Today, the order that is needed for human life is imposed primarily by nation states that compete primarily with lethal kinetic force, including nuclear weapons.

(Click "Today,..." at left for more detail.)

In the absence of nuclear weapons and international trade, every nation's territorial borders would change frequently to reflect each nation's ability to enforce its claims. Game theory predicts that such changes would be dampened by multiperiod considerations, so that temporary changes in the balance of kinetic power would not result in constantly shifting borders. But, generally speaking, territorial borders would manifest the current balance of lethal kinetic power across nations. Such adjustments in borders, including occasional absorption of wo nation by another, is good, in that it promotes the survival and prosperity of the fittest genes and memes.

A so called "international law" (an oxymoron) is not really a law since it is not pronounced by any authority that has the power to enforce it. Game theory predicts that, in a multiperiod game, it might be optimal for players to conform to such rules and to enforce them by consensus. This can be true even when agents are rational, and can be more likely true when agents are "wet computers". For example, it might be optimal for a warring nation to avoid committing a "war crime" (another oxymoron) because such an act might enrage and motivate and unite an opposing army.

The transformation of nations by immigration, and especially illegal immigration, into multicultural and multiracial societies, destabilizes the nation state system, inviting world war. When each nation is comprised of a single race and a single culture ("way of life"), there are strong forces, wired into every individual, binding those individuals into a cohesive "village" and to a way of life that promotes that "village's" genes and memes. In such a situation, the competition between nations is indistinguishable from the ancient competition between villages in jungles, except for scale. But, lacking the cohesion and common interest that is created by common genes and memes, today's multiracial and multicultural nations are nothing but large jungles. Individuals in such nations have a weak incentive to cooperate to preserve the nation, but such a "weak force" would be swept away by the much stronger forces of race and religion (way of life, memes) if that nation's cohesion was ever put to the test. This also is very dangerous as it weakens such nation states, thereby inviting world war.

Economic relations between nations create an incentive to cooperate for win-win economic outcomes. These incentives result in cooperation, but do nothing to stabilize the nation state system, because economic cooperation can swiftly realign when the balance of power is unstable. Like an obese man in a lifeboat, changing patterns of international economic relations can further destabilize an already unstable situation.

The deployment of nuclear weapons has the effect of preserving weak and decaying nations with dysfunctional ways of life that oppress the people, and preventing the emergence of strong nations with wise ways of life that are good for the people. (Click "The deployment,..." at left for more detail.) This is extremely dangerous, because as the cultures within the nuclear states decays, the likelihood of nuclear war increases, for oo reasons.

The path forward is to develop the current nation state system in order to eliminate nuclear weapons and to restore a healthy competition between nations so that those with strong, ascending, and beneficial cultures survive and thrive. It is not going to happen until "The People" in each nation are empowered enough to take control of the instruments of government. In turn, that is not going to happen until "The People" in each nation awaken to the "memes of empowerment" presented on. [Wo'O's Table] . When "The People" are empowered in every country in that way, they will collectively have the power to impose an "international law" prohibiting nuclear weapons. This will not eliminate war, but it will enable the resumption of a healthy competition between peoples and ways of life that will benefit all of humanity.

[See] [law] "A law is a rule made by an authority and that must be obeyed.".