it with a new, quite different, and more
just world order
cannot be achieved without the disciplined
coordination of all progressive
elements everywhere.  Nor can the biosphere be rescued
without the
adoption and enforcement of a global plan that takes
the needs of all
peoples into account.  This would require, at the very
least, the
transformation of the United Nations, to which the
draft statement assigns
great responsibilities, into a democratic world
government elected
directly by the people.  In such a government
Luxembourg would not be the
"equal" of China, nor, for that matter, would the
United States be the
"equal" of India.  The size of national delegations
would be proportionate
to national populations.

        But none of these tremendous deeds can be
accomplished, in my
judgment, without a well integrated planet-wide
movement of progressive
forces.  Only after the modern world-system is no more
will it be safe
to transfer, steadily and with increasing speed, the
exercise of
sovereignty from global authorities to local
communities practicing
participatory democracy as envisaged in the draft
statement.

I ask:

Any suggestions as to where the "well integrated
planet-wide movement of progressive forces" would be
headquartered?  Of what groups/individuals will the
organizational center/vanguard be composed?  How shall
it be funded, given the unicameral set-up of the world
government (considering the richer countries are
unlikely to be interested)?  Relatedly, how will the
UN be made into democratic world-government,
considering that all power resides with the highly
undemocratic Security Council?  Assuming this problem
is somehow taken care of, how will such a UN proceed
to "disarm national military establishments and
dispossess corporate oligarchs"?  Will it have its own
army?  Who will fund it (and how?)  When all is said
and done, how will we know that "the modern
world-system is no more", and that it is "safe to
transfer, steadily and with increasing speed, the
exercise of sovereignty from global authorities to
local communities practicing
participatory democracy as envisaged in the draft
statement"?  Will the center concede voluntarily?
Will it be permissible to criticize the center in
any way prior to reaching this point?  Who shall be
empowered to do so?



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