The Pursuit of International Justice: Present Dilemmas and an Imagined Future
Author(s)
Falk, Richard
Abstract
Obstacles of an ideological and structural character complicate the pursuit of international justice during this early phase of globalization. At the same time, several developments associated with globalization are encouraging to those committed to the promotion of international justice. The most salient obstacles arise from the persisting fragmentation of the world in reference to sovereign territorial states, and the widespread acceptance of efficiency and competitiveness criteria as the basis for assessing economic performance. The most promising developments arise from the plausibility of conceiving the world as a unity and from the beginnings of a global civil society due to the efforts of transnational social forces. This article is intended to clarify the character of both the obstacles and the opportunities associated with international justice at this time in history. Five dilemmas are identified in this discussion that arise from efforts to promote international justice within the non-ideal conditions of the world as we find it. This article concludes with a consideration of ways in which the transformation of the character of world order could greatly enhance the realization of international justice with far fewer disappointments and debilitating compromises than seem necessary within the present global setting.
