Chapter 22
Could it Really Succeed?
“There is no comparison between that which is lost by not
succeeding and that which is lost by not trying.”
—Sir Francis Bacon
Admittedly, the notion of a limited global democracy is idealistic and perhaps utopian. However, striving for the attainment of ideals has been the impetus behind civilization's advance throughout history. With the present threat of WMDs, transforming that vision into reality might be a practical necessity for mankind’s survival.
Following the EU’s lead, other multinational regional associations such as the AU (African Union), the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), and the SACN (South American Community of Nations), are growing in importance as their member nations harmonize their individual economic, political and legal systems.
History provides countless examples of people voluntarily forming larger entities to further their mutual good, whether that good was to bolster economies or to provide a collective defense against a common enemy. If beings on earth faced an alien threat the nations of the world would work together for collective defense. Must it take a fantasized threat of an alien invasion, as in H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds, for the nations of the world to unite? We have no defense against WMDs. Shouldn’t we consider them as great a threat as aliens?
