The Seventh International Conference of Chief Justices of the World

"Enforceable International law is THE IDEA whose time has come."

The objective of the Conference is to help build global public opinion in favour of enactment of enforceable World Law by a duly-constituted World Parliament.

I have been kindly invited to present the ideas of the Mondcivitan Republic -The Commonwealth of World Citizens, for which I am extremely grateful. I would like to make it clear from the outset that I myself am not a member of a judiciary but an educationist and businessman by profession and can therefore add nothing of a legal character which would enhance that which the most eloquent and qualified members of the legal profession have contributed in this and previous conferences hosted by this most noble school in Lucknow.

Nevertheless, I would hope to introduce an idea probably unfamiliar to many listeners today and yet unique in its concept and approach - the role of Servant Nationhood in the establishment of World Government and World Peace.

The Servant-Nation Movement is an ancient concept which found its expression in a particular way in the Mondcivitan Republic. Its roots in modern times go back in particular to two individuals. One of these was Sir William Randal Cremer (1828-1908) the Nobel Peace Prize winner of 1903 who was instrumental in the establishment of the International Court of Justice in the Hague and the International Arbitration League founded in 1870 and the ideas which helped form the League of Nations. He also initiated the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

The other person I am referring to is Dr. Hugh J. Schonfield a writer and historian of some significance who has been termed by some commentators as the 'Second Albert Schweizer'. He was instrumental in the revelation of the idea of a Servant Nation previous to the second world war and which culminated in 1956 in the constitution of the the Mondcivitan Republic or Commonwealth of World Citizens, which idea is today managed by the Hugh & Helene Schonfield Trust. The International Arbitration League founded by Cremer felt that its work was best embodied in the new nation and merged accordingly. The character of this people, which was to be born out of every strata of society, is best described in quoting Schonfield's words contained in the constitutional preamble of the Republic¹ itself:

I imagined the Servant-Nation as 'a people to serve all peoples', composed of individuals drawn from every land, willing to accept the responsibility of being true World Citizens. That is to say, their primary loyalty would be given to mankind as a whole, and to every part of humanity without distinction or discrimination. The new people would be distributed throughout the world, yet functioning as a people under its own form of government suited to its character and purpose. It would be without armed force, without a territorial homeland, entirely impartial, in itself a demonstration of world unity, contributing to the welfare of every State.

Inherent in the basic thinking was the evident requirement that there should be an agency in the world which everyone could trust, and none had cause to fear, that such an agency might serve by consent in a mediatorial capacity, helping to heal wounds, and bridge gulfs. Further, it should be a kind of conscience to the world, a soul within the body politic. It should be the guinea-pig of fruitful experiments in community, enabling all countries to profit by the results. It should be the channel through which the nations could help one another without risk of the accusation of economic or political self interest. It should be the means of adding to the productivity of the world by reclaiming deserts and waste places. In every way it should act in the interests of the general and individual good, yet without any coercive power.

The major difference between this approach and other laudable aims was the fact that a prototype nation was to be created which could be adapted until it could serve as a model and act in the role of arbitration. The belief was that only a people with a change of heart could equip themselves for the task of world government. The federation of states into a world parliament seemed fraught with risks. There was no guarantee that such a government would impartially and democratically represent the interests of minorities or those without a voice - such as the children of the world represented by this school.

Any laws, in order to have meaning for humanity, must be guided by principles - perhaps that which we refer to as 'natural law'. Mahatma Gandhi emphasised that Politics without principle was one of the seven deadly sins and may be the reason we make little headway in solving the most urgent problems in society.

It was these principles which were to be the guiding light of this new 'people for mankind' and remain valid to this day. I would like to repeat these in a generalised form:

• None are enemies
  

    We acknowledge none as enemies, no matter what they may do; for to admit the existence of an enemy is to create a barrier, darkening understanding, breeding
    hatred, and giving encouragement and licence to cruelty and inhumanity.

• None are foreign

• Service to all

• Complete impartiality

• And work for peace

• True democracy

• Equity and Justice
  

It may be interesting to note certain parallels with article 51 of the Constitution of India.

Based on the experiences from the past and in order to ensure a full contemplation of all the aspects of building a Holy² Servant Nation, it became apparent that our approach has to be bottom up before it can be top down.

Nations usually come into being over many hundreds or thousands of years and emerge of their own accord. They are not a matter of design but the result of the common course of groups of individuals, families and groups with a common destiny or need for protection. Although the need is more pressing than ever, I doubt whether World Government can happen overnight if it is to avoid becoming Orwellian in nature. If World Government were to happen on a federal basis, it would at least have to embrace principles similar and no less than those mentioned above. In fact, the difficulties of nation states agreeing to a common constitution at all has been demonstrated by the problems within the European Union on this issue, despite a strong will and considerable pressure to do so. The problems were particularly exaggerated by the fact that the people themselves were neither asked nor informed on the constitutional elements directly. World government in itself alone is no guaranty of respect for life and the rights of all or of true democracy.

In the case of those nations like the ancient Hebrews, who felt they had a purpose to fulfil, the design of the structures of the nation was left open to experiment. This has been the line the Mondcivitan Republic has taken since its inception. We were to be 'the guinea pigs of our own experiment' as Hugh Schonfield so metaphorically put it. Some of our experiments failed. One of these was the governmental structure given in the original constitution which proved to be difficult to implement at the time due to the inherent problems of communication in a nation without territory. A lot has happened in the world since then, technological evolutions which would have perhaps made this task much easier to implement.

However, the problems were not only to do with communication but also with the issues involved with commitment. In a democratic hierarchically structured and governed nation, decisions are delegated to elected representatives who are then made responsible for making the appropriate decisions. The electorate can show its approval or not at the next ballot box. In the meantime, the electorate have no governmental function to fulfil. This may be a lesson for all nations.

The greatest disadvantage of this situation was that it was not in accord with a nation claiming to be a 'Servant Nation of Mankind'. This aspiration requires a dramatic change and development in the lives and characters of individuals because it can only stake a claim to being such through being a nation of servants with that ideal. It would seem that the City Montessori School in Lucknow, guided by its spiritual leader Jagdish Gandhi had realised this at an early stage in seeing the School as a 'Lighthouse of Society and Every Child a Potential Light of the World'.

This had already become apparent to many Mondcivitans by 1976 and was expressed in the so-called 'Aldingen Declaration' which stated, for example: "the Servant-People can only evolve as a valid and living organism and its members achieve identity, through direct and personal involvement in service."

At this juncture it may be worth taking note of the valuable lessons learnt in this 'laboratory' of World Citizenship. A new people requires first men and women (as well as children - and we are reminded here of the wonderful work of our hosts) with changed hearts and minds. What changes could be wrought in world affairs if a people should arise which would also be a 'potential light of the world'!

One of my particular burdens as a businessman and lecturer of management science to university adults, is the increasingly important role played by business and business education today. We see the emergence of organisations bigger in their economic punch than some nation states. Their economic and political influence can be so strong that it can provoke or hinder the work of even democratic governments. They can hold sway over the life and death of the environment and the well-being and standard of living of billions. It was for this reason that at the end of 2004 I was party to a new initiative in the form of the International Leadership and Business Society based on the above Mondcivitan principles. It was felt that the call of our times insisted that we build the concept of service in business as an important foundation stone of a revival of the Servant Nation concept. The world situation in terms of the distribution of wealth, the demands on raw materials and the considerations of the environment make the implication of business men and women in the founding of a new world absolutely imperative. The idea is expressed in the society's mission statement:

We believe that one of the principal aims of business is to be a dynamic motor for positive change in society and the development of the human individual.

There is no doubt scope for initiatives in other areas of society and it is hoped that men and women will arise to take up the banner in their respective areas in the name and spirit of the Servant Nation. The distinction of this approach over altruism is that every effort can help each and every one of us to be better servants of mankind whilst we create building blocks for a nation of people dedicated to serve humanity.

Whereas, under the original conception, agencies of the Republic were built after its establishment, the new Servant Nation will be built by individual men and women from below acting on their own initiative in every walk of life until the day that it can be revealed.

This recalls Martin Buber's statement, 'The Way of Man':

Man cannot search for peace anywhere else except within himself, until he has found it.

First, when man has found peace within himself, will he be in a position to search for it in the whole world.

There is no longer any formal requirement for citizenship. Any person who feels they can commit themselves to the principles of the Servant-Nation shall consider themselves as such. Undoubtedly, the majority of those present today would wish to be considered World Citizens is this sense and the call of this conference, "Enforceable International law is THE IDEA whose time has come." can be embraced in the manner that a World People shall arise who have the Law of God written on their hearts. This people, by their very nature will have the respect of all nations and all people will hearken to their call. It is only in this way that I can realistically envisage the enforcing of law through a World Parliament. To again have to resort to arms or violence to achieve this would be a de-facto negation of what has to be achieved. We cannot talk of enforcement without discussing the means thereof. In today's world, wars are not only occurring between nations but are also the result of minority groups without a voice resorting to violence and terrorism to realise their aims. As the Honorable Justice Krishna Iyer (2001) stated in a previous CMS conference³, "Wars begin in the minds of men therefore, peace must begin in the minds of men".

This is where I see the role of judges in particular. It is not without precedence in the history of mankind. In the theocratic era of the Hebrew judges, men and women arose who gained the respect of their fellows for their justice and integrity. They required no violent means for the implementation of Law and disputes could be solved in a peaceful manner. Since abandoning that concept, thousands of years have elapsed in which the Hebrew nation has never really rediscovered this despite the fact that "The prophets of Israel were the first to think globally, to conceive of a God transcending place and national boundaries and of a humanity as a single moral community by a covenant of mutual responsibility (the covenant with Noah after the Flood)"⁴.

I think at this point, I would wish to stress that I do not think there is any one 'right' way to achieve the aim of world peace but that the matter is so complex that it would be naïve to believe that we could achieve it through bounded rationality. It may be poignant to remember Jesus' words to his disciples that he who is not against us is for us.

One person feels drawn to attend to activities that are to do with the promotion of knowledge, education and better understanding, another the dissemination of information and physical and financial help to those in need, and so on. As this people gain the respect of those in whose midst they live, they should be required to develop the skills needed in arbitration and making peace which they have founded in their own lives. In this way, we can move towards a global covenant of human solidarity.

What we want to achieve may seem unrealistic and 'pie in the sky' to some but in the words of John Lennon, a disciple of Schonfield, in the song 'Imagine'⁵:

Imagine there's no country,

It isn't hard to do.

Nothing to kill and die for,

And no religion too.

Imagine all the people living life in peace.

You may say I'm a dreamer but I'm not the only one.

Stephen A. Engelking MBA, BSc, CertEd, DipGerman, FCMI, FCIM

December 2006.