Global Governance and the UN: An Unfinished Journey (United Nations Intellectual History Project Series) - Softcover

Weiss, Thomas G.; Thakur, Ramesh

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0253221676 ISBN 13: 9780253221674

Publisher: Indiana University Press, 2010

Synopsis

In the 21st century, the world is faced with threats of global scale that cannot be confronted without collective action. Although global government as such does not exist, formal and informal institutions, practices, and initiatives―together forming "global governance"―bring a greater measure of predictability, stability, and order to trans-border issues than might be expected. Yet, there are significant gaps between many current global problems and available solutions. Thomas G. Weiss and Ramesh Thakur analyze the UN's role in addressing such knowledge, normative, policy, institutional, and compliance lapses. The UN's relationship to these five global governance gaps is explored through case studies of some of the most burning problems of our age, including terrorism, nuclear proliferation, humanitarian crises, development aid, climate change, human rights, and HIV/AIDS.

About this title

About the Author

Thomas G. Weiss is Presidential Professor of Political Science at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York and Director of the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies.

Ramesh Thakur is the Inaugural Director of the Balsillie School of International Affairs, Distinguished Fellow of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and Professor of Political Science at the University of Waterloo, Ontario.

Review

"Global Governance and the UN will satisfy those who seek a serious grappling with the ethical aspects of international action to address the world's most pressing challenges. The book argues that the UN's evolution is an "unfinished journey":... global governance will continue to evolve, with the UN at the center, in the wake of each global crisis. dec 2011"

(Ethics and International Affairs)

Global governance is the latest catchphrase in discourses about international relations. It signifies 'governance without government,' or how the international community creates rules and maintains order without formal government structures, yet few serious studies of the phenomenon exist. Weiss (Graduate Center, CUNY) and Thakur (Univ. of Montreal, Canada) begin with a clear articulation of the concept as a prelude to how governance issues have played out in the UN. The book is both a history of global governance in the context of the UN as well as a report card of what gaps remain. A notable feature is the amazing breadth of the work; over 75 percent of the book is devoted to nine sets of issues across three different areas: international security (e.g., use of force, arms control, and terrorism), development (e.g., sustainable development, trade, and climate change) and human rights (e.g., rights, responsibility to protect, and health) respectively. Weiss and Thakur have managed to perform the difficult trick of producing a work that can function as textbook, scholarly reference, policy guide, and popular reading. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, upper-division undergraduate students, graduate students, and research faculty. ― Choice

(P. F. Diehl, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

"Weiss and Thakur have managed to perform the difficult trick of producing a work that can function as textbook, scholarly reference, policy guide, and popular reading.... Recommended."

(Choice)

About this edition

• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0253221676
• ISBN 13: 9780253221674
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 448