This book puts forward a new and original idea - that, for the sake of humankind, the countries of the world should share sovereignty. Unless this is done we will not be able to address global threats. These include global warming, poverty, inequality, terrorism, war and conflict, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the outsourcing of jobs, the instability of the international financial system, the accumulation of power by corporations, the migration of peoples, the depletion of natural resources, the violation of human rights and the spread of pandemics. The first part of the book diagnoses what is wrong with the present system by which the world governs itself. It shows that the United Nations is ineffective and that some states are failing. The author demonstrates that both of these problems stem from the same cause: the world is largely Hobbesian. In other words, humankind is caught up in a 'war of all states against all states'. In the second part the author asks: what can be done? He explores the United Nations. He asks if regional organisations, NATO, the European Union, or the G8 could become a governing body at the global level. Could the United States become an enlightened global hegemon? It is not realistic to expect any of these things to happen. Instead the world needs to create a new organisation. The third part proposes a 'global union of democracies' and outlines its functions, principles and design. It shows how such an organisation could make it possible for us to address the many threats that we are facing.
