Global governance is here—but not where most people think. This book presents the far-reaching argument that not only should we have a new world order but that we already do. Anne-Marie Slaughter asks us to completely rethink how we view the political world. It’s not a collection of nation states that communicate through presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers, and the United Nations. Nor is it a clique of NGOs. It is governance through a complex global web of “government networks.”
Slaughter provides the most compelling and authoritative description to date of a world in which government officials—police investigators, financial regulators, even judges and legislators—exchange information and coordinate activity across national borders to tackle crime, terrorism, and the routine daily grind of international interactions. National and international judges and regulators can also work closely together to enforce international agreements more effectively than ever before. These networks, which can range from a group of constitutional judges exchanging opinions across borders to more established organizations such as the G8 or the International Association of Insurance Supervisors, make things happen—and they frequently make good things happen. But they are underappreciated and, worse, underused to address the challenges facing the world today.
The modern political world, then, consists of states whose component parts are fast becoming as important as their central leadership. Slaughter not only describes these networks but also sets forth a blueprint for how they can better the world. Despite questions of democratic accountability, this new world order is not one in which some “world government” enforces global dictates. The governments we already have at home are our best hope for tackling the problems we face abroad, in a networked world order.
Awards and Recognition
- Finalist for the 2004 Lionel Gelber Prize
- One of Times Literary Supplement's International Books of the Year for 2004
- Honorable Mention for the 2004 Award Award for Best Professional/Scholarly Book in Government and Political Science, Association of American Publishers
"[An] important [book]. By showing how today's world—of what she calls 'disaggregated states'—actually works, Slaughter cuts the ground away from nationalists and internationalists alike. This, she says, is how it is, for America and everyone else. She also, quite clearly, believes that this how it should be . . . because nothing else will work. . . . I have absolutely no doubt that Slaughter is on to something."—Tony Judt, New York Review of Books
"Breaking new ground in international relations theory, Slaughter . . . offers genuinely original thinking. . . . [A New World Order] generates much discussion about foreign policy."—Publishers Weekly
"[A] major new statement about modern global governance. . . . Particularly revealing is Slaughter's remarkable account of the cooperation between national judicial authorities and international and regional courts."—Foreign Affairs
"[A] groundbreaking book, a striking combination of both pragmatism and vision. . . . Slaughter represents the cutting intellectual edge of this decade's new way of thinking about global governance."—Kenneth Anderson, Harvard Law Review
"This excellent, thought-provoking analysis covers a widespread but little studied shift in the way the world works."—Financial Times/getAbstract
"The new world order of network governance will be a better place, especially if the reforms proposed by Slaughter are adopted and networks open up, enabling broader participation and increased accountability."—Andras Sajo, International Journal of Constitutional Law
"One of the most important issues the world must deal with today is how sovereign countries can join together to make globalization work for everyone—not just the privileged. I believe that one way we can start to achieve this is by strengthening the Finance Ministers' G-20, and perhaps advancing a similar concept to the Leaders' level. In October 2003, I met with Anne-Marie Slaughter at a meeting organized by The Centre for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo, Ontario, where we discussed this concept in great detail. At the roundtable, Ms. Slaughter presented a number of original and innovative ways to bolster the G-20. I was impressed—her ideas were a fresh approach on how the world should govern itself. I believe that it will be her type of intellectual rigour and ingenuity that will bring to fruition new ways to manage our interdependence. Ms. Slaughter's work in global governance is highly regarded amongst international development thinkers and doers. This book, reflecting years of research and experience, is both interesting and timely. As you read, think deeply about the proposed ideas, and how we can use multilateralism to solve issues that single nations cannot solve alone. Greater human understanding is crucial in order to solve complex international problems. Ms. Slaughter has proven to have a clear grasp on how to improve the situation. I urge you to read on."—Paul Martin, Prime Minister of Canada
"A brilliant analysis of global networks emerging as if guided by an invisible hand. A 'must read' for anyone puzzling over issues of governance on a world scale, Anne-Marie Slaughter's book illustrates important trends that, whether you like them or not, will make you think hard and long."—George P. Shultz, former Secretary of State
"Anne-Marie Slaughter is a visionary, and A New World Order is her manifesto. Even those who have long studied international relations will see the world differently after reading this book."—Robert O. Keohane, James B. Duke Professor of Political Science, Duke University, author of After Hegemony: Cooperation and Discord in the World Political Economy
"Just when we thought America's postwar multilateralism had run out of steam, along comes this splendid book to offer a cornucopia of prescient forward-thinking about the new ties that bind us to the world."—Thomas M. Franck, New York University School of Law
"Global interdependence requires governance, but we properly fear global government. Anne-Marie Slaughter suggests an innovative solution to the dilemma. Her intelligent and highly readable book describes how global governance can occur through government networks that harness national government officials to address international problems. This book is a major contribution to an important debate."—Joseph S. Nye, Jr., author of The Paradox of American Power: Why the World's Only Superpower Can't Go It Alone
"In today's world one sees global networks everywhere, from capital markets to illegal drugs to terrorism. Now government is also going global, writes Anne-Marie Slaughter in this important and original work. Slaughter persuasively documents the rise of an organic international order based not on grand theories of world government but rather day-to-day contacts and communications among governments. She presents a vision of global governance that is practical and yet could have profound normative implications. Going well beyond the traditional confines of international law and international relations, this book will be discussed in both fields for years to come."—Fareed Zakaria, Editor, Newsweek International
"In this very ambitious, unique, and clearly written book, Anne-Marie Slaughter not only turns her focus to relatively uncharted territory but she does so with a very systematic and thoughtful analysis of not just what is going on, but why it is going on, and where it is likely to go in the future. No other book does this."—Sean D. Murphy, author of Humanitarian Intervention: The United Nations in an Evolving World Order
"This long-anticipated book represents the accumulation of more than a decade of insights by Anne-Marie Slaughter on the disaggregation of the state and the decentralization of diplomacy, the growing links across national boundaries of functionally specialized state officials, and new crossnational networks to fulfill the tasks of global governance."—Lori F. Damrosch, Columbia University, author of International Law Cases and Materials
