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Winston P. Nagan

Nagan, Winston P.

Nagan, Winston P.

Former Chairman, Board of Trustees, World Academy of Art & Science; Emeritus Professor, Institute for Human Rights, Peace and Development, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fl, USA

Job Title

Former Chairman, Board of Trustees, World Academy of Art & Science; Emeritus Professor, Institute for Human Rights, Peace and Development, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fl, USA

Winston Percival Nagan was former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the World Academy of Art & Science and Emeritus Professor of Law, Institute for Human Rights, Peace and Development, University of Florida, Levin College of Law, Gainesville, Florida.  He is also International Editorial Advisor to the Journal of Law and Politics. He served as Chairman of Amnesty International USA (1989-91) and as a member of the Board (1986-92). He also served as president of Policy Sciences Center, Yale Law School (1986-1991) and on numerous groups of international experts on issues related to human rights, biodiversity, indigenous rights, and traditional knowledge.

ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR

Global Constitutionalism   ( Global Governance & Law )
Get Full Text in PDF The range of interests of the World Academy of Art and Science is vast, but the Academy has yet to adequately engage with the fundamental idea of global constitutionalism. Constitutionalism is one of the foundational principles for human peace and world public order. Yet, the work of our Academy has tended to avoid a deeper understanding of constitutionalism at both the national and the global levels and, correspondingly, has contributed little to the nature of...
Retrospective and Reflections on WAAS@60   ( WAAS ), ( International Organizations ), ( Knowledge, Science & Values ), ( Peace and Security ), ( Global Governance & Law )
Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Solution to the complex nexus of problems confronting humanity exceeds the capacity of any individual or small group of individuals or organizations. But it does not lie beyond the capacity of the collective aspiration, intelligence and determination of humanity. The world needs aspirational leadership that transcends the partisanship and limitations of self-interested political, economic and cultural perspectives. It needs people and organizations committed to...
Leadership, Human Needs, and Values: The Importance of World Constitutionalism   ( Law & Human Rights ), ( New Paradigm ), ( Global Governance & Law )
Get Full Text in PDF Abstract This article introduces the twin themes of leadership and global constitutionalism. Today, we have a global constitution: the UN Charter. It has evolved into a weak instrument of global governance, and it needs to be strengthened by wise and brave leadership. The article provides a short overview of the historic emergence of constitutionalism, stressing the importance of the Atlantic Charter and the Four Freedoms. The article explores the complexities of...
Global Governance, Human Needs, and Values   ( Economic Theory ), ( New Economics )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The anthropological literature has given us a key to understanding life in a very elementary community. Life revolves around human beings energized to satisfy human needs. Anthropologists also identify the structures that emerge from society which are specialized in whatever degree of efficacy to facilitate securing those needs. When we map needs onto institutions, we emerge with a social process* that is based on the interaction of energies directed at...
The Context and Values Inherent in Human Capital as Core Principles for New Economic Theory   ( Economic Theory ), ( Law & Human Rights ), ( Money & Finance ), ( Peace and Security ), ( Global Governance & Law )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract This paper has a specific focus on the core foundation of New Economic Theory. That is, the focus on human capital and its implications for the theory and method of the new form of political economy. The central issue that is underlined is the importance of scientific and technological innovation and its necessary interdependence on global values and value analysis. The paper discusses the issue of scientific consciousness as a generator of technological...
The Future of Democracy: Challenges & Prospects   ( New Paradigm ), ( Peace and Security ), ( Global Governance & Law )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Unprecedented speed, interconnectivity, complexity and uncertainty are impacting all spheres of global society today, presenting challenges that were not foreseen even a few years ago. The end of the Cold War was interpreted by many as the final victory for democracy and capitalism over authoritarian socialism. A quarter century after the sudden collapse of communism and the emergence of a new democratic consensus, liberal democracy itself is under threat....
Social Democratic Constitutionalism, New Economic Theory, and the Dangers of Neoliberalism’s Attacks on Rational Government Regulation   ( Economic Theory ), ( Law & Human Rights ), ( Money & Finance ), ( Social Welfare ), ( New Economics ), ( Global Governance & Law )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract This paper examines the foundations of economic neoliberalism and underlines the implications of the foundations of this economic theory in its reliance on economic value as ownership, property, and commodity which misdirects economic inquiry from the real value of human capital as the proper foundation of a viable economic system. It focuses on the role of a selective emphasis on rules of international law for the protection of private property. These...
Anticipation in Law and Social Science*   ( Social Science ), ( Knowledge, Science & Values )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract This article explores a particular aspect of the role of anticipation in social and legal processes. The program begins by recognizing that social interaction happens within a time-space manifold of events. This means that society functions in terms of events located on the plane of time and the situation of space. This means that social process is a dynamic. As an ancient philosopher put it, change is so ubiquitous that you cannot jump into the same river...
Toward a New Theory of Sustainable Development: Drawing on Insights from Developments in Modern Legal Theory*   ( Law & Human Rights ), ( New Paradigm ), ( Sustainable Development ), ( Global Governance & Law )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract In the light of the countless hours invested in the development of the Sustainable Development Goals—the set of targets and indicators relating to future international human and sustainable development, which replaced the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the end of 2015 —by hundreds of the world’s top minds, in addition to more than twenty-five years of analysis associated with the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the MDGs,...
Quest for a New Paradigm in Economics - A Synthesis of Views of the New Economics Working Group*   ( Economic Theory ), ( Economy & Ecology ), ( Social Welfare ), ( New Economics ), ( New Paradigm )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The remarkable economic achievements of the past two centuries have cast an illusion of omniscience on the discipline of Economics, which even repeated catastrophic policy failures have still not entirely banished. The gap and disjuncture between prevailing economic wisdom and its effective application to promote human welfare and well-being are enormous and widening rapidly. The gap between current economic performance and the economic potential of global...
The Concept, Basis and Implication of Human-Centered Development   ( Employment ), ( Global Governance & Democracy ), ( Social Welfare )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Our contemporary era has a critical focus on globalization. However, notwithstanding the necessary interdependence and interdetermination of the forces of globalization, these forces are deeply influenced by an economic theory, a theory known as “economic neoliberalism.” To date, this theory has not been seriously challenged. Fellows of the World Academy of Art and Science have evolved their thinking about the future of globalization. This approach...
Homoeconomico-politicus, Scientific Consciousness, and the Defense of Fundamental Values in the Context of the Climate Change Crisis: The Challenge of Scientific Responsibility for the Future of Economic and Political Science   ( Measures & Indicators ), ( Social Welfare ), ( New Economics )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The general framework of this paper is to focus on the evolution of scientific consciousness and the dramatic technological developments it has generated, which have vital and highly consequential consequences for social organization on a global basis. The central fact about the current technological revolution is the enormous challenges it provides for political and economic decision-making. The political and economic choices are often merged in a symbiotic...
Our Common Enemies & Our Best Friends
The re-emergence of dangerous East-West tensions, atrocities in the Middle East, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), bloodshed in Ukraine, traumas inflicted on many chil­dren by war and violence, massive war in Europe becoming imaginable for the first time since the end of the Cold War, violation of current international laws, unfulfilled expectations, missed opportunities offered by the end of the Cold War and in the Middle East, as well as attempts to “solve” them...
Unification in the Social Sciences: Search for a Science of Society   ( Transdisciplinary theory ), ( New Paradigm ), ( Social Science ), ( Knowledge, Science & Values )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The social sciences have contributed significantly to humanity’s remarkable progress over the past two centuries, but the multidimensional crises confronting the world today reflect the need to rapidly move beyond the limitations imposed by the compartmentalization of social science disciplines and the absence of common unifying principles equivalent to those in the natural sciences. Unification of apparently disparate phenomena is a central characteristic of...
Towards a Global Comprehensive Context-Driven and Decision-Focused Theory and Method for a New Political Economy   ( Global Governance & Democracy ), ( New Economics ), ( New Paradigm ), ( Global Governance & Law )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract There is currently significant dissatisfaction with conventional economic theory. The unreliability of conventional theory as a predictor of future economic possibilities of catastrophes emphasizes the need for a new paradigm of political economy. This paper provides a capsule of some of the important limitations and consequences of the “old” paradigm. It proposes the necessary elements of a new paradigm and it seeks to locate the new paradigm of political...
The Crisis of the Existing Global Paradigm of Governance and Political Economy   ( Global Governance & Democracy ), ( New Paradigm ), ( Global Governance & Law )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract This article seeks to underline the central challenges to world order that are outcomes of our current system of global, social, power and constitutional processes. The article outlines these major problems which it is suggested represent a crisis for the future trajectory of human survival and well-being. The paper then uses the problem of the emergence of transnational criminal activity in order to underline the limits of the current global paradigm of...
Expanding Network of Networks   ( New Paradigm )
 Get Full Text in PDF The World Academy of Art & Science was founded as a network of concerned individuals committed to addressing the multi-faceted global challenges of the modern era. It would appear that a small group of people – no matter how distinguished – cannot expect to have significant impact on problems that span the entire globe and confront all of humanity. But appearances can be deceiving. On closer examination, we discover that each of our members is a member of many...
Global Governance: A New Paradigm for the Rule of Law*   ( Global Governance & Democracy )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract This article seeks to appraise the Rule of Law in the context of international sovereignty and the growth of international non-governmental organizations. The article explores the meaning of the Rule of Law and suggests that it is better understood as a symbol representing the most basic values that underline our global constitutional system. When we relate the global Rule of Law to the values and the global constitutional framework, we recognize that the...
Reflections on the Future of Global Higher Education - WAAS Conference Report   ( Education )
 Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Education is the most important catalyst of social evolution. Today higher education is in the early stages of a revolutionary transition that will have immense impact on the future of global society. This article presents an overview of perspectives explored at the World Academy's Forum on Global Higher Education conducted at the University of California at Berkeley on October 2-3, 2013. It examines issues resulting from rapid changes in educational...
A Revolution and a New Paradigm in Education
 Get Full Text in PDF Knowledge is the sustenance of civilization and culture. Language is the instrument for mental comprehension and transmission of knowledge. Education is the means by which each generation passes on to the next in a concentrated, systematic manner the cumulative knowledge and wisdom acquired in the past. Of all the technologies developed by humanity, none is as powerful and sophisticated as the means we have fashioned to gather, organize, store, share and transmit...
The Right to Development   ( Law & Human Rights ), ( Global Governance & Law )
Get Full Text in PDF Abstract One of the most far-reaching decisions of the United Nations General Assembly was the adoption of the Declaration on the Right to Development in 1986. The Declaration was adopted with an expectation of optimism about progression to a new global economic dispensation. This did not happen. However, the Declaration remains an important symbol of global expectation. Notwithstanding it is an instrument that remains contested in many global fora. To the extent that...
Nuclear Threats and Security   ( Peace and Security ), ( Global Governance & Law )
Get Full Text in PDF Abstract This article presents highlights and insights from the International Conference on “Nuclear Threats and Security” organized by the World Academy of Art and Science in association with the European Leadership Network and the Dag Hammarskjöld University College of International Relations and Diplomacy and sponsored by NATO at the Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik on September 14-16, 2012. The conference examined important issues related to nuclear non-proliferation...
Sovereignty and Nuclear Weapons: The Need for Real Sovereign Authority Rooted in the People’s Global Expectations about Survival, Peace and Security   ( Law & Human Rights ), ( Peace and Security ), ( Global Governance & Law )
Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The current international security framework is based on an incomplete, anachronistic conception of sovereignty shaped largely by historical circumstance rather than principles of universal justice. Evolution of the global community over the past half century necessitates a reformulation of the concept to justly represent the rights of individual citizens and the global community as a whole. The reconceptualization of sovereignty is an essential condition for the...
New Paradigm for Global Rule of Law   ( Law & Human Rights ), ( Global Governance & Law )
Get Full Text in PDF Abstract Law is both a condition and a consequence of social development, an outcome of the broader social process, a form of social organization which channels social energies based on the relative strength of past practice and precedent, the present balance of power and emerging social values. Values are the bedrock of social process and the driving force for social activism. Historically, law evolves as a mechanism for conflict avoidance and resolution founded on the...
Simulated ICJ Judgment : Revisiting the Lawfulness of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons   ( Law & Human Rights ), ( Peace and Security )
Get Full Text in PDF Abstract The author prepared this simulated judgment at the request of Cadmus editors to demonstrate that there is ample ground for revisiting and revising the landmark 1996 advisory opinion of the ICJ on the legality of nuclear weapons. The ICJ failed to anticipate the proliferation of nuclear weapons, which expands the evolution of the concept of sovereignty, the potential cataclysmic impact of nuclear war on climate change, the multiplication of nuclear-weapon-free...
Evolution from Violence to Law to Social Justice   ( Law & Human Rights ), ( Global Governance & Law )
Social development is largely a subconscious process. It expresses ir­resistible human aspira­tions and social tenden­cies but works itself out through a long process of trial and error, advance and retreat, conflict and resolution. Law is a complex phenomenon. The principles and practice of law are a composite of multiple forces – the force of past precedent, established custom and accepted tradition; the force of present political, economic and social power; and the force...
Human Rights, Liberty & Socio-Economic Justice: Economic Theory and the Ascent of Private Property Values   ( Law & Human Rights ), ( Peace and Security ), ( Global Governance & Law )
Get Full Text in PDF 1. Introduction In the Introduction to the first issue of CADMUS, Ivo Šlaus and Garry Jacobs essentially provide us with a reminder that the founders of modern economics were also important moral philosophers. In particular, Adam Smith would appear to be influenced by the idea that economics has a great deal to do with human well-being. His theory was meant to be a tool to better understand economics for the improvement of the human condition. Certainly in the case of...
Invitation from the Editorial Board
Fellows of the World Academy of Art & Science, The Club of Rome, and the Pugwash Conferences Dear Friend, By now you should have received the first issue of Cadmus, and we - the Editorial Board - welcome your comments and suggestions. This journal is meant to be interactive, a vehicle for all of us to work together on issues that youdeem important. The development of human-centered economy explored and humbly outlined in the first issue of Cadmus is reinforced by independent endeavors of...
Human Rights and Employment   ( Employment ), ( New Economics )
Get Full Text in PDF In the development of internationally sanctioned standards for labor and employment there are some threshold considerations that must be taken into account. First, labor and employment rights generally fall within the category of social, cultural and political rights. This is to be distinguished from conventional, civil and political rights. Internationally, the institution which had primary responsibility for developing labor and employment rights has been the...