An Experiment in Global Democracy (The Interdependence Papers Volume 1‪)‬

“. . . laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind."—Thomas Jefferson, author of the US Declaration of Independence.

In 1776, the US Declaration of Independence represented a leap forward for democracy and freedom. It launched a global movement that led us to today’s representative democracies, and in doing so declared the freedoms of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” to be intrinsic and “unalienable” rights we all deserve.

Our world has radically changed in the nearly 250 years since 1776. Our global civilization’s current laws and institutions are proving inadequate in the face of a growing planetary-wide existential mega-crisis of our own making—a perfect storm of runaway climate change, environmental destruction, growing inequality, terrorism, and more. Today’s challenges are overtaxing antiquated pre-internet governing systems, which were created to address the needs of prior eras, not ours. It is time, yet again, for democracy and freedom to leap forward.

In the tradition of the Federalist Papers, the Interdependence Papers will be an extensive series of essays intended to make the case for crafting the constitution of a new country—a direct democracy created of, by, and for us all: The Country of Earth. The first three essays appear here in Volume 1, An Experiment in Global Democracy.

The Interdependence Papers are the companion series that follows the book LEAP: The Case for the Country of Earth, and they are the natural next step for those now ready to take, or who have already taken, “the LEAP." The Interdependence Papers are offered as a forum for us, as sovereign citizens of a global direct democracy, to conceive and consider all the ideas needed to craft our new country’s governance structures, from its constitution and initial laws to how our new country can relate to the “local” nations of our world. If you have already declared or are now ready to declare your interdependence with us and are ready to begin the creative work of crafting our new country together, this book is for you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Markus Thorndike is the Citizen Declaration Coordinator of The Country of Earth Project and author of LEAP: The Case for the Country of Earth. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.