Copenhagen Simulation Report - World Military Expenditure & UN Constitution; Post-Unipolar World(Dominance of Multi-national Corporations and rise of China)
On November 14th, a group of us represented States and NGO and Business of India to attend the Copenhagen Climate Change Negotiation Simulation.
During the Simulation,eight universities in HK (plus the University of Richmond in VA and UIC in Zhuhai) each represent one of the eight countries in the simulation. Their task was to reach agreement among the ten countries about a post-Kyoto Protocol climate change regime.
It’s hard. It might be painful. It might be a certain moment of doubts on what we are doing. But, we finally made it! A revolutionary model UN negotiation— to speak up for the world we would like to see, to make us remembered, to hold on to what we believe is the right thing to do. So three cheers for US!
Thank you for working hard as a team. Thank you for creating this memorable moment full of vitality.
Facebook group: www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=wall&ref=profile&i…
Summery of Stastics on which our proposals are based on:
- World Military Expenditure & UN Constitution
- Post-Unipolar World(Dominance of Multi-national Corporations and rise of China)
The world spent about $1,500 billion annually on the military. (2008)
48% of which by US. ($711 billion)
Made of 44% of US Tax Payer’s money.
US is the biggest seller (38%), India being the largest buyer - 13%.
The top five countries profiting from the arms trade are the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council: the USA, UK, France, Russia, and China.
the UN’s entire budget is approximately 1.8% of the world’s military expenditure,
http://www.globalissues.org/article/74/the-arms-trade-is-big-business
http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending#ShouldspendingbetiedtoGDP
Good news is: We live in an era dominated by corporate powers.
Out of the 100 largest economies in the world, 51 are corporations while only 49 are countries.
The Top 200 corporations’ combined sales are bigger than the combined economies of all countries minus the biggest 10.
U.S. corporations dominate the Top 200, with 82 slots (41 percent of the total). Japanese firms are second, with only 41 slots.
Of the U.S. corporations on the list, 44 did not pay the full standard 35 percent federal corporate tax rate during the period 1996-1998. Seven of the firms actually paid less than zero in federal income taxes in 1998 (because of rebates). These include: Texaco, Chevron, PepsiCo, Enron, Worldcom, McKesson and the world’s biggest corporation - General Motors.
Good news is: We live in a post-unipoloar future.
US has a 10 trillion dollar economy and close to 300 million people, while China has a 7.199 trillion dollar economy (3-4 trillion if excluding Taiwan and the autonomous regions ), with more than four times the population. But those 7 trillion dollars can buy 70 trillion dollars worth of goods in China – where one dollar can buy what 10 or more dollars can buy in the West – and many other places in the world outside of the so-called “developed” countries in the West. Yes, if we compare the economies in terms of US dollars, China seems weak. But if we compare them in terms of buying power and productivity, China has many times the economy, and power, of the US.
(http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig6/kelly1.html)
However, need to be noted - Rising middle class and upper class of China youth grow up in American Dream, many are educated in US and pro-US. They could either create another US, or lead the world towards a less egocentric world by cooperating with US.
Conclusion
I do believe, now, more than ever, a social structural transformation towards a world united, as importance of nation-states decline, multi-national corporation rise.
I do believe, now, more than ever, power is decentralised , as the dissemination of information , by virtue of the social media network and corporate structure, are decentralised.
I do believe, now, more than ever, individuals have a power to make a change, as we are consumers, share-holders, who hold the ultimate vote to corporate fate and the world order we seek to create.
I would never imagine myself witting this or you reading this a few month ago, but once I have experienced what it feels to be part of something bigger, to relate to another human being in a way which reflects the interconnectedness of our realities, to be in service of others,
I can no longer deceive myself.
Posted by Serena
