ABSTRACT
At present, the concept of global civil society is very much in vogue. For many commentators - academics and activists alike - it provides a framework within which to locate a diverse range of contemporary public concerns, from the much publicized 'anti-globalization' (or more accurately, 'anti-capitalism') protests, through the worldwide expressions of concern over American and British involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, to on-going political and ideological struggles in the areas of human rights, the environment, development, labour standards, anti-racism and anti-sexism. The idea of global civil society is thus presented as an alternative to the three apparently unsatisfactory frameworks for understanding the global condition - namely, the global marketplace model which celebrates unregulated capitalist expansion in a borderless world; the nation-state model which accepts that it is the duty of the militarily and economically powerful states to oversee world affairs; and the world federal model which demands more centralized political administration at the supranational level.
