GIN

By Rischard
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Matt:

Interesting points. I'm flattered that your group started with High Noon. Here are some brief comments ( I am travelling a lot and am alittle rushed):

Some of the issues on your list are indeed formidably important, even critical ones, such as the future of China, democracy in the ME, and the place of the US in the world. But unlike for the 20 problems on my tentative list, the question of global problem-solving and of the methodology we shoud use for it (the real topic of my book) does not really come up for your type of issues. Why and how would the "place of the US in the world" be the subject of a global problem-solving effort?

Nor do I think that it is helpful to gather all six environmental problems on my list under a very broad and abstract category called "sustainability" as you suggest. See why on page 190 where I refer to Christopher Alexander's book.

There may be many loose networks (of NGOs etc.) operating, but there aren't yet any global issues networks of the type I am describing, the GINs. GINs would be flexible yet highly organized networks kickstarted by multilateral organizations with a tri-sector composition, 3 phases, and a norm-setting and then naming-and-shaming role that would be far more structured, solemn and globally acknowledged than the loose networks you're alluding to. Nor do any of these loose nerworks use the peculiar methodology I describe (code of conduct, rough consensus, deliberative polling, etc).

Nation-states remain central in the new global problem-solving environment I describe, of course. GINs won't an can't end up doing the latters' job at all, you're right, and the book does not imply this at all. What GINs do is, as you rightly say it, is to raise the profile of global issues, but they even go much further, and they provide, through the detailed standards, norms and ratings they produce, each country's electorate with a new and additional way to judge their politicians and drive them into the direction of greater global citizenship --beyond merely local, short-term concerns. That's precisely where GINs could end up wielding a powerful influence, even where that country's current government may be quite reluctant.

I hope you and your partners keep on thinking about all this and keep coming up with challenging thoughts; thanks for entering the forum.

jfrischard