What if all governments pledged allegiance to the UN as the chief authority?

I have no idea, I guess it would be a wait and see type thing.

One world government?

Governments are in power because they hold a monopoly on violence. The only way “allegiance” to the UN would work is if the UN had a monopoly on violence. They need to smack the hand of any country that gets out of line.

And, the wishful thinking butts up against deep cultural issues. What works in the US and Canada doesn’t work in Asia or most of Africa.

Good point about the violence monopoly. Maybe that’s one thing that would change: The US would truly become the World Police

One world government.. sort of. I imagine each government would still be in place but they could be vetoed by the reps at the UN.

It will never happen, and it would fail if someone tried it.

No country is going to hand over its sovereignty to some other organization. No country’s military would take orders from anyone but their chain of command.

UN members are an unruly mob. Suppose all the arab countries decide to vote against anything the US proposes? Right now, when they do that, nothing is broken. But f the US gives up sovereignty to the UN, that we’re the victim of a bunch of small minded governments that would be ruling the UN.

This is a repulsive idea.

There would be no wars, no need for the military and a more even distribution of wealth between rich and poor countries.

GOD FORBID!!!!!

@flutherother – not a chance. You’re dreaming.

One government doesn’t erase all conflict. You will still have “independence” movements all over the world.

And by what mechanism will you redistribute all this wealth? Confiscate from the rich? How will you manage that?

THis is basically like socialism. Doomed to failure.

If all governments pledged allegiance to the UN they wouldn’t fight among themselves. It might not erase all conflict but it would eliminate the really destructive wars that are fought between countries. The poor would be helped by the rich through taxation. I think this would all follow from a world government unlikely though it is that we will see such a governed established.

Unless the US were capo de tutti capi, there is ABSOLUTELY NO chance of this ever happening.

If the entire world pledged allegiance to the US, we could kiss any and all investments in infrastructure good bye, privatize everything, monopolize everything to the point where innovation dwindles due to lack of competition, and then we’d have a Civil War on our hands due to an untenable divide that makes the one we currently have between the factions within our “two countries under one government” nation look minor.

The very notion is enough to lather up conservatives who are always ready to accuse anyone left of Genghis Khan with working toward that exact purpose.

@stanleybmanly – I’m not a conservative by any means. I just think that the idea is unrealistic and unworkable. That doesn’t make me Genghis Khan, it makes me rational.

And you aren’t lathered up either, so I suppose I’m not talking about you.

It’s possible to have a world view without the nightmare of a world government.

@SecondHandStoke Technically, yes. However, there are plenty of people in America who think the only reason any government should exist is to build roads, maintain a strong military, and punish those of alternative lifestyles (homosexuals, non-Christians, non-Whites, Liberals… basically everyone not like them). Oh, and they have no right to collect taxes in order to do so.

For them, any threat that someone (even the US government) may be able to stop them is a threat to be met with “Second Amendment solutions”. What makes you think those people are even capable of having a world view that doesn’t include nightmares of a New World Order? You would think that that right there would let them know how small a minority they are, but that sort of insight would take more brains than I am willing to credit them with.