Worldwide Engagement

Article Summary

John S Veitch
The Network Ambassador

We do live in a global world. When I was a child the threat of nuclear war was the proof of that.
We recognize another self-created danger. The lifestyle of "modern people" is polluting the oceans, consuming the oil supply, and making unsustainable demands on water.
The earth cannot provide the resources for large numbers of people living as American's do, nor even for Americans to continue living as they do.
We have some old instruments that are intended to help in the process of global management. The most obvious of those is the United Nations.
When the United Nations was formed it was created to accommodate the needs of the five permanent members, by giving them a Veto Power in the security council.
The world badly needs some form of world government that really works because its source of authority is respected. The UN is not a democratic body.
We need to ability to make LAW, that applies to every country, and to establish courts to enforce that law. Protectionism and subsidies are everywhere.
Trading nations to agree to trade on certain terms and then to find ways to cheat. This cheating makes poor people poorer and it leads to a misuse of resources.
There are over 70 tax havens around the world. What are they for?
Many of the world's wealthy elite use these tax havens and the associated banking systems to hide their money and their illicit dealings from view.
The purpose of tax haven is to obscure the truth about assets and transactions in order to achieve some advantage that would otherwise be illegal.
The Universal Declaration on Human Rights says that; "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights".
Human trafficking, child labour, extra judicial killings, arbitrary detention, torture, administrative harassment and false accusation by officials are still everyday events.
We live in a world with more than 6.7 billion people. Everyday problems include lack of food, clean drinking water, sanitation, and access to drugs and medicine.
The Millennium Goals that were a solemn commitment in the year 2000 will not be met.
The government of Iceland changed in the financial meltdown. There are already public protests and sometimes riots in the street.
I fully expect the changes will be much more profound. I can imagine BOTH the Republican Party and the Democratic Party in the USA being swept away.
In New Zealand the National Party, seems to have no idea what's happening. They are trapped with a philosophy that's 30 years old and is now beyond it's "use by date".
When faced with riots in the street, some countries will resort to oppression, imprison people and create authoritarian government under emergency regulations.
The United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, commonly known as Bretton Woods conference, was held in July 1944.
The Conference set up the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and much later (1995) the World Trade Organization.
"John Maynard Keynes proposed the International Credit Union as a way to regulate the balance of trade.
The ICU would effectively be a bank with its own currency (the "bancor"), exchangeable with national currencies at a fixed rate." [Source Wikipedia]
The system where the US Dollar is the reserve currency of the world is unfair and outdated. The USA will object, but the system needs to be changed.

If you need the original article it's here.