Introduction
How should we conceptualize global politics? I suggest global politics may have been born at the turn of the 21 st century in the form of the Millennium Development Goals and that the United Nations was the attending mid-wife. I further submit that we, the people of the world, stand at the gate of a vast global transformation. And, as we move forward, we do so, not without a clue as to what lies ahead of us, but with a roadmap written from our rich family history dating back to classical times during which artful fathers would help all citizens navigate through the day to day struggles of life within a democratic community. Additionally, I suggest there may be future fathers born from the Millennium Declaration who will help lead all the future people of the world in a renewed grassroots movement of global democracy. All people will be connected, united and active citizens in that global community, which is now growing and being defined by the rhetoric and action evolving from the Millennium Development Goals.
Today's world grows more and more complex, and this complexity is the result of changes that have occurred over time, over centuries, and now over millennia. One theme in the study of world history involves the idea of continuity and change. There are certain patterns or trends that re-occur through history, thus studying areas or societies from early to modern days, through the lens of what remains the same and what changes, may provide insights into the current complexities and circumstances in which world-wide societies find themselves today. I am hopeful that this study may help my students, as world citizens, to understand current global issues.
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