http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/archives/2005/04/the_size_of_cou.html I agree with Becker that the costs to nations of being small have declined and that this decline, along with the dismantling of the colonial empires (mainly of Great Britain and France), are factors in the growth in the number... en-us http://www.halfsigma.com/2005/04/small_countries.html Gary Becker and Richard Posner both have some interesting thoughts on the economic benefits of small countries versus big countries. Here are my thoughts: The primary advantage of being big is self defense. In a world where wars are http://stonecity.blogspot.com/2005/04/scale-of-nations.html The rise of China as a rival to the United States would almost certainly drive a new Cold War, possibly more intense than the last one due to China's much greater strategic vulnerability (stemming from its lack of oil and metals). Like its predecesso...