Twenty Observations on a World in Turmoil (PDF)

Translated by Ciaran Cronin.



The world is a state of turmoil. From the financial crisis to
the chaos in the eurozone, from the Arab uprisings to protests in
Athens, Barcelona, New York and elsewhere, many of the familiar
frameworks are collapsing and we have to find new ways to orient
ourselves in a world undergoing rapid change. Of course, it is
necessary for political leaders to address local issues and react
to people's specific demands, but without a cosmopolitan
outlook, such a reaction is likely to be inadequate. Ulrich
Beck's Twenty-one Observations on a World in Turmoil
is a demonstration of cosmopolitan politics in practice. It is more
than a mirror: it is a magnifying glass that brings into focus the
processes that are transforming our world and highlights the great
challenges we face today.

'Global domestic politics', the concept introduced and
developed by Beck, is much more than a political theory, a
philosophical utopia (or dystopia), a governance programme or a
mental state: it is the reality of our times. Beck turns the
argument that 'global domestic politics' is an
unrealistic ideology on its head, arguing that it is the proponents
of the national who are the idealists. They view reality through
the obsolete lenses of the nation-state and thus cannot see the
profound global changes that are transforming our reality. Global
domestic politics is therefore a perspective, a political reality
and a normative idea. And it is the critical theory of our times
since it challenges the most profound truths which we hold dear:
the truths of the nation.