OUR GLOBAL NEIGHBORHOOD - REFLECTIONS ON THE REPORT OF THE GLOBAL GOVERNANCE COMMISSION

In January 1995 the Commission on Global Governance published its repo rt on how to strengthen and reform global governance in order to manag e global affairs in response to the security needs of all people and t he planet rather than the needs of states only. According to the Commi ssion the UN will have to play a vital role in future global governanc e. Most of the proposals thus focus on reform of the UN system. Howeve r, observers agree that no matter how overdue reforms are, the Commiss ion has failed to put any of its reform proposals on the political age nda. Why is that so? In addition to a summary of the most prominent re form proposals, the article questions whether time is ripe for the kin d of idealistic reforms the Commission is suggesting. The authors sugg est that the proposals might represent too radical a breach with the r ealist premises which have dominated the political agenda during the C old War to be implemented overnight.