When we talk about globalization, we tend to focus on its social and
economic benefits. In Governance in the New Global Disorder, the
political philosopher Daniel Innerarity considers its unsettling and
largely unacknowledged consequences. The "opening" of different
societies to new ideas, products, and forms of prosperity has introduced
a persistent uncertainty, or disorder, into everyday life. Multinational
corporations have weakened sovereignty. We no longer know who is in
control or who is responsible. Economies can collapse without sufficient
warning, and the effort to rebuild can drag on for years. Piracy is
everywhere. Is there any way to balance the interests of state,
marketplace, and society in this new construct of power?
Since national economies have become deterritorialized and political
interdependencies aggravate our common vulnerabilities, Innerarity
contends that there is no other solution except to move toward global
governance and a denationalization of justice. Globalization tries to
unify the world through technologies, the economy, and cultural products
and styles, but it cannot articulate or regulate political and legal
equivalents. Everyone faces the same risks to their security, food
supply, health, financial stability, and environment, and these risks
demand a new global politics of humanity. In her foreword, the
sociologist Saskia Sassen isolates the key takeaways from Innerarity's
argument and the solutions they present to growing global tensions.
