About Us
The World Federalist Institute (WFI) is an educational program of Citizens for Global Solutions. It facilitates debate, discussion, and sharing of research and writings on the principle of federalism and its applicability to resolving global problems which nations cannot solve alone. The goal of the Institute is the investigation and development of pragmatic proposals that would ultimately lead to the creation of a democratic global political system of a federal structure.
Through submitting policy recommendations to Citizens for Global Solutions, the Institute aims to provide the organization the capacity to consider innovative solutions to some of the most fundamental policy challenges facing the world today.
Topics that the Institute may address include assessment and reform of member state voting at the United Nations, the creation of an international emergency police force, supporting the spread of democracy around the world, and limiting the occurrence and scope of war, genocide and humanitarian disasters.
WFI operates through an interactive website that includes a Citizens for Global Solutions Discussion Forum (see link in center) to discuss any relevant issues, as well as a Fellows Forum that will encourage open debate and discussion of new ideas. Fellows will also introduce and discuss policy papers and provide answers to policy questions being explored by Citizens for Global Solutions.
Mission
The World Federalist Institute (WFI) serves as Citizens for Global Solutions' think tank by promoting debate, discussion and sharing research on the principle of federalism and its applicability to resolving global problems nations cannot solve alone. One goal of the WFI is to develop pragmatic proposals ultimately leading to the creation of a democratic global political system with a federal structure.
Through a select body of academics, activists and intellectuals, the WFI considers innovative solutions to some of the most fundamental policy challenges facing the world today.
- A secure world - more democratic and effective member state voting at the United Nations and the creation of an international emergency police force.
- A connected world - support for the spread of democracy around the world, protection against starvation and human rights abuses in any country by the global community.
- A livable world - raising global public health standards to protect against malnutrition and infectious diseases, setting global standards for sustainable development, arresting global warming.
- A just world - where the International Criminal Court is universally accepted to try human rights cases if nations lack the will or ability to do so, and the International Court of Justice has universal jurisdiction on disputes between nations.
History
When the World Federalist Association merged with the Campaign for UN Reform in January, 2004, to become Citizens for Global Solutions, the World Federalist Institute was created to carry on the tradition of studying and advocating world federation.
The World Federalist Association (WFA) - initially the United World Federalists - was created in Asheville, North Carolina, in November of 1947. Its mission was to "work to create a world federal government with authority to enact, interpret and enforce world law adequate to maintain peace." Under the leadership of national figures such as Oscar Hammerstein, Norman Cousins, E.B. White, and University of Chicago President Robert Hutchins, UWF secured 111 co-sponsors for a bill in favor of a strengthened United Nations in the U.S. Congress, and succeeded in getting twenty-three state legislations to pass resolutions in support of world federation.
Other early achievements included a campaign to establish the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (1961), a campaign for U.S. support of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1969) and active support of negotiations on a Law of the Sea Treaty (1970's.) From the late 1980's on, WFA was a leading supporter of a treaty to create an International Criminal Court, culminating in the creation of the treaty in Rome, August, 1998, where World Federalists played a key leadership role in organizing backing for the ICC by the NGO community.
The World Federalist Institute (WFI) seeks to carry on this tradition in CGS through studying the most effective pathways to world federation, submitting policy recommendations for long-term solutions to global problems, and presenting workshops and forums at national meetings of CGS. WFI's Fellows' Forum, consisting of over thirty distinguished scholars and activists, is in the process of preparing recommendations to CGS on two long-term programs: creating a global index for evaluating the international behavior of nations, and reviving or replacing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It has presented panels at CGS Annual Meetings in June, 2004, October, 2005 and November, 2006.
At the next CGS Annual Meeting, in Minneapolis, October 26-28, WFI will present several workshops comprising most of the program, tentatively entitled "Steps on the Road to a Just and Enduring Peace." The last session of the program will be a visionary look at the world in 2057 (50 years from now), if humanity can get the most urgent global problems under control by then.
Fellows
Individually our Fellows are all active in their communities and other organizations advocating the ideas of world peace through world law. Fellows also introduce and discuss policy papers and provide answers to policy questions being explored by CGS. Click here for a full listing of Fellows.
Work
When the World Federalist Association merged with the Campaign for UN Reform in January, 2004, to become Citizens for Global Solutions, the World Federalist Institute was created to carry on the tradition of studying and advocating world federation.
The first steps in bringing WFI into existence were to create a Steering Committee, currently at nine members, and a Fellows Forum of scholars and activists, currently at thirty-three, including the Steering Committee and the WFI Director. As of Sept.1, 2007, WFI has had two Steering Committee chairs, Lucy Law Webster and Ron Glossop, and one Director, Scott Hoffman.
Topics that the WFI addresses include exploring long-term structural solutions in each of CGS' program areas:
US Global Engagement
Global Health and Environment
International Institutions
International Law and Justice
Peace and Security
In addition to ongoing semi-formal conversations on many aspects of foreign policy and world federalism, the Fellows Forum has engaged in two major queries from CGS staff: 1)The advisability of CGS's creating (or sponsoring the creation of) a Global Index to measure the international responsibility of nations, and 2) The viability of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) given that it has been violated in several ways and also has never achieved its ancillary goal of disarming the nuclear powers.
In December, 2006, the first query resulted in a report to CGS staff recommending that the organization pursue the creation of a Global Index and choose between using part-time in-house staff or forming a liaison with a university international affairs department. The report was tentatively accepted by CGS's Program's Team, which requested that WFI set up a methodology for running the Index and test it on a small number of countries. This test is now being set up.
In spring of 2007, WFI issued an interim report on the NPT query, which noted that some Fellows thought the NPT could be repaired and others that it must be replaced by a more comprehensive disarmament mechanism, with the report raising the possibility that the two solutions might be two parts of the same process. The WFI Director expects that remaining questions will be dealt with, more Fellows brought into the conversation, and a final report submitted in fall of 2007.
WFI presented panels at CGS Annual Meetings in June, 2004, November, 2005 and November, 2006. At the next CGS Annual Meeting, in Minneapolis, October 26-28, WFI will present a series of four workshops comprising most of the program, tentatively entitled "Steps on the Road to a Just and Enduring Peace." Working titles for the workshops are: Weighted Voting at the United Nations, Building Just and Lasting Peace From a Global South Perspective, ICC and UNEPS, and Thinking Way Ahead: What will the world look like in 2057? This last session will be a visionary preview of the world fifty years from now, if humanity can get the most urgent global problems under control by then.
Another achievement of WFI has been the creation of this set of activity-based webpages by WFI Fellow and former intern Mariel Mckone Leonard. The webpages serve as a mechanism for educating and engaging the public about the global governance debate. Each season we will feature an important idea or project that the WFI is studying. The webpages also feature a Discussion Forum that encourages open debate and discussion of new ideas.
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