World Governance Goals ~ MDG's for Civics...

Very interesting OpEd in WSJournal by Mark Palmer, Patrick Glen, and Paul Wolfowitz asking How About Some World Governance Goals?

"Progress against poverty requires measuring countries by the rule of law, judicial independence and free speech [...] If the U.N. is serious about promoting democracy, it should establish goals, similar to its Millennium Development Goals. [The important thing] is the measurement of progress over time on such issues as establishing written constitutions and laws; implementing universal suffrage and free elections; guaranteeing freedom of speech and association; protecting the independence of the judiciary; and ensuring the accountability of officials. Realization of these goals would mean the effective end of dictatorial and autocratic rule and lay foundations for strong and genuine democracy. [...] The benefits of establishing Millennium Goals focused on governance and the rule of law are twofold. First, setting goals agreed upon by the international community would establish a minimum standard of good governance for judging a state's actions and provide a way to measure progress. Second, promoting better governance would lead to greater progress on the U.N.'s existing development goals."

Definitely read the rest. And also look at both recent book on Why Nations Fail and the Freedom House report mentioned in the piece.