Even though countries may exhibit provincial attitudes when it comes to conventional business, they can bind together closely when the design and implementation of a huge project is at stake. In the past, individual countries were able to build the Great Pyramids of Egypt, the Grand Canal and the Great Wall of China, and the Palace of Knossos in Crete, using their own natural and human resources exclusively. In modern times the construction of megaprojects from the Panama Canal to the Aswan Dam has required the cooperation of a large number of private corporations and public agencies.
A great number of macroengineering projects are currently under way, and an even greater number are in the planning stages. For example, the famous English Channel tunnel ("chunnel") project is currently being tackled again, previous attempts in 1884 and 1975 having failed. France and Britain have considerable experience in collaborative work: they are the producers of the Concorde, the only supersonic commercial airplane. The two countries have been joined by West Germany in the production of a conventional airplane, the Airbus, which is giving U.S. aircraft producers considerable competition.
Several other megatunnels, megabridges, megahighways, and even megacities are in the planning stages. 1
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