United Nations

            One cannot help but feel fortunate to live in a country such as Canada; its richness and prosperity go relatively unequaled in the world. Canadians, to an extent, have lived a life of sheltered ignorance when compared to the lives experienced by those in other nations. The problems that the greater part of the world faces daily, and expects in the future, are inconceivable to those in wealthy nations.
             World peace through international government and law is an ancient idea that has mightily fastened itself on the minds of people throughout the ages. Never before, however, has the human race been so close to inaugurating this Utopian ideal of establishing and empowering government on a planetary scale. As it stands today, world government can be compared to communism - both can be viewed as ideals of a perfect society, but neither has proven to work effectively in practice.
             The world's citizens are living in an era of dramatic change and transition. In a world that is being transformed by complex financial systems and revolutionary information technologies into a vast global marketplace, an effective international system of law is needed now more than ever. The United Nations is creating new patterns of interaction among people and states, promising unprecedented opportunities for material progress in larger freedom, but also threatening to compound many existing challenges before the international community. In this manner, the U.N. is deepening the economic marginalization of the worlds most vulnerable and impoverished nations.
             Another opinion is that a truly effective world government would necessitate worldwide force and unprecedented power on a global scale. This is what the advocates of an "empowered United Nations are really after. What is most disturbing is that they have nearly succeeded in grasping hold of this power, without most inhabitants of this planet having the slightest idea of what is being planned for them.