The world seems to become smaller every day. But as societies and nations become ever more connected to one another, how will the planet be governed?
To Widener Law International Law Professor
Andrew L. Strauss, the answer should come in the form of democracy. Strauss and Richard Falk, the Albert G. Milbank Professor of International Law at Princeton University, have put forth a proposal for a Global Parliamentary Assembly (GPA) that would use citizen representation to advance world democracy and help resolve international conflicts.
Says Strauss, “if we consider democracy to be fundamental at the local, state and national levels, then shouldn’t we also consider it fundamental internationally?” More and more people around the world in governments, in civil society and in academia are coming to agree.
Strauss and Falk have spoken on the topic across the globe raising awareness for their proposal, which includes thoughts on how to get the GPA started. Their works have been published in numerous international publications, ranging from the
Stanford Journal of International Law to
Foreign Affairs magazine. Papers from a major international symposium on the topic held at Widener Law School are published in the most recent issue of the
Widener Law Review.
Strauss, who has taught at Widener Law since 1990, has been instrumental in shaping the school’s international law curriculum. He has also served as director of
Study Abroad programs in
Nairobi and
Geneva.