World federation, superpowers, small powers. As far as I can tell it’s just a question of how big the blocs are. I don’t see how you move laterally to that continuum in any lasting way; humans are going to act like humans.
I didn’t excuse anything. We’re shit. But, it’s the way things are.
Although, come to think of it, we’d probably just elect a world government if we weren’t shit anyway. Just to coordinate things as we’re being understanding and reasonable with each other.
In my uninformed understanding of humans and their history, unifications happen only in the face of crises and threats (and far from all the time, clearly). Maybe–hopefully–the world eventually makes common cause in order to stabilise the world as things spiral out of control in a few decades, but right now our species appears more concerned about whom gets to dictate what and how humans should live and behave like.
External threats help, but unification was often, ahem, self-promoting as well. A hundred years on, becoming Roman by force and becoming Roman to avoid becoming Persian was kind of indistinguishable - and both did happen.
We’re kind of in uncharted territory with today’s ideologically-driven democracies, but I’d argue the EU itself is a kind of peaceful equivalent. New members accrue because the economic and other benefits vastly exceed whatever beef it’s neighbors have with it.
Eh, power vacuums don’t last. You’re basically just asking for a Somalia situation where there’s n small powers continuously at war.
as if there aren’t any other options
World federation, superpowers, small powers. As far as I can tell it’s just a question of how big the blocs are. I don’t see how you move laterally to that continuum in any lasting way; humans are going to act like humans.
A unified world power, for instance through a competent UN that is achieved through diplomacy sound pretty okay.
“boys will be boys” excuse
I didn’t excuse anything. We’re shit. But, it’s the way things are.
Although, come to think of it, we’d probably just elect a world government if we weren’t shit anyway. Just to coordinate things as we’re being understanding and reasonable with each other.
In my uninformed understanding of humans and their history, unifications happen only in the face of crises and threats (and far from all the time, clearly). Maybe–hopefully–the world eventually makes common cause in order to stabilise the world as things spiral out of control in a few decades, but right now our species appears more concerned about whom gets to dictate what and how humans should live and behave like.
External threats help, but unification was often, ahem, self-promoting as well. A hundred years on, becoming Roman by force and becoming Roman to avoid becoming Persian was kind of indistinguishable - and both did happen.
We’re kind of in uncharted territory with today’s ideologically-driven democracies, but I’d argue the EU itself is a kind of peaceful equivalent. New members accrue because the economic and other benefits vastly exceed whatever beef it’s neighbors have with it.