Home Page - Towards real democracy and better global governance

Since taking office for the second time President Trump is making controversial and disruptive pronouncements on a daily basis, which are having widespread geoeconomic and geopolitical ramifications.

The massive and unsustainable interest payments on US debt and the enormous US trade imbalance need to be addressed. On April 2 2025 ("Liberation Day") President Trump announced sweeping new tariffs on some of the largest US trading partners, saying that the US had been "..pillaged, raped and plundered.." for years by its international trade partners.

An alternative reading of the situation is that in 1971 President Nixon unilaterally ended the gold standard, which seeded a new form of 'global' capitalism and financial speculation. Many corporations, including large US corporates, found it cost effective to shift their manufacturing activities to countries where labour costs and environmental regulations were much lower than those in their home countries. From this perspective it is difficult to view the US as a victim in these developments.

President Trump's action has caused turmoil on global stock markets as affected US trading partners consider how best to respond. Many other countries also have large debt interest payments. It is estimated that his "big, beautiful bill", signed into law on July 4 2025, will add in excess of three trillion dollars over the next ten years to the already massive federal deficits. Its purpose is primarily to fund tax cuts and additional spending on border security, defence, and energy production. It remains to be seen as to what the effects of these interventions will be.

Consistent with his "America first" policy, President Trump is seeking to reduce US defence commitments to countries which have hitherto relied upon US backing. This action is causing widespread concern and uncertainty as countries have to review their defence budgets accordingly.

As recently as 13 June 2025, against a background of an ongoing proxy war between Iran and Israel, Israel mounted an unexpected attack on Iran. The main declared justification was to set back Iran's nuclear fuel enrichment programme, which many believe to have gone beyond the level of enrichment necessary for civil nuclear power. Iran's most strategically important and heavily protected uranium enrichment facility is at Fordo, which is set deep within a mountain, and only the US has the weapons capability to attempt to disable it. Within just over a week of intense missile exchanges between Israel and Iran, the US executed "Operation Midnight Hammer"; a massive and sophisticated surprise bombing raid on three of Iran's key nuclear sites, which included targeting twelve "bunker-busting" bombs at Fordo. It is only possible to speculate on how the full ramifications of this high risk mission will unfold.

After two years of Israel pulverising Gaza in response to the original attack by Hamas, President Trump's 20-point plan to address the Israel-Gaza war and the broader Middle Eastern crisis brings a glimmer of hope. But there is a long way to go yet.

Russia's war on Ukraine continues.

Inconvenient truths

The most serious global predicaments/ problems are human-caused. They are created either directly, or indirectly, by those controlling the status quo.

History shows time and again that weapons proliferation, war, and conflict are not the way to secure and sustain peace. To risk the potential deployment of weapons of mass destruction is insane. Unfortunately those in power invariably choose to exert control through force rather than co-operate through diplomacy.

At this stage of human evolution we can only hope that the political and economic élites who control the 'superpowers' (political entities which could deploy the most destructive weapons?) will somehow restrain their inclinations to resort to devastating force to settle their differences.

The human suffering and devastation caused by war can continue long after the war has ended. If or when reconstruction starts in Gaza, for example, it is to be expected that more bodies, and unexploded ordnance, will be uncovered. Decades after the Vietnam war, unexploded munitions continue to cause deaths, injuries and hinder development. At the current rate of progress in that country, it is estimated that it could take a century or more to clear. How long in the case of Gaza?

Somehow our leaders need to be persuaded to co-operate peacefully towards developing a fit-for-purpose system of global governance; a system which views nation-states as populations of fellow human-beings, and not as rival-economies separated by borders to be played by those with vested interests (TwVI).

These days meaningful democracy has become so corrupted and compromised that many people actually appear to believe that their interests might be better served by more dictatorial regimes. The general trend in nation-state politics appears to be moving away from genuine democracy towards more autocracy.

Home for most people is ideally within a nation-state, with shared socio-cultural roots and values. But the present nation-state geopolitical/geoeconomic structure is part of the problem. National governments inevitably prioritise citizens within their jurisdiction over those in other nations, while global markets promote commercial rivalries between states, under the guise of promoting healthy competition. A nation-state mentality can feed disputes and tend to drive a "them and us" mindset. History has demonstrated that institutionalised religion can also fuel divisions between people.

The conventional wisdom, epitomised by the familiar phrase "survival of the fittest", seems to vindicate the actions of the state in maintaining law and order. But in times of war we have all seen that war crimes proliferate, and that ordinary citizens suffer appallingly. Those "over the border" are viewed as enemies; and not as human beings who just want to live in peace. Instead war creates more ruined lives, more dead bodies, more heaps of rubble, and more hatred and vengefulness.

The killing of innocents by an aggressor is recognised as morally wrong, and even in war is regarded as a violation of international law, whether it is carried out by rebel groups or by a nation-state military command. If rebel groups do not represent their fellow countrymen and women, their actions are like those of dictators.

A less well publicised insight of Darwin, which informs an emergent materialist natural science perspective on altruism, is that: "selfish individuals might out-compete altruists within groups, but internally altruistic groups out-compete selfish groups". This perspective provides a larger context for a common humanity; which is at the core of all genuine spiritual teachings. In the words of the well known song; "love is all we need".

An ultimately fundamental inconvenient truth is that we all live in a shared biosphere. The implications of this fact are never given sufficient priority by those with vested interests (TwVI). If the necessary political action keeps being deferred, we are heading for a climate catastrophe. By which time it will be too late.

The habitability of the planet is entering a critical phase. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Office (UNHCR) has estimated that by mid 2024 there were over 120 million forcibly displaced citizens across the world. The UNHCR projects that by 2050 the number will be over 1 billion. This situation ought to be widely recognised as deeply shocking, given that the displacements are human-caused; largely due to war and conflict, climate change-related events, and poverty.

Governments may accept "economic migrants" to make up for employment shortfalls; at their discretion and on the terms of the respective nation-states. But the "immigration of illegals" is viewed very differently; as witnessed by the response of many leaders in the US, Europe, and the UK.

It is understandable that this is becoming a hot political issue because, as with unsustainable nation-state debt, it publicly reflects the beginning of a breakdown in the established world order. Furthermore, it is highly visible evidence that the prevailing dominant policy of overconsumptive environmentally unsustainable economic growth, on a finite planet, is not a fit-for-purpose governance concept.

The adverse consequences of decades of cumulative cost externalities are becoming increasingly apparent; for example, human-caused climate change, and plastic pollution of the oceans. Cost externalities are the unwanted side effects of providing a product or service which are intentionally ignored by the provider in order to maximise (their) profits.

This poses a headache for the authorities. Progress towards solutions remains stalled in a general paralysis of denial, which is exacerbated by the straitjacket of global market competition between nation-states, and of the monetary system. During financial crises the default excuse for propping up the central banks is that they are "too big to (be allowed to) fail". Now it seems that the systemic dysfunction is just "too big a task to change".

Website Overview

The present state of the world provides undeniable evidence of serious dysfunction in global governance. To avert global catastrophe we all need to wake up and collaborate before it is too late.

The Doomsday clock was reset to 89 seconds before midnight on January 28 2025; the closest to midnight since it was started in 1947.

The potential East-West conflict scenarios described in (Hagger, 2022)¹ are gravely concerning.

For decades, countless initiatives by dedicated concerned citizens and activists to move towards a more humane and environmentally sustainable type of governance structure have been persistently blocked by 'the authorities' - even including key recommendations from major UN Summits. This is extremely frustrating for all but the blockers, and must be absolutely devastating for those whose lives are ruined by the adverse consequences of ongoing failed governance.

In general, anything which increases regulation, to the detriment of short term profit, is strongly resisted by

.

The analysis described on this website argues that those controlling and implementing the Big 3 aspects of the prevailing governance system - whether directly or indirectly - are effectively responsible for all the major global human-caused problems affecting the habitability of the planet. Those of us who are overconsuming must also share some personal responsibility.

The present state of affairs has arisen from the following Big 3 political, economic and financial mandates.²

Whether we are considering global security - which includes global warming and climate change, public health, Artifical Intelligence (AI), or indeed any of the major human-caused global problems, the Big 3 are at the core of the dysfunction which needs to be fixed. Reform of the Big 3 must therefore be regarded as integral to any future developments in global governance if these major problems are ever to be reduced.

Much is expected from the UN. But as already mentioned, many previous UN recommendations have been blocked by

, as have many excellent citizen-initiatives. In general the UN has been inadequately funded by 'the authorities', and has been unable to realise its many important and commendable aspirations and goals, or achieve the prevention of so many of the world's problems.

With the current economic and monetary system, in the end, citizens pay for everything; either as taxpayers, customers, or as donors. And any of us could be paying in terms of suffering the adverse consequences of cumulative cost externalities inherent within this system; depending upon our circumstances.

Reasonably well-off citizens can influence the status quo; subject to the prevailing Big 3 rules. For example when society decided that slavery must be abolished, compensation had to be paid to the slave owners. In a similar vein a recent manifestation of steadily increasing legislative oppression called 'Corporate courts'- also known as Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) - allows large corporations which face increased regulation to sue governments for compensation for future lost profits!

Such evolutionary trends in corporate law, together with inadequately regulated AI, the surveillance society plus increasing control of citizens, are important reasons for necessary citizen-engagement and vigilance. Citizens in turn need to monitor the actions of 'the authorities' to hold them to account for both legal and non-binding commitments made, for example regarding EU Climate Law, and the COP Paris Agreement.

Wider citizen recognition that Big 3 dysfunctionality lies at the root of all the major human-caused global problems would provide common ground for single issue campaigns, which might otherwise have limited impact.

Reform of the Big 3 is necessary in order to begin to tackle the major human-caused global problems. But this will take years.

We do not have years to tackle the most pressing global problems. If we don't get on with addressing these, it will be too late.

To wait any longer for the authorities to halt further global warming, without us doing what we can, could be potentially catastrophic.

So we - all concerned citizens who care about the way the world is going - must focus on doing what we can to help safeguard the habitability of the planet. Most of us could do more to practically engage in relevant lifestyle changes and/or citizen action.

It is evident that even to persuade those of us who overconsume to become 'citizen-reducers' meets with great resistance. Overconsumers who do not want to get involved in citizen action themselves might however be prepared to provide some independent funding support for relevant citizen action projects.

Those who feel disempowered by TwVI and their ilk really need to consider participating in constructive and peaceful activities which could lead towards progressive reform of the

.

Notwithstanding the history of total intransigence by the status quo, and the ongoing erosion of democracy and consequential disempowerment of activists everywhere, new Citizens' Assemblies are evolving acround the world. They are tackling a variety of issues which concern them, and are proving inspirational. In 2021 at COP26 the first online Global Citizens' Assembly was launched, marking a shift in the way global governance is conducted. Behind the scenes work is continuing, and a permanent Global Citizens' Assembly is to be launched in 2025 at COP30.⁴ This will give citizens a voice on the governance of global issues such as global warming and climate change, public health, and AI.

Citizens' Assemblies and the permanent Global Citizens' Assembly offer a promising way forward. However independent sources of funding will be essential to support such citizen action, and the wide range of pilot studies needed to seed developments towards a fit-for-purpose global governance system. Several examples of such pilot studies are outlined on this website. One of these studies considers the political implications of a mandatory internalisation of all costs (MIAC) based economy.⁵

For the sake of all life on the planet, we have to hope that the life-priorities of enough capable individuals might be mustered to facilitate change in the right direction, before it is too late.

But will we act? And in time?

[The Case] contains the main overall website narrative, including a Preview and a final section on what citizens can do [The Case: Citizen action] ⁶.

[The Case] is supported by webpages containing more detailed substantiation.

Menu icon, as fixed at the top left of the screen. Provides navigation links to all pages on the site.

Notes

¹  Hagger, N. (2022). The Fall of the West: A Warning to the Western World. O-Books.

Future global governance scenarios^[PS]

²   Global capitalism^[TC]

³  In international law, with regard to the need for national security and consequent relations between nation-states, self-defence is a legal basis for war. Apart from self-defence, war is illegal. Attacking civilians is a war crime.

Foundations of nation-state governance: two primary tablets-of-stone^[TC]

⁴  Legendre, É. (2024). "A global and permanent citizens’ assembly on transition issues should be set up by 2025". United Nations Foundation. Originally published March 26, 2024 in AEF info (French).
A global and permanent citizens’ assembly on transition issues should be set up by 2025.

⁵   Speculations on the political implications of a

based economy^[TC]

⁶ Citizen action^[TC]

Ok, so what can I do?^[TC]

I am Paul Hope, a private individual and the author and developer of this website.

The content is based on many years of engagement with environmental sustainability issues.

Thank you for visiting the site.

Evolving context, as reported in the Western media

Inconvenient truths

Website Overview