Toward a Democratic and Collectively Rational Global Commonwealth: Semi-Peripheral Transformation in a Post-Peak World-System

Abstract

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s proclamation of the need for ‘a just and democratic world order, based on collective action,’ made as part of the country’s new Foreign Policy Strategy, was a striking move in support of a framework for global governance. While still largely couched in nation-state terms, and of course providing Russia with a central role in its formation and operation, the call for a ‘polarless world’ with greater input from a larger number of people is noteworthy to say the least. A global democratic state, and more precisely, a democratic and collectively rational global commonwealth, is not just an attractive alternative to the current core-dominated interstate system and world economy, it is essential if humanity is to successfully navigate its way through imminent crises; for example, economic failure, resource shortages, environmental degradation, disease, and warfare (Chase-Dunn and Lerro 2008).