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local-global-governance
The tension between local city-state autonomy and the authority of a global Martian government is a central political dilemma in the constitutional debates.
1 chapter across 1 book
Blue Mars (1997)Kim Stanley Robinson
Chapter 18
The chapter details the intense political and social efforts to draft a new Martian constitution amid revolutionary turmoil and competing visions of governance. Delegates grapple with balancing local autonomy of city-state-like tent towns against a global government, while debating fundamental individual rights and the scope of political versus social rights. The narrative also explores interpersonal dynamics among delegates and the challenge of reconciling diverse cultural values within a unified Martian identity.