Opinion: New global governance without conflict?

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Europe

The League of Nations was formed after World War I, the United Nations (UN) and associated bodies were formed after World War II. Can a new global governance be created without a crisis?

A short answer to the question is yes we can, and we can not afford the cost of the failure.

In 1949 Albert Einstein said, “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones”. It is quite clear that the mission must be accomplished without a crisis that would threaten the security of the global community.

CGTN Photo

First, in a world where weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are already in the hands of great powers, we can not afford another conflict on the scale of the previous world wars that led to the creation of the League of Nations and the UN. We must do everything to avoid the onset of such a conflict in our world.

Second, the great development of the UN and relevant organs already laid out a proper framework for the further structuring of global governance, which could fit the requirements of today’s world. Since 1945, and especially after the peaceful end of Cold War, the UN and associated bodies have done a lot in pushing forward peace, security, stability and prosperity in the world.

With the cooperation of all members of the UN, especially the constructive cooperation among great powers represented by the P5 (China, the US, Russia, the UK, France), a practical way has been taking shape.

This kind of development provides a proper foundation for the new order of global governance.

CGTN Photo

Third, the collective efforts to solve global issues, such as fighting global warming, curbing the spread of WMD, ensuring the security of global cyberspace, and countering cross border organized crime, will encourage the creation of a new global governance without a crisis.

VCG Photo

Last but not the least, it’s quite clear that we should and can push forward the moderate and constructive reform of the already existing structure of global governance represented by the UN and associated bodies.

As General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping mentioned in his report at the opening session to the 19th CPC National Congress, China, one of the most important emerging powers in the world, has decided to contribute a lot to push forward the reform of global governance that will lead to a world built, shared and governed by joint efforts.

It’s quite clear that the world has already changed a lot since the founding of the UN in 1945. We could still be optimistic about the reform and building of a new global governance without any crisis, since we already have enough wisdom and capacity to accomplish the mission properly.

(The author is a research fellow at the Center for Communication and State Governance Research, Fudan University. The article reflects the author's opinion, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.)