I have argued before that nations cannot save us, even when they cooperate or form international agencies.My belief is that only grass-roots or ad hoc transnational organizations can form and become effective in the very short timescales that we have to operate in. Even when a nation, whether authoritarian or democratic, is capable of rapid adaptation or change within its own boundaries, although even this can be very difficult, as soon as the international dimension comes into play, the rigidities and delays become dangerous in our present circumstances.
The creation of grass-roots and mushroom ad hoc organizations require the effective deployment of social media: nothing else can be quick or responsive enough.The antidemocratic fora in the United States or the fact that the government of China has found it necessary to target the youth of Hong Kong are proof of this fact - they know their enemies.
The Arab Spring and other failed initiatives were directed at oppressive regimes and not at the real threats to our continued existence, so their fate does not provide proof either way.
I am reminded that in 1960 or thereabouts Mao ordered the population of China to kill four pests, rats, flies, mosquitos and sparrows (the latter eventually replaced by bedbugs.) A similar obedient population can be told to take drastic measures to stop a virus in its tracks, but outside China proves very difficult to take such steps. In more liberal countries one comes up against an enduring feature of humanity: that looming danger or even terrible events will not usually activate a unanimous response in large societies unless the threat is overwhelmingly obvious or dire events are causing death and destruction to oneself or people very close.
There is another paradox lurking here: the larger and more powerful the entity or alliance, the less likely it is that it can act with sufficient speed to be sufficiently effective at this juncture.
Richard Posner
