The Starlife Group is an international, Scandinavia-based group of organisations and initiatives promoting innovative ideas and opportunities for the future of Humanity in a global & cosmic perspective. Our association Starlife Friends has for the last two years been actively involved in discussions related to World Party ideas, completely independent and unaware of your interest in the matter.
Lat year, we also launched an initiative proposing the formation of a "World Citizen Party Network" (WCPN), for both existing and new political parties around the world with a strong global interest. We call it World Citizen Party instead of World Party, because we wish to emphasize the global values and priorities related to World Citizenship. A "World Party" could mean virtually anything. But a party promoting World Citizenship is exactly what the world need in order to achieve the people-based, grass-root "globalization" we want. I also agree with W. Warren Wagar that "Globalization from below" is a marvelous phrase, which sums up most of it. Whe should have a just as good name for it, and our proposal is the World Citizen Party.
The reason we call it a "network", is that we rather see this as a cooperative effort between existing and new parties around the world, rather than some kind of hierachical one-party structure. And although this initiative has not yet gained momentum, we have come to know people and groups all over the world which also are working with similar ideas - often without knowledge of each other. For example, there is already a "World Party" in Japan. I know many of us have very different ideas of what to do within these initiatives, but the least we can do is to communicate and explore if we have some basic views in common. That is why we now wish to share our main ideas and concern with you.
Together with Mitchell Gold (of the International Association of Educators for World Peace) and others, I have earlier been discussing these ideas on a mainly non-academic basis. As for us in Starlife Friends, our focus is more on general approaches and how to successfully "sell" this idea and related visions to the public, rather than discussions about economic systems and ideologies. (Some of us have a small business background.) Please note that the following comments are made on behalf of our own group, Starlife Friends.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
1. Is the idea of organizing a World Party in the near future
wrong, premature, anachronistic, too Stalinist, to Napoleonic, destined
to failure, overly compulsive, eschatological, etc.?
No, it is definitely not wrong. Some people might feel it is premature though. But if we should wait till "the time is right", we'll never get started. Throughout history, brave people has taken new, bold initiatvies which at that particular time often have seemed premature. That is the kind of work we in Starlife are doing all the time.
In Sweden where I live, and in many other western countries, a lot of people are bored by the political debates in their countries. Especially young people. Many first-time voters don't bother to vote. Every party says more or less the same thing. And there are no bold visions anymore. No "let's go to the Moon" as Kennedy once declared. Occasionally, some racists or neo-nazis try to use this situation to attract young people to small, newly formed groups and parties which promote racial discrimination and which want to kick out refugees and immigrants from their respectives countries. For young people lacking interests or other things "to believe in", they are the only colorful alternative to the (in their eyes) boring "establishment". This is a very dangerous trend. It would be a refreshing break, if there for once appeared a new, colorful party with completely different, more colorful and much more visionary ideals!
Also, after being on your e-mail list a few days, I am painfully aware on your focus on discussions about traditional economics & politics. Everything seems to circle around capitalism vs. socialism. Personally, I avoid every initiative which is too politically colored. My reason for joining a potential World Party is not old 20:th century politics. My reasons is simply WORLD UNITY and GLOBAL PRIORITIES instead of narrowminded provincialism. We are on the threshold to a new millennium. I believe a World Party should come up with something new, at least in its image, PR and promotion. It should not have a place on the political left-right scale. It should avoid every connection to expressions and defintions related to existing political ideologies. If we wish to gain biggest possible support, we must avoid be labeled a leftist or right-wing party. It should stand above such descriptions.
And whether a World Party would become successful or not depends not only on its politics, but also on its image, approachs, marketing etc. Avoid militant, agressive and centralistic approaches. Market it as a friendly, visionary party close to the people. The only rational, intelligent choice for the future, but also emotionally attractive for those guided by love, empathy and holistic thinking. A party everyone can vote for.
2.What should the long run, medium run and short run goals of the World Party be?:
Many potential supporters, groups and individuals, have different interests
and goals. Education of global values, world citizenship, UN reform, clean
environment, human rights, etc etc. One of our main interests in Starlife
is international cooperation in space exploration & settlement (something
which regrettably gets little attention by many of the other above-mentioned
movements). Therefore, a World Party can not have too narrow goals. It
must have something for all these groupings, so that we can feel at home
and work together for a positive future. In our proposal for a World Citizen
Party Network, Starlife Friends formulated a short overall purpose which
most participants should be able to agree on:
Goal 1. To teach, promote and implement World Citizen
values, priorities and perspectives on all levels of society, such as:
a) A cross-cultural global identity, various manifestations of global
unity and better understanding of
our planetary inter-dependence and inter-connectedness.
b) Worldwide cooperation, coordination and unity in matters of global
and all-human concern, such
as planetary peace and environmental care, human rights and peaceful
cooperation in space.
c) An improvement of our ability to treat each other with respect and
empathy, honoring our equal
rights and responsibilities as World Citizens and members of the human
civilization, regardless of
who we are and where we come from.
d) A long-range strategy for a positive and conscious evolution of
the Human civilization, with further exploration of our potentials as a
united civilization in general.
Goal 2. To promote and develop a democratic, global management
for planet Earth with a major, direct influence and participation of its
peoples. This global management should have as broad base as possible,
and can constitute a reformed United Nations, a global people's forum or
assembly, a
world parliament, a world government and/or other institutions. Members
of this Network are free to promote any such alternative of their choice,
but should have a tolerant and constructive attitude
toward members in favour of different alternatives, realizing the overall
goals we share.
Goal 3. To encourage and assist in the formation of political
World Citizen parties in the countries of the world, to support existing
parties and politicians sharing our objectives, to assist these both new
and old parties in their continuing work, and to coordinate their activities
and our shared objectives on a global level. These parties shall be members
of the World Citizen Party Network, and shall meet any other requirements
which may be decided upon in consensus between its parties and coordinators.
a. is a democratic and collectively rational global commonwealth a desirable and feasible goal for the next century? How might such an entity be organized?
There are many ideas and proposals for the future governance of our planet. Some of them are indicated in our Goal 2-paragraph above. A continuing evolution of the UN system, with new additions such as a permanent people's forum similar to the Millennium Forum planned for next year, is a realistic idea. In the beginning, the nation-states of today would still dominate this system. But step by step, individuals and their associations will increase their influence. This step-by-step solution will also guarantee stability in the world and in the system itself. Possibly, the UN could evolve into a two-chamber institution, one for nations and one for peoples. This double assembly could make up a "World Parliament". But there are other ways too.
b. should the World Party support or oppose the emergence of a global state?
Well, it depends on what you mean with a global state. Some people hate expressions like "World State" or "World Government" (quite a few in the US it seems). I think it depends on what you put into these words, what associations you make. Some envision a totalitarian world state with no freedom, while others envision a peaceful, long-awaited Earth paradise. We certainly support the idea of World Unity and a World Citizenship identity. It is neccessary for Peace on Earth, and also when our civilization now reach out into the universe as ONE HUMANITY. How this practically is achieved is less important, as long as it is peaceful, democratic and good for people's freedom.
I believe the eventual evolution of some kind of World State is inevitable whether we want it or not. It's a part of our growing-up, of our coming-of-age. We can only try to speed up the process. So the short answer is YES, but the expression "World State" is not the best one. The World Federalist Movement, for example, has an approach and a wording which may be easier for some people (and governments) to support at the present time. There may be other alternatives too.
c. should the WP make an effort to prevent catastrophes such as warfare among core powers or global ecological collapse, or should we rather concentrate on being ready to pick up the pieces after such catastrophes happen (as in the scenario in Wagar’s Short History).
Ignore that stupid book! If you like that book, you have no visions, no optimism, and no hope. It is very destructive thinking. It is not the kind of thing I would support. Personally, I would continue to work for peace, cooperation and a sustainable future no matter how bad the odds were. Of course we should try to save our planet in every sense and every way. Get into the systems, the governments, authorities and instituitons, the companies and organizations, and spread small seeds of peace and love everywhere. Even if a system sometimes can be this planets worst enemy, you can work within this system to change it. It can be done. Why don't try some positive thinking. A World Party must have a positive, constructive and friendly image!
d. what kinds of immediate struggles should the World Party take on?
It should be related to the goals mentioned above. Education is an important ingredient. Education for world citizenship, for a "Culture of Peace" and other global values, ethics and priorities must be high on the agenda. If we are successful in changing people's values, priorities and feeling of belonging, we will automatically gain success for the rest of our aims. And we must start already with the kids.
The basic problem today, is that many people prioritate local matters
higher than national, national matters higher than continental, continental
higher the global, global higher that cosmic etc. Personally, do the opposite.
I am first of all a cosmic citizen, and all potential neighbors we have
in space are my extended family, second I am a World Citizen of Earth,
and every living thing on this planet - people, animals and plants - are
my close relatives. Then comes my continental belonging as an EU citizen,
and then comes the rest. It is this kind of fundamental shift in thinking
we must strive for. (Of course, this will take time, and in order to achieve
success from the start we must also add some practical goals to our agenda.)
3. Who would be the constituency of a World Party?
We should try to reach everyone. Naturally, it will initially get voters among globally oriented people, world citizens, environmentalists, human rights activists, members of UN associations, a lot of students and other people interest in the future of our planet. Quite a lot young, open-minded people, maybe less older. In national elections here in Europe, we could get many immigrant votes if we support the idea of people's equal rights and value. But there many others out there, ordinary citizens, who also could be curious about this initiative.
4. Who would be the activists?
I assume the initial activists will be the most ardent among the ones mentioned in question no. 3 above. But of course, everyone should be encouraged to participate.
5. How would a World Party be organized?
It can be a good idea to look how other groupings have done it, for example the European Greens. Our proposal last year was to start by creating a Network, as an office & forum for communication and coordination, and where both new and existing parties with similar ideas could interact. All participating parties should agree on some basic policy matters, but in many other things, parties in various countries should be free to form their own policies. This should not be a dictatorship party. The Network should mainly have a coordinating function. It could also represent the parties in the UN and other organizations. It also seems natural to form a Network Council where the participating parties are represented, but these details has not yet been in focus of our discussions.
6. How can we create a powerful coalition of counter-hegemonic movements: women, workers, environmentalists, Third World and indigenous peoples. Who should be in this, and who should not be in it?
Make all movements feel we all have some common goals - that although we focus on different areas, we are likeminded spirits, and we all share a responsibility for the future. Don't include any goals which will offend one of the movements, focus on those global causes eveyone can agree on. And of course, everybody should be welcome in this coalition, provided they share some fundamental global values. Not only radical protest movements. Businessmen, scientists, futurists etc etc, everyone should be welcome if they share our basic ideals. The party should not have an image which gives the impression of only being open for some, selected groups of people.
AN INVITATION
Anyone interested in our proposal for the World Citizen Party Network (WCPN), or World Party ideas in general, are welcome to contact us for further discussions. (I will sign off this e-mail list after a week or so.) Especially, we welcome those of you who are not only interested in talking, but who are willing to work with us to get this started, or at least tested, in real life as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Hans Starlife
President
Starlife Friends
Sweden
starlife@starlife.org
Website: www.starlife.org