# Granular Self-Determination Can Increase Political Variety by Salim Ismail > "The problem with nation-states is that they have armies and like to use them. Over time, we are going to see much more highly granulated self-determination, which will be good for the world because it will increase variety." > **— Salim Ismail**, *MOONSHOTS Live, September 25, 2026* ## Sources and Context - **Recording and precise locator:** [18:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk7hdOwJj4&t=1115s) — MOONSHOTS Live, September 25, 2026. - **Exact reconciled source object:** “The problem with nation-states is that they have armies and like to use them. Over time, we are going to see much more highly granulated self-determination, which will be good for the world because it will increase variety.” - **Editorial status:** The poster preserves the source-faithful object, including visible bracketed repairs and omissions where present. - **Reconciled source dossier:** [[research/Jensen Pushes Back on Doomers Moonshots Live|Jensen Pushes Back on Doomers Moonshots Live]] preserves transcript order, speaker attribution, editorial conventions, and the surrounding argument. - **Weekly promotion dossier:** [[research/Weekly Reminder Hunt - 2026-10-02|Weekly Reminder Hunt — October 2, 2026]] records why this object was selected for permanent promotion. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Gigawatt Is the New Measure of War|The Gigawatt Is the New Measure of War]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Salim Ismail|Salim Ismail]] - [[wiki/AI Distribution|AI Distribution]] - [[wiki/Super Intelligence Economy|Super Intelligence Economy]] - [[wiki/AI Access|AI Access]] ## Share on Social Media ``` "The problem with nation-states is that they have armies and like to use them. Over time, we are going to see much more highly granulated self-determination, which will be good for the world because it will increase variety." — Salim Ismail, MOONSHOTS Live, September 25, 2026 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-ismail-granular-self-determination-can-increase-political-variety ```