[pmulcahy11b]

I think this is beside the point, but the idea of nation-states is the second worst idea that mankind ever came up with. If we want the world to survive much longer, they need to be dispensed with -- especially as we move into space. Even a casual settling of the rest of the solar system will take a marshalling of the entire planet's resources, as will moving forward in general with civilization.

Maybe a global war would give the required shock to the system.