But how would you apply "pressure"? It keeps coming back to this. If it's not by using force, and not by throwing money around, then I can't see what it would be.

Maybe you could illustrate this idea with a few fictional scenarios. For example, let's say Citizens A and B are a law-abiding family in Germany, and the government there has just seized their children because they're Christian and they homeschool. Clear violation of the UN declaration of human rights. What does your online government do to help these citizens?