World government is the notion of a single common political authority for all of humanity. Its modern conception is rooted in European history, particularly in the philosophy of ancient Greece, in the political formation of the Roman Empire, and in the subsequent struggle between secular authority, represented by the Holy Roman Emperor, and ecclesiastical authority, represented by the Pope.
As of 2012, there is no functioning global international military, executive, legislature, judiciary, or constitution, with jurisdiction over the entire planet. While the United Nations exists, its authority is limited to a mostly advisory role, and its stated purpose is to foster cooperation between existing national governments, rather than authority over them. Furthermore, there are several states which are not included in the United Nations.
Read more about World Government: Existing Regional Unions of Nations, United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, Current Global Governance System
Famous quotes containing the words world and/or government:
“Were civilization itself to be measured by some of its results, it would seem perhaps better for what we call the barbarous part of the world to remain unchanged.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)
“The root of the problem is not so much that our people have lost confidence in government, but that government has demonstrated time and again its lack of confidence in the people.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)