The notion of a single political organization encompassing the whole of humanity--a world state--has intrigued mankind since earliest recorded history. This book provides a concise yet comprehensive overview of the history of world government, and questions whether political globalization, in the form of a federal world government, could and should complement the ongoing processes of economic and cultural globalization.

While the potential peacekeeping advantage of such a state is obvious, the consensus judgment has always been against it, because it could lead to...