Patriotism to the Earth: A Quest for Humane Global Governance

(Paperback)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Should national security still be our biggest priority on a burning planet And does it matter that a policy is feasible if it fails to produce an outcome that is necessary and desirable Political realists responsible for formulating foreign policy would say yes, but in this book Richard Falk and Sasha Milonova favor reorienting our loyalties away from increasingly militarized and nationalist states towards a system of governance that gives priority to global ecological resilience.
They trace the deficiencies of the existing international order from the emergence of the Westphalian framework to its entrenchment in the institutions created after World War II, and again after the Cold War, and show why it has consistently failed to generate the international cooperation and political imagination required to stall, let alone reverse, biodiversity loss, war, wealth inequality, and other challenges that credibly threaten the security of the entire planet.
This book offers an original approach to international relations that adds to the management of power the distinctive issues present in the prudent management of the the global commons. The work of several visionary thinkers is considered, as is crucial relevance of inter-cultural dialogue, a critical appreciation of the limits of rationality and modernity, and an ethos of compassion for the suffering of all others who cohabit the earth.

Reviews

At a time when the prevailing world order seems to promise only ecological catastrophe, economic impoverishment, tyranny, war, and the threat of nuclear annihilation, Richard Falk's Patriotism to the Earth provides crucial guidelines for halting and reversing the thrust to human self-annihilation. Falk presents a clearsighted alternative: A 'patriotism to the Earth rooted in a vision of human solidarity and led by global social movements and civil society. * Jeremy Brecher, author of Common Preservation in a Time of Mutual Destruction *
Some day people will look back at Richard Falk as a prophet who had the moral courage, visionary imagination, and encyclopedic knowledge to critically assess world affairs and chart the requirements of a more just, ecologically wise, and flourishing future. This book is a gift. Falk and Milonova explain the indispensability of global solidarity for building a livable future and demonstrate how normative commitments are far from intellectual blinders but incisive tools for understanding the present and envisioning a better world. Monumental in scope yet poetically and humbly written, this book stands among the greats of global political thought and practice. * Paul Wapner, American University *
Richard Falk draws upon a lifetime of research and personal experience in international law and politics, to identify the form of global governance best suited to resolving the existential threats facing humanity. His message remains resolutely optimistic, in the belief that if we nurture global solidarity we might yet create a form of cosmopolitanism which could underpin the global governance that we need for a safe future. * Helen Camakaris, Honorary Fellow in BioSciences, University of Melbourne *
This book, carefully crafted and beautifully written, is a must read for all students and practitioners of world politics and for the concerned public as they consider the future of politics, society and our planet. Richard Falk, one of the worlds great thinkers in international law and politics, demolishes the misplaced, often hypocritical claims of regressive, violent and reactionary modes of thought and practice of many ruling forces in world order today. Falk calls, convincingly, for a new patriotism to the Earth, grounded in an ethics of ecological and social sustainability and political and humanitarian mobilization in the making of a new, more just and sustainable, world order. * Stephen Gill, York University *

Author Bio

Richard A. Falk is the Albert G. Milbank Professor of International Law and Practice, Emeritus at Princeton University, and was Visiting Distinguished Professor in Global and International Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is a member of the Editorial Boards of The Nation and The Progressive, and Chair of the Board of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. He is a former advisory board member of the World Federalist Institute and the American Movement for World Government. He served a six-year term as United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian Territories. During 19992000, Falk worked on the Independent International Commission on Kosovo. He is the author of over twenty books.

Sasha Milonova is a political economist by training, and a writer, researcher, and activist. She has also produced an award-winning documentary short.