World State

What did Zeno of Citium envision in the earliest conceptualisation of a world state?

'We should regard all men as fellow-citizens and comrades' (Laërtius, 200AD)

Why did Einstein and others advocate for a world state after WWII?

Because only such a state, they believed, could prevent a third world war fought with nuclear weapons (Ethics & International Affairs)

What does Wendt argue is the key problem for world governance architecture?

‘Unauthorized violence by rogue Great Powers’ (Wendt, 2003)

How does Crawford view sovereignty in the face of environmental crises?

The 'inability of individual states to address environmental degradation necessitates a reconsideration of sovereignty as an absolute principle' (Crawford, 2007)

What does the UN Charter Article 2(1) state?

'The Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members' (UN, 1945)

Why does Bull oppose a centralised world government?

'The idea of a world government presupposes a consensus on fundamental issues which does not exist and is not likely to exist' (Bull, 1977)

What limitation does Posner identify in international law enforcement?

'74% of non-signatories to the ICC actively rejecting this authority' (Posner, 2009)

What is Kant’s ideal alternative to a world

'A federation of states...where nations retain autonomy while cooperating on shared concerns' (Kant, 1795)

How did the European Union exemplify pooled sovereignty?

The EU Green Deal (2019) legally binds member states to carbon neutrality by 2050, achieving a 31% emissions reduction from 1990–2021 (UNEP, 2022)

How did the COVID-19 pandemic reveal flaws in the sovereignty-based system?

'80% of vaccines went to G20 countries', illustrating the failures of vaccine nationalism (Oxfam, 2022)

What does Wendt mean by a 'universal collective security' system?

A system where 'a threat to one is a threat to all', enabling global enforcement of peace (Wendt, 2003)

What is a primary risk of a centralised world government, according to Walzer?

'A single world government would concentrate power in dangerous ways...removing checks and balances' (Walzer, 2004)

What does Lord Orr argue in favour of world government?

'Some form of world government...is inevitable' due to global interdependence (Lord Orr, 1949)

What are Wendt’s three core features of a world state?

A common power, legitimacy, and sovereignty (Wendt, 2003)

How does Wendt frame the inevitability of a world state?

'The logic of anarchy contains within it the seeds of transformation towards a world state' (Wendt, 2003)

What is the practical implication of sovereignty according to the ICC’s limitations?

Only 14% of ICC arrest warrants have been executed due to lack of enforcement power (Posner, 2009)

What does Deudney suggest about the inevitability of world consolidation?

Smaller political units have always merged into larger ones when technology has made the violence among them unsustainable' (Deudney)

What did the US refusal to join the ICC signify, according to Waltz?

'No major power would voluntarily cede sovereignty to a higher global authority' (Waltz, 2000)

What warning does Wendt give about the retention of sovereignty?

'The ability of Great Powers to insulate themselves from global demands for recognition will erode' (Wendt, 2003)

What does Wendt say about cultural preservation in a world state?

'Collectivizing organized violence does not mean that culture, economy or local politics must be collectivized' (Wendt, 2003)

What constitutional principle is undermined in international law according to Article 2(4) of the UN Charter?

'All Members shall refrain...from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state' (UN, 1945)

What model of global governance does Iris Marion Young propose?

'A decentred diverse democratic federalism...built upon existing international institutions' (Young, 2000)

What does Goldin argue about globalization and crises?

'Pandemics, climate change, and financial instability are inherently global issues that transcend borders' (Goldin, 2021)

How does Slaughter define global governance?

'A much looser and less threatening concept of collective organization and regulation without coercion' (Slaughter, 2004)

What is the foundational fear of a world state from a postcolonial perspective?

'A nascent global state...realizes the interests of transnational capital and powerful states...to the disadvantage of third world states' (Chimni, 2004)