[macspoofing]

>Deeply embedded in our evolutionary story is the urge to protect people you have something in common with

Deeper than that is identity. In fact, after basic needs are met, your identity (cultural, ethnic, religious, and yes, even national) is one of the most important aspect of your humanity. Every nation in the world, has very tight immigration policies and border controls. That's not a coincidence.

>Rule #1: teams should not be divided on a country by country basis.

How should they be divided? How does a global government look like? Liberal Democracy with a market economy? You sure everyone is OK with that?

Also, we live in a world where even 'regular' nation states number in tens or hundreds of millions of people. There is already an issue of the disconnect between the population and their representatives. I'm not sure how this would work if added another 1 or 2 levels up the hierarchy. Can you imagine how disconnected and 'elitist' representatives of your one-world government would be? Yieks.

[aerosmile]

You took my next-gen UN idea too far. I am not asking for a government of governments (aka, a worldwide EU). I am just asking for another form of Olympic Games (or an expanded version of Monsters of Rock, or whatever comes to your mind).

[com2kid]

Immigration policies were a direct result of the creation of social welfare programs.

Remember, 200 years ago most European countries only existed in a proto form of what we recognize today.

[macspoofing]

And those ethnic identities were there ... Where do you think those nations came from?