Before I start, please understand I enjoyed Manna and that's why I talked about it and linked to the essay.
The story is two-fold, one is the gradual shift into robotic "overlordship" (if you allow the term) in one part of the world, and the other is the gradual revealing of the panacean robotic semi-utopia in another part of the world.
While the first was rather convincing and for all intend and purposes I believe it could happen (has even already started in some ways), the second felt a bit naïve, as if the rest of the world would let such an "easy" solution elude their grip and control.
* spoiler alert *
"Easy" in quotation marks as gathering that amount of money, convincing country officials to sell a large portion of their land, setting up a new society based on a new set of values, etc, all this thanks to the benevolent dictatorship of what the others would label a radical, while at the same letting him run with it until the point were he successfully sets up a rival establishment, is refreshingly trustful in human nature (read childish). Note that I'm not addressing the technological prouesse of 100% recycling, neural implants for communication with all things electronic or full VR with brain disconnection, as those are for the realm of Sci-Fi and gave entertainment value to the story. But the socio-political solution was more hand-waving magic than workable solution for today's misery.
I applaud the author for giving some thoughts to it, however I would have preferred a deeper analysis of the obstacles and the way they were overcome for setting up Project Australia, as I think that's were the real meat of the material is found, but it was barely grazed at.