Will the U.S. last a millennium?

Come 2776, do you think the United States of America will still have its same government? If so, will they still be a super power, or at least a world power?

See, I don't think they will. I have no idea what will happen to them, but it just seems implausible that they outlast the Roman Empire, which certainly seemed indestructible for a long time, but it fell apart after, what, 500 years? I've heard it said that Republics like the U.S.'s can't have as many people as we do and last.

This stems from seeing one too many science fiction works in which the U.S. and China were still the two most powerful countries on Earth, something like 1000 years into our future.

Still Sheepin'

I'm hoping that by then we have a competent world government.

Laws are made to be broken. You're next, thermodynamics.

How should we know? It is hard enough to predict what is going to have next year, let alone next millennium. The chances are, no, but so much will change that it is impossible to say.

Has any country kept the same government for a millenium? I'd be more willing to measure chance of success against current record holders.

No.

Da Rules excuse all the inaccuracy in the world. Listen to them, not me.

Byzantium from ~400 AD to 1453?

If any question why we died/ Tell them, because our fathers lied -Rudyard Kipling

I think France had a hereditary Monarchy for at least a thousand years, and I'm sure Britain did. Neither are still running (technically Britain's is, but it's so different now that it barely counts), but they did last a long time.

edited 14th Sep '11 1:59:49 PM by TheEarthSheep

Still Sheepin'

The Most Serene Republic of San Marino has managed to last from 301 AD to the present day without ever being annexed.

There may be a polity called the United States of America in 2776, but it'd be a monarchy with its capital on the isthmus of Panama, with a state religion that hasn't been invented yet.

“Love is the eternal law whereby the universe was created and is ruled.” — St. Bernard

Yeah, if it's 2776, either we'll have a world government and we'll be exploring and colonizing other planets, or civilization will break down as we run out of natural resources.

Democracy is the process in which we determine the government that we deserve

Not a chance in Hell. It'll either balkanize or become part of some weird multinational confederacy á la EU in 150 years, tops.

edited 14th Sep '11 2:09:12 PM by SavageHeathen

You exist because we allow it and you will end because we demand it.

No, but there may be a world government called the United Globe.

FUCK YEAH USA

Just kidding.

I can't really say. I mean nobody ever really expects any of the major world events, so who knows?

Yes.

If you don't like a single Frank Ocean song, you have no soul.

I'd say that it quite possibly could still exist then, though it might be a province of a world government.

Why must the world inevitably be unified under one government? I am not saying it would be bad, I am just wondering.

edited 14th Sep '11 2:31:40 PM by Pentadragon

Mostly because there's a general trend towards fewer, larger nations.

Actually there's a trend toward smaller. The Blakans, Africa, for example.

If you don't like a single Frank Ocean song, you have no soul.

and Both trends coexist simultaneously.

There's both a tendency to Balkanization and a pattern of entering into supranational entities and large-scale, semi-permanent alliances: (UN, AU, EU, NAFTA, NATO, ASEAN... you name it.)

You exist because we allow it and you will end because we demand it.

Alliances don't affect soverignity. The EU, yes, but not NATO.

If you don't like a single Frank Ocean song, you have no soul.

I think that the US could possibly remain as a political entity for a very long time, though I highly doubt that it would retain its superpower status for that long.

From what I've seen of Americans (though, not being one myself, I could be wrong), they have quite a prominent sense of national unity; the only way I could see the US balkanizing would be if either: a) a major event happened within the country that would cause extreme polarization and a fracturing of American national identity, or b) if a foreign power or powers managed to conquer part or all of the US.

There's a trend of smaller nations, which are a part of larger unions: Balkans (EU), some African nations (AU) etc.

700 years is a long time.

E: Savage Ninja.

edited 14th Sep '11 3:00:27 PM by Qeise

Laws are made to be broken. You're next, thermodynamics.

You've gotta concede, permanentish large-scale alliances are a new trend in historical terms.

And what about the African Union, the South American union, the Arab League and some Asian regional bodies?

You exist because we allow it and you will end because we demand it.

Well, look how much the whole world has changed over the last thousand years. The very idea of what a country is has changed to much in that time, and as globalization spreads and the world becomes a smaller and smaller place who is to say that there will even be such a concept as "a country" in the relatively near future, nevermind nearly a thousand years?

And let us pray that come it may (As come it will for a' that)

Yeah, but what kind of country would come about? Unless we don't solve climate change and overpopulation problems (whihc is a possibility) then the US isn't going anywhere.

Oh, and a millenium would be at 2775.

edited 14th Sep '11 3:04:12 PM by Erock

If you don't like a single Frank Ocean song, you have no soul.