Reflections on Some Corollary Questions for a Supranational World Order
摘要
The project of creating a supranational world order centred on a World Authority with real enforcement powers would represent a huge upheaval in relation to the contemporary order based on sovereign nation states, and so naturally, a number of corollary issues will naturally be raised, and in this chapter, we seek to deal with some of these. Perhaps, an issue which will cause considerable unease is that of the cultural, religious and ethical diversity which would be present in such a World Authority; and since in effect within the sphere of the new entity, there would be complete freedom of trade and factor movement, hence entirely free migration how can we hope to cope with the possible tensions to which this may give rise (given the explosive nature of these questions in many states around the world today). Part of our tentative response is to suggest that if the world can indeed be broken down into about 1000 cantons and city states, there would be the possibility for like-minded groups to coalesce into the communities they find most congenial to their values and culture. There would be a place for everyone. A second part of our response would be to ensure through a generous welfare state (or “welfare world”) that there would be a real equality of economic opportunity throughout the sphere of the World Authority as such would greatly reduce the incentive to economic migration. Finally, we address the question of human rights in the proposed World Authority. On this question, we rather follow Hobbes, arguing that no human right is ever absolute since it can only be exercised in a manner consistent with the rights of others and so that all rights (individual and of component states) must in the first instance be vested in the supranational World Authority which will then accord rights to all in accordance with mutual respect by all of the rights of all. In short, the primordial fons et origo of all rights will be the supranational World Authority.