Forum Post: United Nations as future World Government and The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Although I may not be around to see it, I believe that the day is coming when the United Nations will emerge as the "Federal Government" of the "United States of the World". Whether this is good or bad is a moot point. The trend of international events seems to indicate that the world will be faced with either adopting such an arrangement to preserve itself, or else being forced to adopt it after some terrible global catastrophe. Either way, the UN is the logical body to assume such a role. It already has an International Court of Justice (aka World Court) which is analogous to the US Supreme Court, a Legislative body of sorts in the form of the Security Council and General Assembly that routinely pass UN Resolutions, and a Secretary-General roughly analogous to the US President. All three of these "branches" of the UN could easily be adapted to function in a similar manner as the three branches of the US Government currently operate. Due to the size and scope of governing the entire world, there would no doubt be differences between the current US Constitution and the UN "Constitution" (my suggestion would be NOT to have the Secretary-General in charge of the World Armed Forces -- that role would logically fall to the Security Council). But logically, there would appear to be no impossible barriers to forming a world government under the framework that already exists. 

Some people are terrified to think of the possibility of a World Government. While some of those fears may have some basis in theoretical possibility, my personal opinion, for whatever worth it might have, is that many of those fears will prove unjustified, for the following reasons.

As more and more countries acquire nuclear capability, wars between nations now hold the real possibility for global destruction on a scale that we cannot begin to imagine. Additionally, the world economy would collapse on an unprecedented scale. Because of these nightmare scenarios, the nation-state paradigm that has governed the world for thousands of years has become dangerously obsolete. If one adopts the view that we are all ONE people, on ONE planet, with ONE world economy, it is only logical and sane that we would institute ONE government. Without it, as things stand now, we are World Citizens engaged in World Civil War with all of these international conflicts and "police actions" around the globe that are constantly going on. It is a remnant of Colonial Imperialism. A mechanism to at least attempt to control this age-old tendency to war among ourselves, like children fighting over toys, must be found if we are to save ourselves and the rest of the life forms on this biosphere. 

Governments exist primarily as institutions of law. Legislatures create laws, Courts interpret laws presented in disputes, and Administrations enforce those laws.  Just as US Federal Law trumps US State Law, the UN Law would trump national laws of the various nations of the world.  There is no need to assume that because there is World Government that sovereign nations cease to exist, anymore than because US Federal Government exists that US States cease to exist. It is merely the next logical step in establishing another tier of government to cope with the global problems that have emerged in the 21st century as the world has grown increasingly smaller, more technologically united, and yet more dangerously politically divided. 

Occupy should be quite interested in the development of the UN as the eventual body responsible for curtailing large multi-national corporations world-wide. It is not hard to understand why. Consider the best-case scenario possible in the US. Even if We The People are successful someday in passing legislation that severely alters the Corporate landscape in a significantly favorable way, those Corporations will simply move to another country where they are free to operate unhindered. They will keep moving around forever if need be, always looking for a national government that could be bribed and/or owned through powerful lobbying or other forms of influence. If the UN passed legislation outlawing their destructive activities globally, they would have nowhere else to run. They would have to comply and behave themselves. 

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, holds theoretical potential to transform the planet. It greatly surpasses the US Bill of Rights in scope, lays the foundation for adoption by world nations as a guide toward an evolving global legal system, and provides a blueprint for Global Citizenry for the 21st Century. Should World Government come about, this document must stand center stage as the legal basis for that New World Order's existence.

Please see the below link for an example of how the future rights of Global Citizens may be protected by World Government. It (WG) may not be as bad as some people fear, and it has the potential to solve problems that cannot be solved under the current national sovereignty paradigm. 

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml