World domination in the future

Conspiracy theorists, political scientists, advocates for various ideologies, science fiction authors, futurists, and transhumanists have speculated how world domination (Colloquially, taking over the world) might be achieved by various entities in the future. Some of these speculations are outlined below.
Possible future superpowers or means of world domination
People's Republic of China
The Chinese economy is growing at a rate of about 8% per year. China is predicted to surpass the United States as the world's largest economy by 2020 (in terms of total GDP; however, in GDP per capita, the US is expected to still have the lead, due to the large population of China). Chinese business executives are signing contracts for resource extraction on all continents. During 2007, China's installed electricity generating capacity grew 17 percent, reaching over 700 gigawatts, second only to the U.S.'s 900+ gigawatts. China is also preparing to vastly expand its nuclear power program.
is also growing. China is clearly an emerging superpower. Many are speaking of the 21st century as being the Chinese Century. Observers claim that it is possible for China and the United States to be equal superpowers by 2030

Anarchist world confederation

Ironically, some calls to unite anti-globalization movements around the globe may be also seen as utopian attempts by anarchists to take over the world from multinational corporations. Anarchists, green anarchists, Greens and Libertarians envision an anarchist world confederation, i.e., the abolition of all presently existing nations and the institution of a worldwide system of about 1,000 locally autonomous province sized local regions or bioregions that are largely self-sufficient and engage in mutually beneficial free trade for needed commodities not produced locally; however, no region would dominate any other region, and although there would be no central authority such as a world parliament, presumably the regions would consult with each other on matters of mutual interest. Some believe it might be necessary to have a small cooperatively managed green world police force like the United Nations peacekeeping forces in order to prevent the possibility of a warlord arising in one of the regions and attempting to dominate other regions (it is presumed that by the time the confederation is set up, there will have been total nuclear disarmament).

Many anarchist, Green, and Libertarian political theorists (such as green anarchist John Zerzan ) maintain that an anarchist world confederation is inevitable because after Peak Oil (expected to occur before 2010, and believed by some to have already occurred in 2005), there will not be adequate natural resources for any group to achieve world domination. Most anarchists believe that the Peak Oil crisis will result in the collapse of industrial civilization and thus the collapse of the financial system and therefore of capitalism itself (according to the Olduvai theory the collapse of industrial civilization will be virtually complete by 2030, when 70% of the world's oil supply will have been used up.) , thereby making anarchism the only viable political system.

The economic system of an anarchist world confederation is usually envisioned by anarchists and green anarchists as being anarcho-syndicalism, i.e., a system in which all businesses are owned by the workers, and thus cooperatively managed by the workers themselves; thus, under this system, there are no bosses. Libertarians advocate an economic system of laissez-faire capitalism for the confederation. Greens advocate a "mixed economy" with both systems co-existing.

World Federation
The World Federalist Movement advocates the establishment of a democratic World Federation by mutual agreement of the nations of the United Nations. This World Federation is usually envisioned as being governed by a World Parliament that would meet at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland which would consist of about 1,000 members elected by district, and a World Supreme Court which would meet at the International Court of Justice at The Hague, Netherlands. It is assumed by world federalists that the world federal government will be based on a liberal constitution like the Constitution of South Africa that would guarantee economic rights as well as human rights. The executive branch of the World Federalist government would be administered by the head of government, the Prime Minister of the World Parliament; no major World Federalist group has as yet proposed that there be elected also a President of Earth to be the head of state of a United Earth.

Supercomputer world domination
In 2005, futurist and transhumanist Ray Kurzweil published his book The Singularity is Near. This book maintains that by 2025, most manufacturing will be done on a largely local basis using nanofabricators. Kurzweil further predicts that over the next 40 years, human beings, by the incorporation of nanobots into their metabolisms, will gradually evolve into immortal humanoid androids by 2045, by which time advances in computer technology (it assumed that Moore's Law will continue to hold) will allow the uploading of the minds of the vast majority of the human race (as well as the minds of the numerous humanoid robots that Kurzweil predicts will be in existence by then) into a worldwide supercomputer--an event called by Kurzweil the Singularity. Kurzweil envisions that those who are uploaded into the supercomputer will be able to live forever in virtual reality (possessing virtual reality bodies—avatars—that can be morphed into any desired form), as well as possessing vastly expanded super-intelligence. Kurzweil believes that the supercomputer will expand outward into the Solar System and convert a significant percentage of the matter in the Solar System into carbon nanotubes (the material out of which the supercomputer will be made).
Within a few decades after the Singulariy, Kurzweil asserts the supercomputer's robot helpers will have established a Kardashev Level II society in this solar system. Then, Kurzweil predicts that the supercomputer will reach out for galactic domination by sending out a massive fleet of small starships manned by swarms of nanobots (programmed to replicate additional supercomputers utilizing the matter of other star systems) to colonize the Milky Way Galaxy. After galactic domination has been achieved, the galactic supercomputer will organize the establishment of a Karadashev Level III society in our galaxy.

World domination in popular culture

Alien invasion

The alien invasion is a common theme in stories and films, particularly in science fiction, in which a technologically-superior extraterrestrial society invades Earth with the intent to replace human life, or to enslave it under a colonial system, or in some cases, to use humans as food.

Robot domination
Another scenario is in which robots growing more advanced or more intelligent than humans and enslaving or destroying the human race (this was the plot of the original 1921 science fiction play which coined the word "robot", R.U.R. by Karel Capek).
Other cases
Board Games
*The popular board game Risk is often labeled as the "world domination game" or the "game of global conquest", though the German version was banned in that country until the goal of the game was changed to 'liberating the world', rather than 'conquering'.
*The board game Summit was a popular game among board game players of the 1960s and 1970s that allowed one to strive for world domination.
*The board game Diplomacy was also a popular world domination game.
*There is also a trivia board game called 'World Domination.'

Film
*World domination is often perceived to be the most common plot line in the James Bond movie series. However, in actuality, the villain is much more likely to demand ransom money than seek global hegemony, something that has happened only three times. *In Dr. No, the famous spy is already weary of foes who seek to dominate the globe and calls it "the same old dream". In the Austin Powers movie series, arch-villain Dr. Evil attempts to blackmail the world for ransom, but plans to destroy and/or dominate it anyway.
*The 1970 science fiction film The Forbin Project depicts a scenario in which a supercomputer tries to take over the world.
*Cutler Beckett, head of the East India Trading Company and arch-antagonist of the Pirates of the Caribbean films has plans to rid the Earth of pirates and gain worldwide control of the seas for the Company and by effect himself.
*It Conquered the World is a 1956 film in which a Venusian creature attempts to take over Earth.
*In The Matrix trilogy, which started in 1999, shows a world dominated by intelligent machines around the year 2199. In this dystopia, mankind is used as an energy source for the machines, which systematically breed humans and harvest their biochemical power. The arch-villain of the trilogy, Agent Smith, develops ambitions of world domination in the final film of the series.

Literature
*In the works of JRR Tolkien the Dark Lord Sauron seeks to rule Middle-earth. His former master, Morgoth succeeded in taking over the majority of Arda.
*Most Dystopian novels such as Shade's Children by Garth Nix contain villains who already rule the world and the story concerns the protagonist's quest to overthrow them.
*Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling wants to rule the world and in the final book of the series achieves domination over the majority of the United Kingdom and the rest of the world.
*Mulgarath from The Spiderwick Chronicles is obsessed with world domination.
*Fu Manchu from the works of Sax Rohmer aspires to dominate the world.
*Briar Cudgeon, Opal Koboi and most villains from the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer seek world domination although Artemis himself does not.
*Global domination is frequently used in science fiction, or alternate reality, literature as a desirable, praiseworthy, or inevitable step in the progress of human civilization. Others treat it as the sinister ambition of the story's villain. Themes range from inspirational, such as Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek, to critical, such as in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.

Music
*World Domination was the name of a 1986 single by the dance music group the Belle Stars that reached #5 on the U.S. hit parade.
*World domination is a slang term used in the music industry. If a rock group, solo artist, or DJ has attained a successful career that includes hit singles, gold record or platinum record level CD sales, and going on world tours, they are referred to as having achieved "world domination". Examples of musical artists who have achieved world domination include Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson (in the 1980s), Oasis (in the mid-90's), Queen and U2.
*There is a German band called The World Domination or TWD.
*"World Domination Records" (2001) Publishes and distributes "hip-hop industrial opera" (quotation from Rue Morgue Magazine)

Television

*Futurama depicts the flag of Earth as being the United States Flag with the planet Earth in the canton. This is a hinting along with the fact everyone, regardless of race, is referred to as "Earthicans" instead of the usual "Earthlings", that the U.S. took over the Earth and now controls everything, hence the name United States of Earth run by the President of Earth who lives in the White House.
*Pinky and the Brain cartoons typically feature Brain trying to take over the world.
* In the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the character of Rita Repulsa repeatedly tries to conquer Earth, using a wide variety of monsters as do the villains in subsequent Power Rangers series.
*Stewie Griffin from the cartoon Family Guy has fanciful dreams of taking over the world.
*Zim from the TV series Invader Zim wants to conquer the world for his leaders, although they have no interest in it.
*Mojo Jojo and most villains from The Powerpuff Girls seek to rule the Earth.
*The Anime series Gundam Wing features the United Earth Sphere Alliance which controls the Earth and is in turn ruled by the Romefeller Foundation.
* In the Doctor Who episode Last of the Time Lords, The Master successfully takes over the planet Earth.
*Xana from the cartoon Code Lyoko is obsessed with world domination.
*Christine Slevil-Lewis-White from The 10th Kingdom seeks domination of the world where most of the events of the story take place.
*Most villain characters in the TV show Xiaolin Showdown want to conquer the world, and Jack Spicer, Chase Young and Wuya have succeeded in doing so.
* Sheldon J. Plankton from the television series SpongeBob SquarePants seeks to rule the world, but always fails.
* Almost all Super Sentai villains have this goal.
*Lotor from the Voltron anime wants to conquer his world, and like some supervillains, wants to share power with a female, in this case the pretty Princess Allura.
*Light Yagami in the anime Death Note plans to start a new world filled with only people he accepts, using the Death Note to kill criminals or those who get in his way.

Video and Computer Games
A great many video games, often in the strategy genre, have a goal of global domination - for example, , Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, the Civilization series, Rise of Nations and, to a lesser extent, the . In addition, games such as Day of the Tentacle and Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders feature plots of foiling attempts of global domination. Many games, such as the Pokémon games, the Sonic the Hedgehog series, and some games in the Final Fantasy series, have antagonists with the goal of taking over the world. Usually part or all of the plot of these games involves stopping these persons/organizations.

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See Also

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