h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Say diplomacy works to the degree that it exceeds all expectations. America, the EEC, the British Commonwealth, all of them join together in one superstate. But just one country refuses to join (say, for the sake of argument, Belgium, man!)

If this one small country was to set up defenses around its borders, that could be considered an act of war, thus technically instigating a true "World War" as every nation would be involved!

I feel a screenplay coming on...

I don't see how setting up defenses is an act of war.

In the days when only the US and Soviet Union had a nuclear capability, each said it was essential to defend them from the other, yet when any third party, such as the Chinese, looked like breaking into this monopoly "for their own defence" they would be told that this may be viewed as an act of war. Go figure...

Okay, here goes. The US dominates the Western Hemisphere, the European nations ally together and dominate Africa and the Near East, and China establishes a super-state that covers most of Asia and Oceania. They periodically war at each other, just to keep the stupid people from realizing how awful their governments are.

Sound familiar?

Yeah, like today, except for the europe-africa thing.
Anyway, for it to be a good movie Belgium would have to have a really neat trick uo its sleeve or the World Nation (WN) would have to be an evil police state and in this case it just comes out like Star wars Ep 4-6

Ah, but you're making the classic mistake there of assuming the underdog will turn out to be the good guy! That only happens in American movies...

Hmm, Sellers... DoublePlus familiar. Although suggesting the government is awful is a ThoughtCrime...

An alternative scenario is that the scenario that cyberpunk novels seem to like so much comes true - multinational companies take over, and they fight wars between each other.

Or then there is the one where the overpopulated 'third world' tries to throw off the yoke of an underpopulated, ageing, but highly technological 'first world'

Setting up defenses usually requires troop movements that are the same as preparing to invade.

No, I was just saying that it'd be a pretty dull movie if the outcome was pre-destined.
Anyway in the 'Belgium has a neat trick' scenario, the Belgians could be the bad guys, maybe even holding the rest of the world to ransom.(yes I know Belgium is just an example and I'm just using it as one.)
Or maybe, refreshingly for a movie, neither side are good or evil, they just hae different points of view