bla bal Essays - Politics, World Government, Constitution

The main question is-would some kind of international federation under present conditions strengthen the trend for material integration, so as to make of it a general and positive foundation for peace? A federation comes into being for certain specific ends, and for those only. A federation unites, but it also restricts. It rests on a rigid division of powers and functions between territorial authorities which have equal status; and that division is usually and necessarily laid down in a written constitution provided with an armoury of safeguards against its being lightly tampered with. An inter- national federation, to come into being at all, would have to start upon a very narrow basis and very rigid arrangements as to form and functions; and the reluctance to allow these to be disturbed would be correspondingly deeper In an international federation every adaptation, every amendment, would have to pass the gauntlet of jealous discussions between countries which have newly come together and differ in their political background. Even in agreed common matters the pace is that of the slowest member of the federation; issues which divide deeply have to be skirted. But in our time conditions and needs and problems are apt to change rapidly. The constitution would have to be continuously adapted, or the difficulty of doing this would hobble the life and government of the federation. . The explanation may be found in a recent article on sovereignty by Professor Levin,2 a leading Soviet jurist, who uses this very argument-that any and every people must be free to transform its social organization with full power of its own to do so, and without external interference or complications. Professor Levin is obviously right in assuming that this would not be possible under some rigid and comprehensive form of political association. If a federal House cannot be half free and half slave, neither can it be half capi- talist and half communist. Every attempt at deep change in one part would put in jeopardy the persistence of the whole; for the alternative would appear to the legalists as disruption, and to the reformers as stagnation When the present federations came into being, their chief central functions were common defence and foreign policy. If Governments have the welfare of their own peoples at heart they could let such organizations get to work; and if the organizations are successful and their number grows, world government will gradually evolve through their performance. From the point of view of normal daily life, to quote the late Professor Hobhouse, "the life of a community may be regarded as the sum of the functions performed by its members." And con- versely, one might add, the performance of a number of common functions is the way to create a normal community. If one were to visualize a map of the world showing economic and social activities, it would appear as an intricate web of interests and relations crossing and recrossing political divisions-not a fighting map of States and frontiers, but a map pulsating with the realities of everyday life. They are the natural basis for international organizations: and the task is to bring that map, which is a functioning reality, under joint international government, a t least in its essential lines. The political lines will then in time be overlaid and blurred by this web of joint relations and administration

Influence of Alcohol and Drug Addiction on Political socialization in America essays

Influence of Alcohol and Drug Addiction on Political socialization in America essays Effects of Drug and Alcohol Addiction on Political Socialization in America Political Socialization is the process, by which citizens of a particular region, nation, state, city, or country develop the ways in which they develop views and beliefs about the political issues of their respective areas. This process is developed in America, through this nations citizens families, peers, the media, and their political party involvement (if any). It is the intent of this research paper to show the reader how the rise in alcohol and drug addiction has had adverse effects on this process called political socialization, in America. The paper will lead the reader through the four influences in this process and show how addiction has a negative effect upon each . The first influence in a United States citizens life is the citizens family. The ways in which the family views political issues has a big effect on the ways that the individual also views these issues. Parents teach their children about the value of participating in the political system through their example and approval. Therefore, if the family has a strong addictive, anti-social tendency towards the political factions of their society, there will be a stong tendency towards the same anti-social perspective created in their children. In The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Volume 24, number 4, Jeanette Taylor, M.A. states that, after tabulation for the families of 35 delinquent, substance-abusing (multiple problem) adolescent males, as expected, a significant, positive correlation among conduct disorder, anti-social personality disorder, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse was found for each corresponding males family. It was concluded that identifying male multip le problem youths also identifies families with a high incidence of similar problems. This information states that a families tendencies are an almost m...