Press Letters to the Press The Guardian

The Guardian in London
in reference to an article by George Monbiot
18 July 2001, called

 "How to rule the world: Rich nations should stop running
the planet and give way to global democracy"

in which Monbiot mentions the World Citizen Foundation. (www.guardian.co.uk)

Dear Madam, dear Sir

George Monbiot is right to call for World Democracy and a World Parliament. We must apply the same principles of  democratic representation locally, nationally, and globally. The fact that a particular level does not work well (e.g. Europe) is  not a principled flaw, but a design challenge. There are good reasons why it will be easier to write a World Constitution than a European one and why a World Parliament will be more popular than the European one.

But the World Parliament is unlikely to be a simple one man-one vote system. Nearly no parliament in the world follows the  rule (e.g. rural areas are over-represented) and rich countries would not accept it.  Democratic perfection is impossible but we  can start quickly with sound principles, then improve.

There are two other reasons (in addition to Monbiot's) why a World Parliament is the key missing link of the global  architecture:  taxes and justice. The movement for a Tobin tax makes no sense without a World Parliament. It would be  irresponsible to create any global tax without fulfilling the basic democratic principle of "No Taxation Without Representation". Anything less betrays the foundations of democracy. Both 1776 and 1789 started as tax revolts.

Secondly, justice: critics of the Hague court and of the future International Criminal Court have a point when they question their  legitimacy. Milosevic rejected the court, saying that the "General Assembly" did not authorize it. But Milosevic and his allies  are not against the rule of law per se. They believe it is not legitimate because the closest existing equivalent to a World Parliament today (the UN General Assembly) did not create it.

Claude Jorda, President of the Hague Court, said openly at the UN that the judges are stepping in the shoes of still non-existing  world legislator (thus flouting the principle of separation of powers) and that this is a cause for concern.

"The Security Council entrusted to us - the Judges of the Tribunal - with the sensitive mission of adopting our Rules of  Procedure and Evidence… it vested in us an extraordinary legislative power... We are well aware that this legislative capacity is enormous and open to criticism."

Only a global legislature can ultimately legitimize a global judiciary. If we want global justice, a global legislature with  unchallenged moral authority must make the rules, not the Security Council or diplomats.

Yours truly,

Troy Davis,
troydavis@post.harvard.edu
President/CEO, World Citizen Foundation,
www.worldcitizen.org
Secretary, Global Campaign for World Democracy

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