A new world order is emerging. The current world order is based on nation-states (such as Australia, US, and UK).
Author of a paper on the possible futures for the UCA (PhD Thesis 2015) – Sight Magazine – CONVERSATIONS: KEITH SUTER, SCENARIO PLANNER From this week’s Leading Voice publication: The new order is being based on global corporations that are derived from information technology (such as Google/ Alphabet, Facebook/ Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, LinkedIn, and Amazon). We probably have as many daily interactions with these corporations – via their products and services – as we do with national governments. This is just the latest manifestation of how IT is transforming all our lives, for good or ill. The current world order is based on national borders, set territory, national defense forces, and national government control. The emerging new digital world order is not as tangible and yet it makes modern life possible. For example, banks are disappearing from city streets and more banking is being done online. Throughout much of the COVID pandemic schooling was done online. Committee meetings are now often held online – as are conference presentations. Algorithms get to know more about us than we know of ourselves. Citizens resent government interference in their daily lives, and yet they freely share all sorts of intimate information with IT providers. Every time a person does an online search, the algorithm gets to know a little more about that person’s tastes and interests. The big corporations are more economically powerful than some national governments. Apple, for example, has a larger national turnover than more half of the member-nations of the United Nations. All this is happening so fast that we have not had time to feel surprised. We need to think about how we are going to govern the emerging new digital world order. Or have we left it too late? oOo |
Open Discussion on Progressive Christianity
Open Dialogue and Inclusive Action in the Uniting Church in Australia, and with friends of the UCA. In our 24th year.
Dr Keith Suter
Big corporations at present depend on nation states both to regulate and to refrain from regulating. Regulators are not just a puppet show.
Nation States become beholden to corporations that grow so big they determine legislation in their own favour. If there was such a thing as complete integrity in government, the situation would be reversed. For economic reasons governments become dependent on the viability of big corporations. Plenty of examples in Australian polity.
I feel the discussion may have taken a turn from the point Keith may have been making in his article. It stands to reason that people have more dealings with business goods and services providers than with their own governments. However, the role of national governments in respect of citizens and institutions is far wider that just business economics. Having said this, business remains dependent on national governments for their social operating licence, a point brought home to me in over 20 years negotiating terms of new business ventures with sovereign governments, developed and emerging, around the world.