The Structure of World Order in Terms of Regional Functional Organizations

P~3~H E basic postulate of world organization consists in the assumption that world order, peace, and progress are indispensable to the future welfare of mankind. The assumption is made in this paper that these are achievable goals attainable under the capable guidance of trained social scientists working with and through the folk regional societies. A thorough understanding of the cultural variability in a folk group within its areal setting that socially and spatially differentiates and demarcates it from other folk regional entities is a primary requisite to the development of world order. It is only when educators, statesmen, businessmen and the general public the world over understand and respect cultures in the larger framework of the regional approach that a realistically practical foundation for world order will be capable of being initiated. There is, apparently, no rapid procedure to attain systematic, harmonious interaction between all the nations of the world. The One World theorists and the World Federationists are aware that, under the present conditions, the variability of cultures, and the difficulties encountered in the communication of ideas as exemplified within the structure of the United Nations Organization-the practical implementation of their plans is veritably impossible. Born of a mass enthusiasm for world peace and order during the second war, the subsequent years have reflected the complexity of the problems encountered militating against such proposals. The result has been a definite waning of response of both supporters and followers and an increasingly negative attitude even by democratic governments against world order through the One World concept or by means of Federation. The regionalist approach, on the other hand, is vitally aware of the mass of complexities involved and bases its procedure on first, research under the capable guidance of social scientists to the end that world regions will be delimited based on the totality of historical, geographical, physical, political. and cultural data, and secondly that the response, support, and implementation of these regional delineations will become integrated functional wholes through the folk regional culture group. Regionalism as a sociological scientific viewpoint in human affairs may be said to be a unitary concept in the field of sociology to designate the totality of natural, historical, and social factors that differentiates one composite portion of the earth from another, and conceives of these delineations as parts of an integrated, structured, functioning whole. Regions may, in their theoretical, organizational, and functional framework embrace not only land masses as to geographical entities, but cross rivers, seas, and oceans to combine peoples and areas reflecting similarities of cultural homogeneity and like social psychological interests. The uniqueness of the regional approach in the analysis of world problems is that the areal regional deliniation of the culture is made on the basis of the multiple and complex factors of geographic, historical, political, physical, and cultural backgrounds. It is this comprehensive analysis of the totality of cultural elements, combined with regional flexibility in the over-all pattern of integration that assures the validity of the promise of regionalism. The sociologically defined regions of the world in accordance with Howard W. Odum's theoretical frame of reference are in process of deliniation. However, operating within the concept of world regionalism in the United Nations Organization and in accordance with articles 51, 52, and 53 of the United Nations Charter providing for regional organizations between and among member nations are the following functional organizations that may be called regional in scope.