[weasel]

Optimistic science fiction films, like the Star Trek movies, depict Earth as a unified, political entity: there's one government that takes care of the whole planet. My question to you is is this something attainable or even worth obtaining in the near future? I personally don't think it'll ever happen until something truly catastrophic happens and forces nations to work together on an unparalleled level. Plus, look at the UN and how badly they're screwing things up right now with just their handful of responsibilities; they're all about red tape and minimal action. I'm afraid a "world wide UN" would only be worse since it would require the largest beuracracy in history. Additionally, I think nationalism is so inbred at this point that to try and tear down all borders would be foolish and idealistic not to mention the inevitable bias issues that would arrise from resource distribution.

If it could be pulled off, however, and proved itself to be an efficient and stable system, I think the world would benefit as a result. We'd see wide spread increases in living standards, life spans, productivity, and education. Of course this means that the quality of life in some of the first world countries would decrease a little bit but, as it stands right now, most of us have already been living in excess for far too long anyway. It's made us fat, lazy, and arrogant physically, morally, and intellectually; the rest of the world is taking note. We might also see a huge drop in violence across the planet since attacking a former "state" would incur a police action from all former "countries." However, all of this is purely specualtive and no doubt impractical. Imagine if it could happen, though....

Your comments are appreciated.