The Planetary Interest [Paperback]

This text suggests that contemporary political and institutional arrangements for problem-solving, based on sovereignty as a principle and the nation-state as a decision-making unit, are not equipped to handle such problems and that concepts and methods of decision-making are therefore needed to augment existing ones in dealing with the challenges of the 21st-century.; Kennedy Graham argues that, henceforth, the planet and humanity must be considered as a single-entity for decsion making purposes. He introduces and develops the idea of the planetary interest as a vital conceptual tool to assist citizens and policy-makers in understanding emerging global problems and approaching them with global solutions. The book includes contributions from 20 current or former politicians, who discuss the particular global problems threatening their countries, looking at the ways in which the planetary interest can help them pursue a legitimate national interest.Part 1: Introduction 1. The Planetary Interest 2. Legitimacy in Twenty-first Century Politics 3. The Legitimate National Interest and Legitimate Global Power Part 2: The Vital Planetary Interest and the Legitimate National Interest Part 2, Section 1: Global Strategic Security 4. Nuclear Disarmament 5. Chemical and Biological Disarmament Part 2, Section 2: Global Environmental Integrity 6. Ozone Protection 7. Climate Stabilization Part 2, Section 3: Global Sustainability 8. Population Stabilization 9. Development 10. Forest Management 11. Consumption 11.1 Introduction Part 3: The Vital Planetary Interest and Legitimate Global Power 12. Global Powers: Earth's planetary interest 13. Global and Regional Powers: Europe's regional interest 14. Global and National Powers: Britain's national interest 15. Global and Local Powers: Rome's municipal interest