We want the federation and we are getting the terrain empire.
Why not build the federation? If billionaires can get their city states, it should be possible to start something with those who want it and grow from there.
Earth is still not ready. If one other alien civilization started it and sowed up at our door, we word not qualify for membership. We are very far away from single world government and no wars / discrimination. It's not impossible but not something that can just be built.
I mean, looking on the bright side: Even the Federation universe had to go through two civil wars, World War III, and the eugenics war to get to where they ended up.
You say that, but we seem to be at least on track to a better 2050 than they had.
We've not had a eugenics war, drug-controlled supersoldiers, nuclear conflagration, nor a mutant genocide campaign, and we may not get the second and fourth.
I feel like people overblow the Elon Musk reference. Even putting aside the plot twist, it's been nearly 200 years from now, and they had the whole nuclear apocalypse in the early 2000s, which would only further muddle things.
People today praise Thomas Edison, and he was not that much better in many respects.
It's entirely reasonable for someone in the 23rd century to lose some of the details that we might have today.