Parag Khanna maps the future of countries
Parag Khanna suggests frontiers are oppressive violent constraints. He suggests we should focus on infrastructure. I would rather suggest we focus on how to stop being dependent of infrastructure. For the simple reason is that infrastructure is what takes the most time to change, it is much slower to change infrastructure than it is to change political landscape or culture.
Most the conflicts he is giving details on are based on infrastructure and their economical consequent politcal power.
Energy is everywhere, we don't need grand infrastructures. So we either global decentralization, or design of mobile sources of renewable energies (Energy_Animal). Just as countries divided, grids should divide, that would also increase local responsabilities and less energy loss on infrastructures. This video also reveals that "new territories" correspond to tribal ancient bodies of population, that used to live there, before infrastructures and imperialists, by traditional means... Another strong argument not to re-arrange frontiers by economical means.
This century has mostly been the century of migrations, see the wonderful exhibition "Terre Natale" an incredibly powerful vizualization of world migrations (by Stewdio, framed by Paul Virilio).
People have legs and dreams. They also have problems, many don't choose to move but have to. Those who have the choice : why are they moving? And where are they moving? I believe most of them are moving because of their aspiration for a better life, an for that reason the image of the territory they are aspiring to go is crucial.
The territory, the population builds the image, and the most attractive bodies of people are the one that build rich bodies of imageries, that appeal by marketing a powerful dreampolitk (Stephen Duncombe) if not many (plurality, heterodox regimes). Enough of realpolitik. Would America as we know it even exist without the American Dream?
So instead of focusing on infrastructure and economy :
Focus on education : facilitating language learning, facilitating trade in general is a good way to create emotional bridges between populations, ensure peace and cooperation durably.
Design culture : the art, design, crafts, music are powerful identification figures for people; a nation unites under a flag, a symbol represents a common interest. I have identified earlier surculture as major force for cultural change in the cultural feedback loop.
Design mobility : human migration is one of the major factor to influence global politics for the coming century. Transports & national borders.
Design infrastructure-less civilization : In the Darwinian sense, fitness does not necessarily mean strength so much as the capacity to adapt successfully. Infrastructure is the power of ancient civilizations ; mobility, flexibility adaptability is at the advantage of the leading group of individuals and of the destitute. Who knows what happens if you generalize these capacities to the majority? World hotel (static infrastructure + nomadic people) or moving cities (nomadic infrastructures)? Ultimately why would people want to travel, especially since they can download HQ national geographic documentaries? Well, it seems that since National Geographic is doing a pretty awesome work, more and more people traveled so, communication again did encourage tourism if not migration.
I don't think Open_Sailing can propose to build a new civilization at all. Many ethnies have been living on water since errr forever, maybe we should learn from them first. But the middle of the ocean, or on really long distances and really different climates ... That's a new exciting story...
