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G20 Momentum Could Spur Collective Climate Action
Dennis Sandole, ICAR Professor
Posted: 12/16/08

[Published, Financial Times, December 16, 2008] Sir, Gideon Rachman has crossed the Rubicon with his bold proposition that the “international community” go where no man or woman has gone before: actually to design and implement a global governance regime to deal with the bewildering array of complex global problems that continue to defy and assault traditional Westphalian state frontiers (“And now for a world government”, December 9). The problem, however, as Mr Rachman observes, is that the human capacity for collective identity stops at the nation-state, where not even the successful European Union project – a possible model for what he has in mind – qualifies as an exception.

One possible approach to trumping the primordial resistance to Mr Rachman's proposal is to use the momentum generated by efforts of the Group of 20, among others, to solve the current global financial crisis as leverage for advancing the argument that the international community can also deal effectively with global climate change.

According to the Brookings Institution’s “Managing Global Insecurity” project, cited by Mr Rachman, we now have about seven years to nip global warming in the bud before “species extinction” becomes a viable option. But will that appeal, coupled with the evolving global problem-solving orientation of President-elect Barack Obama, be sufficient to win over the entrenched cultural warriors averse to “black helicopters”?

Dennis J.D. Sandole,

Professor of Conflict Resolution and International Relations,

George Mason University,

Arlington, VA, US

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ICAR News Network G20 Momentum Could Spur Collective Climate Action Dennis Sandole, ICAR Professor Posted: 12/16/08 [Published, Financial Times, December 16, 2008] Sir, Gideon Rachman has crossed the Rubicon with his bold proposition that the “international community” go where no man or woman has gone before: actually to design and implement a global governance regime to deal with the bewildering array of complex global problems that continue to defy and assault traditional Westphalian state frontiers (“And now for a world government”, December 9). The problem, however, as Mr Rachman observes, is that the human capacity for collective identity stops at the nation-state, where not even the successful European Union project – a possible model for what he has in mind – qualifies as an exception. One possible approach to trumping the primordial resistance to Mr Rachman's proposal is to use the momentum generated by efforts of the Group of 20, among others, to solve the current global financial crisis as leverage for advancing the argument that the international community can also deal effectively with global climate change. According to the Brookings Institution’s “Managing Global Insecurity” project, cited by Mr Rachman, we now have about seven years to nip global warming in the bud before “species extinction” becomes a viable option. But will that appeal, coupled with the evolving global problem-solving orientation of President-elect Barack Obama, be sufficient to win over the entrenched cultural warriors averse to “black helicopters”? Dennis J.D. Sandole, Professor of Conflict Resolution and International Relations, George Mason University, Arlington, VA, US News Network Homepage / Armenia / 2008 Elections / Afghanistan / Diplomacy/ Egypt / Environment / Global Peace Index / Health / Immigration / Iraq / Iran / Islam / Kosovo / Nuclear Proliferation / Pakistan / Palestine-Israel / Russia / Somalia / South America / Turkey /		About ICAR Student Information Prospective Students Faculty and Staff Alumni Career Services Academic Programs Library ICAR In The News Events Technology Resources ICAR Publications Point Of View Center Center for World Religions, Diplomacy & Conflict Resolution