“What do you think of the new strip?”

I think it’s very
interesting, mainly because it confirms earlier conceptualizations of
nationhood!

Since Monaco isn’t a big
country and has a small population, they mainly rely on tourists to sustain
themselves.

However, because the
country is resort and luxury-based (i.e casinos, hotels), it doesn’t attract a
ton of people, as not many people can afford going there.

Instead, it attracts for
the most part richer classes, both good and bad. What Monaco and France are
discussing here with regards to public safety is that the corrupt rich people Monaco’s
attractions bring in threaten the possibility of other people wanting to visit
her country.

When she says that she
won’t exist if she’s not safe, she’s basically saying that she’s nothing
without people visiting her. Likewise, because she doesn’t have a large
population, her existence is heavily dependent on tourists.

So, it would follow that
Monaco needs to dispose of the dangerous classes by getting rid of them,
therefore upping her country’s safety and making it a more desirable place to
travel to.

This strip echoes what
we saw back in chapter 307, where France confirms that their nationhood derives
from their citizens.

In sum…

A nation is nothing
without their people. But, because Monaco is tourist-based, they comprise a big
part of her population, albeit temporarily.

She “doesn’t stop
worrying” because if corrupt tourists with money keep visiting her, it can act
as a disincentive for other tourists to visit.

There’s also an issue
with expensiveness that she has to tackle if she’s to attract more kinds of
people to her country.