Marjolijn Snippe | 1994 |
Let us act towards each other with humility, not arrogance, recognizing that none of us knows all the answers to the manifold problems facing us. / Julius Nyerere
Introduction
1. Given is the fact that humanity lives on a planet and is organised in separate units in the form of national communities (states), which have united at an international level in the United Nations. The starting point of this contribution is that the concept of democracy implies a human form of society in which norms and values are used that reflect the will of the people and that the United Nations is the appropriate body for the realisation of this at a global level. It is also stated that the will of the people (in this case the world population) is for happiness and that this can be externally concretised by a full realisation of human rights erga omnes. It is therefore stated that human rights are an essential part of a global democracy.
2. However, if one considers the current world problems and reflects on the gap between rich and poor, hunger, poverty3, over-armament and the pollution of the natural environment, one easily comes to the conclusion that the United Nations has not yet succeeded in realizing a global democracy. Despite noble objectives4, this unique world organization has not yet succeeded in eradicating the greatest scourges of humanity. An important cause of this deficit is the lack of creative pragmatism in the institution of the state, which in its current competitive form is blind to the perception of planetary unity, while it is precisely from this unity that we must work to master global problems.
3. The aim of this contribution is, taking into account the wise statement by Julius Nyerere quoted above, to indicate where the bottlenecks lie that stand in the way of a global democracy and what path could be taken to achieve optimal, democratic well-being for every inhabitant of Earth.
The paradigm
4. If one considers in 1993 the development of human society on Earth over the past three centuries, one can conclude that the state system, with its 17th century European origins (the Peace of Münster of 1648), has been subject to an enormous expansion, which has manifested itself mainly in the past fifty years.5 An important factor that has added itself to this development is that, as a result of developments in science and technology, the globalization of the Earth has become a fact and that interdependent relationships are increasingly taking place in all kinds of areas. As a result of this new reality, states have become increasingly interdependent. Classical international law, which places the conflicting interests of states centrally and is based on a political system that is more than three hundred years old, no longer meets the reality of the end of the 20th century. States have a common interest in finding solutions to global problems such as the threat of nuclear war, environmental degradation, the enormous increase in the number of migrants and refugees and the need to regulate the international financial flows that accompany international trade. Finding a constructive form of cooperation that is acceptable to all participants is essential.
5. International law is therefore in a transitional phase. Kooijmans describes the situation as follows: Two worldviews clash: the traditional view of a world consisting of sharply separated components (the nation states) and an image of an interdependent world society with common values and needs that can only be solved through common efforts.
6. Unlike the approach to international issues seen from the perspective of the interests of a state (the traditional view), this contribution is written from a holistic approach (the view of an interdependent world society). While the state-centric approach is primarily concerned with the state interest, which is translated at the international level into the pursuit of 'national security' (state security), the holistic world view focuses on 'international security' with 'individual security' as its basis, in which international cooperation based on unity is a primary requirement. The Earth is considered a living planet as if from space. As a result of the increasing choice made for this all-encompassing and integrating vision, the urge for renewal of old structures is slowly but surely beginning to manifest itself. At the level of international law, this translates into a gradual expansion of interdependent international law.
7. In the past, in the jargon of the United Nations, international security was interpreted narrowly and related solely to the prevention of armed conflict. Since 1992, a new dimension has been added to this concept by including the prevention and elimination of threats to humanity in general under the concept of 'international security'. In a declaration adopted on 31 January 1992 at the conclusion of the first meeting of the United Nations Security Council at the level of Heads of Government and Heads of State, non-military sources of instability in the economic, social, humanitarian and environmental fields were also qualified as threats to international peace and security. The security interest of humanity in general has therefore become a priority in the realisation of the primary objective of the United Nations.
8. Another holistic element in the approach to global issues is sustainable development. This concept is the common thread running through Agenda 21, almost five hundred pages thick, which emerged from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. This conference concluded with a declaration of principles, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, while Agenda 21 sets out the work plans for the future up to the 21st century.11 Sustainable development presupposes a new type of economic growth model based on equity, which offers prospects not just to a privileged elite, but to all of humanity, without exhausting the Earth's natural resources so that future generations can continue to exist. It is therefore not just about protecting the environment; it is also about development, based on the premise that development aims to increase the number of choices that people can make, without undermining the choice of future generations. Sustainable development implies a global vision that encompasses all aspects of human life.
9. The extensive interpretation of the concept of 'international security' and the introduction of the concept of 'sustainable development' provide an incentive and perhaps a legitimation for the creation of a democracy based on unity on a global scale via the United Nations, with the central objective being: the well-being and development of all humanity, now, in the future and in the future.
