Global Democracy ─ The Case for a World Government

Is world government the answer to pressing global issues such as war, global injustices and environmental problems? Torbjorn Tannsjo presents the case for this idea.The notion of a sovereign world government has been defended in the past by philosophers such as Bertrand Russell and A.C. Ewing, but has been eclipsed by less radical ideas to do with peaceful cooperation between sovereign states or, at most, through systems of shared sovereignty. Tannsjo argues that such solutions cannot be effective; moreover he argues, in response to philosophers such as Kant and Rawls, that not only is a world government necessary if we want to solve pressing global problems, it is desirable in its own right.Short, simple to read, and focusing on the key arguments, Global Democracy is intended for anyone who wants to start to think about political solutions to global problems, putting them into a perspective that deserves to be taken seriously.

Torbjorn Tannsjo is Kristian Claeson Professor of Practical Philosophy at the Stockholm University