For more than two hundred years humanity has been on a nation-building frenzy. Cities forged treaties and alliances, declared their independence from colonial powers, or altogether disappeared from the face of the planet to be replaced by modern versions of ancient communities.
In 1946, the United Nations had 46 members. Today, it has 192. But just what nations are crucial to the continuity of present-day civilization? What countries do we need to protect? What states can we allow to fail?
To determine what we cannot do without, the ISSC Team has compiled a list of “The 10 Most Significant Nations on the Planet.” These states are the pillars of our current civilization. Others revolve around them and follow their lead.
There are nations and there are nations. And there are, of course, other nations. In other words, without the combined resources of the population, sovereignty, territory and government of "The 10 Most Significant Nations on the Planet” we’d be in the middle ages, or worse.
To create this list we asked the following questions:
What happens to the rest of the world if we lose this nation?
Can we replace it?
Then on a scale of one to ten, on the context of present-day civilization we used these questions and graded the city according to the following criteria:
Value of the Population Pool – the collective human capital of the people residing in the nation's territory. It includes level of educational attainment, the supply and demand for education, learning and information, and the ability to distribute their individual and/or collective knowledge to others around the world.
Value of Infrastructure – the cost to build and operate the entire nation, consequently leading to continuous economic growth and job creation.
Concentration of Global Information – knowledge and information accumulated about the universe, made available to the rest of the world’s population.
Diversity of Cultural base – the assortment of race, color, creed, political and religious affiliations, beliefs and practices that lead to vibrant and dynamic creativity, innovation and discoveries.
Source of Global Leadership – the nation's population is responsible for, and make decisions in behalf of, the rest of the world. This includes responsibilities towards global political affairs and the decision-making capabilities for, and influence in, global economics.
Most importantly, it's not a one-way influence or dependency where a nation affects or relies on other nations for its sole benefit without benefitting others.
These criteria are then tested and compared with other nations that lack such capabilities.
Forget rich or poor nations. Today, wealth can be transferred in an instant using technology, resources can be consumed and exhausted, and populations migrate while hundreds of millions are mired in a life of non-productivity.
It's a matter of asking nations what they have done for the benefit of the rest of the world.
This not about survival or mere existence. Think longevity. Many of us will pass away but these nations will continue to stand. Or else, civilization as we know it will cease to exist.
