A Constitution for the Federation of Earth (Session 4)

How does a world of armed and suspicious states move to one governed by law, and who goes first? The fourth session took up the Constitution’s answer in Articles 17 to 19, along with the commentary chapter.

About the Book

A Constitution for the Federation of Earth: With Historical Introduction, Commentary and Conclusion presents the Earth Constitution drafted and adopted by the World Constituent Assemblies between 1968 and 1991, and not yet ratified by any nation, with Glen T. Martin’s commentary on its design: a World Parliament, a world judiciary, enforceable world law and the protection of human rights and the planet’s ecology. The World Citizen Book Club of Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS) read the Constitution over five monthly sessions in 2021.

About the Author

Glen T. Martin is a professor of philosophy at Radford University and president of the World Constitution and Parliament Association, which has promoted the Earth Constitution since the 1970s. He has written widely on world federation, democratic world law and the philosophy of global citizenship.

Discussion Highlights

Glen T. Martin explained ratification in three operative stages, each with three options: preliminary ratification by 25 nations, confirmed by referendums; 10 nations plus 50 world electoral districts; or 100 electoral districts voting directly, with no government involved. Disarmament begins in earnest only in the second stage, though weapons of mass destruction are handed over earlier. He described Article 18 as a living-document clause that requires review within ten years and every twenty years after, and Article 19 as the basis for the provisional World Parliament.

Members pressed on sequencing: why would any nation join or disarm before others do, and what protects early members from holdouts? Martin answered that the process is gradual, depends on open communication, and can be amended. Others asked about citizens’ duties, whether an emergency such as a pandemic could justify limiting rights, how the Constitution compares with proposals to reform the United Nations, and how to get involved. Martin also described scheduled Parliament sessions that fell through when visas were denied.

The World Citizen Book Club meets online on the second Saturday of each month and is open to anyone, whether you have read the book or not. See what the club is reading next.