Today, the majority of the peoples of the planet live in nation-states, based upon the idea, if never the reality, of a single people, a single culture, a single rule of law and a single source of sovereign authority. But will they continue to do so in the future?

None of the major challenges that confront humanity today - from climate change to disease, from terrorism to mass migration - can be handled effectively by single nation-states, no matter how powerful. The world is no longer made up only of states but also of an ever-increasing multitude of interstate networks and organizations which recognize no borders. We are beginning to be able to imagine the very real possibility of a new global civil society. But what political form should this take?

By examining the history of the evolution of human society from the world's first empires to today's world of interstate networks, this book argues that there now exists the possibility of the emergence of a new political form, a global 'federation of federations', that will bring the species closer to the possibility of a more harmonious, equitable and secure future.