Politics in Minutes (2016)

World government

Since the Enlightenment, various movements have called for the establishment of a world government, a global political authority. For some, this meant the domination of a single ideology, such as communism or fascism, but for others it was a utopian dream of world peace as a single nation. In 1954, peace activist Garry Davis set up the World Service Authority to promote global citizenship and world government, which continues to issue World Passports, despite not being recognized by more than one or two nations. At present, the world consists of some 200 separate independent nations and there is no institution with global jurisdiction. The International Courts can decide only on issues of international law, and the UN has little real authority over its members. It seems that even with increased globalization, the notion of a supranational government - let alone a single world government - is still a distant prospect. It is possible, however, that environmental crises, such as resource depletion and climate change, may hasten further international cooperation.