whitebeard

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 The Second Superpower

Rears its Beautiful Head

As the United States government becomes more belligerent in using its power in the world, many people are longing for a “second superpower” that can keep the US in check.  Indeed, many people desire a superpower that speaks for the interests of planetary society, for long-term well-being, and that encourages broad participation in the democratic process.  Where can the world find such a second superpower?  No nation or group of nations seems able to play this role, although the European Union sometimes seeks to, working in concert with a variety of institutions in the field of international law, including the United Nations.  But even the common might of the European nations is barely a match for the current power of the United States.

 

There is an emerging second superpower, but it is not a nation.  Instead, it is a new form of international player, constituted by the “will of the people” in a global social movement.  The beautiful but deeply agitated face of this second superpower is the worldwide peace campaign, but the body of the movement is made up of millions of people concerned with a broad agenda that includes social development, environmentalism, health, and human rights.   This movement has a surprisingly agile and muscular body of citizen activists who identify their interests with world society as a whole—and who recognize that at a fundamental level we are all one.  These are people who are attempting to take into account the needs and dreams of all 6.3 billion people in the world—and not just the members of one or another nation.  Consider the members of Amnesty International who write letters on behalf of prisoners of conscience, and the millions of Americans who are participating in email actions against the war in Iraq.  Or the physicians who contribute their time to Doctors Without Borders/ Medecins Sans Frontieres.

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posted by: Whitebeard at 10:30 | link | comments |