philip bobbitt.

short version: philip bobbitt knows what the state will look like in the future, and so will you if you read his books.

a little but on the theory: the era of the "nation state" as we know it, is ending. this has implications for the role of corporations in global governance and the way we (and all governments of consent) fight new threats. nations' twentieth century strategic paradigms are quickly shifting. In the Twenty-First Century, we will see the continued emergence of what Bobbitt calls the era of the market state. This type of state is not/will not be bound or defined by territory and will be, over time, radically decentralized. Whereas the nation state's legitimacy has been based in providing for the welfare of groups or the nation as a whole, the market state will be more responsive in providing opportunities to individuals. This will be one fundamental base of a market state's claim to legitimacy.

what Bobbitt recommends
Bobbitt describes the emerging market state, how it will work, how it will gain legitimacy. this is a dense work and is rather well-organized.

He also talks a lot about how policy makers must begin to reflect new globalized market state realities. Domestic policy can afford to waste no time in catching up to the new emerging era. there will be serious challenges to all conventional notions about privacy. The line between battle field & the civilian realm-- which have been starkly separate since WWII-- will blur. These realms will touch each other & intersect in surprising and disturbing ways. Policy makers must take great care & be deliberate about how we move into the "new order" that will slowly emerge.

A comprehensive approach to US strategic & defense affairs must account for the vulnerabilities & opportunities that come along with the US' status within the world community. We are now the only nation with "truly global interests." There are variations on how to play that role internationally, but the forces of globalization and innovation that made past victories (like that of the Cold War) possible will continue to enable our enemies and drive expansion of opportunity for all of us. 

that's a snap shot. I will update this page. If you want the whole theory, read Philip Bobbitt's Terror and Consent : The Wars for the Twenty-First Century from 2008.  The Shield of Achilles from 2002 is also knock-you-over illuminating.