Book Description: Do international organizations represent the interests of the global citizenry? Or are they merely vehicles for the agendas of powerful nations and special interests? Thomas Zweifel explores this increasingly contentious issue, deftly blending history, theory, and case studies. Zweifel’s analysis covers both regional organizations (e.g., the EU, NAFTA, NATO, the AU) and such global institutions as the United Nations, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization. With international organizations becoming perhaps the most appropriate—if not the only—forum for tackling myriad transnational challenges, his systematic study of how these organizations function is central to the study of both international relations and democracy in the 21st century.
A new perspective on protecting and promoting democracy As many of us are realizing, democracy itself is under attack. The example of China is touted to undermine our commitment to democracy as a guarantor of both prosperity and a rising quality of life. It is a short leap from there to accepting the notion that authoritarian regimes might be even better at creating prosperity for certain (presumably, backward) populations. On another front, in his recent book Supercapitalism, Robert Reich makes the case that democracy is under attack at the individual level, in that we have traded in our roles as citizens in for roles as mere consumers and investors, obsessed with hunting for bargains on every front, without ever noticing that we are disempowering ourselves to the point of helplessness. Thomas Zweifel's book expands our sights in yet another direction, and puts to us the notion of democracy as the framework for the planet. He makes this unwieldy issue accessible by examining those places where the "rubber meets the road" -- in the international and transnational arena populated by the institutions we created to help us survive and prosper together in a resources-contrained world. How can we live, if the sturdiest threads that bind us across our boundaries are those of global profit-making enterprises, beholden only to their investors? Through Thomas Zweifel's eyes, this becomes unthinkable.
Power. politics and understanding todays world A clear and insightful view into today's globalization, international relations and Democracy in this new, small world. Read this book to understand where we are but more importantly, where we need to go concerning global accountability, power, communication, corporate governance and international relations.
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