How bout switzerland?
Swiss neutrality might do everyone some good, considering superpowers tend to be aggresive.
I’m not sure who made the claim, but IIRC, isn’t there some theory that states the most stable political system is a tripod system, and all systems eventually boil down to it. Of course, this is hypothetical…look at the world now. Another point of contention is what is the definition of ‘eventually’.
I vote for Slovenia.
I think it’d be pretty nice to live under a Swedish empire.
Or bring back Austria-Hungary.
Hmmm. What are your thoughts on why the United States is the only Super Power? Also, are we really? The US does not have that much direct controll over anyone, and despite what some may say, we rarely actively force folks to do what we want.
Do we really have that much “superpower” or is it just that we are the biggest fish in this pond?
Ho. I beg to differ. Believe me, from an non-american/british viewpoint, you do.
Think back last year. The whole post- 9/11 afghan war thing.
This year. Bush’s obsession with Saddam… it seems like he’s on a warpath. … not that he doens’t have ‘honourable intensions’, but domestic politics are a BIG factor. So long as his ratings remain sky high, he’ll continue to trudge down the path.
Rarely actively force folks to do what you want? come’on, **Muad’Dib **. I’m not excessivly anti american or anything, (granted, sometimes the US’ ways does stir sentiment/irritation) but America’s active actions (hmmm isn’t that redundant) have bene hogging the limelight since … i dunno when.
Muad’Dib
“Super Power” seems to be defined mostly on military might, and yes, US is indeed the sole superpower now. They have bases all over the world, the best air force, greatest long-range striking power, and the greatest chance of winning any war. Sadly, in the world we live in, these abilities give you the greatest influence over world affairs.
Oh, please, NOT Switzerland. They get people all glassy-eyed with the chocolate and the cuckoo clocks, and the lederhosen and the alpenhorns, and the neutrality and the William Tell B.S., and all the other myths, and all the time they’ve been waiting, waiting with their huge anonymous banks and their universal military service, with their massive industrial companies and their weird canton politics, with their ridiculous phone service, and stamp machines that don’t work, and dirty trains and stations, and the mean, MEAN border guards, and the nose-in-the-air “we don’t need the European Union” diffidence, and the perfect little houses and the neat little yards, and the informing on your neighbors, and the “well, you’re not really Swiss, are you?” and … and … feh!
I don’t care what Mehitabel says – give me Holland, or give me… um, a large and painful hicky.
So you’re wondering why, since the world must have a dictator, why it shouldn’t choose the most benign one?
There was a time when this question would have been very un-American.
We had this idea about people not needing dictators and even less than a century ago we talked about self-determination, not empire.
Not any more I guess. 'Scuse me while I nip off and drown myself.
[Margert Dumont]
Hail, Hail, Fredonia! Land of the Brave and Free!
[/Margert Dumont]
Well, I suppose it has to be us…but we want the weekends off.
Well, you’re not really Swiss, are you?
heh 
LMAO, nametag…
Australia, Australia,
we think of you each day
Australia, Australia,
at work and a…at play.
We think of you in the morning
and in the evening too.
We even wake up at midnight,
so that we can think of you!
Australia, Australia,
we love you from the heart!
The liver, the giblets and the kidneys
And every other part.
Spike Milligan for President of the World!
By “force our way” I mean in a Opium Wars manner.
“So, don’t wanna trade with us? Then eat cannon ball!”
We may influence, and put severe pressure on another nation, but in the end they can still thumb their collective noses at us and do whatever the hell they want.
Not sure what this is doing in GD, but :
I vote for Denmark. They have a pretty good overall record, have never been a nuisance to anybody in recent history, feel concerned about world issues, but more about poverty than about oil, so they could be lenient world leaders (tough I don’t like much their current governement).
ireland. obviously.
but god help us if bertie aherne was in charge…
Norway.
Benign government, foreign diplomacy dedicated to bringing peace, high standard of living. We just have to sort out that little matter of the whales…
Antarctica:
Free fish all round.
Leopard seals to be interned.
I would say Australia (no bias at all! ;)) , but I don’t know if I’d like Australia to be a superpower, from a purely selfish point of view.
Everything would change, and I’m not sure that’s a good thing.
I like the idea of a scandinavian country, or maybe a union of them.
Oh, come on, whats wrong about killing a couple of whales now and then? Its not they’re killing too many of them, after all. As for the argument that its cruel to kill whales the way its done right now; whales are animals, meaning they’re a natural resource. Does it really matter if they die a painful death?