Editing World government (section)

== Current system of global governance ==
{{As of|{{CURRENTYEAR}}}}, there is no functioning global international [[military]], [[Executive (government)|executive]], [[legislature]], [[judiciary]], or [[constitution]] with jurisdiction over the entire planet.

=== No world government ===
The world is divided geographically and demographically into mutually exclusive territories and political structures called [[Sovereign state|states]] which are [[Independence|independent]] and [[sovereignty|sovereign]] in most cases. There are numerous bodies, institutions, unions, coalitions, agreements and contracts between these units of [[authority]], but, except in cases where one nation is under [[military occupation]] by another, ''all'' such arrangements depend on the continued consent of the participant nations.{{Citation needed|date=August 2015}} Countries that violate or do not enforce international laws may be subject to penalty or coercion, often in the form of economic limitations such as [[embargo]]s by cooperating countries, even if the violating country is not part of the United Nations. In this way a country's cooperation in international affairs is voluntary, but non-cooperation still has [[diplomacy|diplomatic]] consequences.

=== International criminal courts ===
A functioning system of [[International law]] encompasses international treaties, customs and globally accepted legal principles. With the exceptions of cases brought before the [[International Criminal Court|ICC]] and [[International Court of Justice|ICJ]], the laws are interpreted by national courts. Many violations of treaty or customary law obligations are overlooked. [[International Criminal Court]] (ICC) was a relatively recent development in international law, it is the first permanent international criminal court established to ensure that the gravest international crimes ([[war crime]]s, [[genocide]], other [[crimes against humanity]], etc.) do not go unpunished. The [[Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court]] establishing the ICC and its jurisdiction was signed by 139 national governments, of which 100 ratified it by October 2005.

=== Inter-governmental organizations ===
[[File:Flag of the United Nations.svg|thumb|250px|right|Flag of the [[United Nations]]]]
The [[United Nations]] (UN) is the primary formal organization coordinating activities between states on a global scale and the only inter-governmental organization with near-universal membership (193 governments). In addition to the main organs and various humanitarian programs and commissions of the UN itself, there are about 20 functional organizations affiliated with the [[United Nations Economic and Social Council]] (ECOSOC), such as the [[World Health Organization]], the [[International Labour Organization]], and [[International Telecommunication Union]].<ref>[https://www.un.org/aboutun/chartlg.html UN.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113054148/http://www.un.org/aboutun/chartlg.html |date=2012-01-13 }}, Chart</ref> Of particular interest politically are the [[World Bank]], the [[International Monetary Fund]] and the [[World Trade Organization]].

=== International militaries ===
Militarily, [[United Nations peacekeeping|the UN deploys peacekeeping forces]], usually to build and maintain post-conflict peace and stability. When a more aggressive international military action is undertaken, either ''[[ad hoc]]'' coalitions (for example, the [[Multi-National Force – Iraq]]) or regional [[military alliance]]s (for example, [[NATO]]) are used.

Mostly overlooked in the academic research but notable among policy-makers, there exists a US-led “Global Network of Allies and Partners.”<ref>"[[National Security Strategy of the United States]]" (2015). (Washington, D. C.: White House),  p 9, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2015_national_security_strategy_2.pdf</ref> The network has its origins in the early Cold War and was called by [[NSC 162/2]] “the Coalition.”<ref>National Security Council 162/2 (1953). “A report to NSC by the Executive Secretary on Basic National Security Policy,” (Washington, D. C.: White House), https://irp.fas.org/offdocs/nsc-hst/nsc-162-2.pdf</ref> It included NATO and other US allies. Spatially, it coincides with the [[Zone of peace]]. [[Clarence Streit]] and the Union Now movement rode the coattails of NATO’s formation to a renaissance of popular support in 1949 and 1950.<ref>Bartel, Fritz (April 2015). “Surviving the years of grace: The atomic bomb and the specter of world government, 1945–1950,” ''Diplomatic History'', vol 39 (2): p 296.</ref> Two decades later, one of the architects of NATO, [[Dean Acheson]], contemplating the achievement felt as he was “[[Present at the Creation|present at the creation]].”

''[[Union Now]]'' of Streit called for federation of 15 contemporary democracies (English-speaking and west European). He counted that their combined power would be enough to ensure international stability.<ref>Streit, Clarence (1940). ''Union Now: The Proposal for Inter-Democracy Federal Union''. (London & New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers), p 10.</ref> His federation has not come true but eventually all the countries he named and many others joined what the NSC called “the Coalition.” After the Cold War, US Secretary of Defense, [[Dick Cheney]], assured that the United States will maintain its alliances in Europe, the Middle East, East Asia, Pacific, Latin America and elsewhere.<ref>Cheney, Dick (January 1993). "Defense strategy for the 1990s: The regional defense strategy," (Washington, D. C.: Department of Defense), p 9, https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA268979.pdf</ref> “Remarkably, commented Max Ostrovsky, not much is left for elsewhere.”<ref>Ostrovsky, Max (2018). ''Military Globalization: Geography, Strategy, Weaponry'', (New York: Edwin Mellen Press), p 282, https://archive.org/details/military-globalization/page/281/mode/2up?view=theater</ref> 

In 2006, Bradley A. Thayer counted 84 allies worldwide.<ref>Thayer, Bradley A. (November / December 2006). “In defense of primacy,”  ''National Interest'', vol 87: p 34.</ref> In 2018, Ostrovsky estimated that most of the UN members belong to “the Coalition,” perhaps exceeding 100 in number, and almost all economically developed are included.<ref>Ostrovsky, Max (2018). ''Military Globalization: Geography, Strategy, Weaponry'', (New York: Edwin Mellen Press), p 281, 284, https://archive.org/details/military-globalization/page/281/mode/2up?view=theater</ref> Unrivaled in the history of nations, the  “Coalition” comprises 70% of both global defense spending and global nominal gross product,<ref>Ostrovsky, Max (2018). ''Military Globalization: Geography, Strategy, Weaponry'', (New York: Edwin Mellen Press), p 282-283, https://archive.org/details/military-globalization/page/281/mode/2up?view=theater</ref><ref>[[Stephen Walt|Walt, Stephen]] (November / December 2011). “The end of the American era,” ''National Interest'', vol 116: p 16.</ref> with all adversaries combining for less than 15% of global defense spending.<ref>[[Stephen Walt|Walt, Stephen]] (November / December 2011). “The end of the American era,” ''National Interest'', vol 116: p 16.</ref> 

[[Karl Deutsch]] was one of the earliest observers to perceive the evolving “Coalition.” Deutsch called it “[[Security community|pluralistic security-community]].” This community does not function on [[Balance of power (international relations)|balance of power]] but as a unipolar organization with a strong core.<ref>Deutsch, Karl Wolfgang (1957). ''Political Community and the North Atlantic Area: International Organization in the Light of Historical Experience''. (New Jersey: Princeton University Press), p 5-6, 30-31, 38, 65, 138.</ref>

Paraphrasing Streit’s ''Union Now'', Ostrovsky titled a chapter “Coalition Now.” Its bottom line says that  some structural factors forced most states, including almost all developed states, to surrender their strategic sovereignty and form a unipolar “Coalition.” While all these states are nominally sovereign, in strategic field such is not the case. “Strategically, the world is one.” <ref> Ostrovsky, Max (2018). ''Military Globalization: Geography, Strategy, Weaponry'', (New York: Edwin Mellen Press), p 293-294, https://archive.org/details/military-globalization/page/293/mode/2up?view=theater</ref>

=== International monetary system ===
The [[World Bank]] and the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF) were founded to foster global monetary cooperation and to fight poverty by financially assisting states in need. These institutions have been criticized as simply oligarchic hegemonies of the Great Powers, most notably the United States, which maintains the only veto, for instance, in the International Monetary Fund.

=== International trade ===
The [[World Trade Organization]] (WTO) sets the rules of international trade. It has a semi-legislative body (the General Council, reaching decisions by consensus) and a judicial body (the Dispute Settlement Body). Another influential economical international organization is the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD), with membership of 30 democratic members.

===Informal global influences===
In addition to the formal, or semi-formal, international organizations and laws mentioned above, many other mechanisms act to regulate human activities across national borders. International trade has the effect of requiring cooperation and interdependency between nations without a political body. Trans-national (or multi-national) corporations, some with resources exceeding those available to most governments, govern activities of people on a global scale. The rapid increase in the volume of trans-border digital communications and mass-media distribution (e.g., [[Internet]], [[satellite television]]) has allowed information, ideas, and opinions to rapidly spread across the world, creating a complex web of international coordination and influence, mostly outside the control of any formal organizations or laws.