Overcoming the Myth of the Sovereign, Self-Governing People

David Thunder’s approach is explicitly philosophical, but it is not without empirical referents. Rather than dwell on a particular case, Thunder reflects on the impact of globalization on the kinds of authority that are claimed in the world today. Whatever may have been the case in the past, he argues, it is now unrealistic to postulate that a single state structure can possibly coordinate the common good as decided on by a single body of people, assuming this is made up of individuals who freely associate as well as engage in the global economy. In certain respects, Thunder’s account would seem to overlap with Baris’s account of the Kurdish program. The state should not be left with a “full suite of governance powers,” although like Baris he admits defense and security may need to remain state mandates. Thunder argues that governance ought to be exercised at a scale likely to yield effective participation.