there are places in the world that take a more lax view of financial concerns in their country, anyway Bitcoins can be printed and traded locally, google localbitcoin.
If there is demand for something then and it makes money for people / businesses / countries then it will survive- just look at the drug trade, bitcoin is better than drugs because it is more accessable and you won't turn into one of those before /after meth pictures :-D
First of all bitcoin is a currency and it is only in demand if it can be exchanged for goods and services. It can only be exchanged for goods if it can be converted into a fiat currency. That can only happen if governments allow it. So it is very different from the drug trade.
The other thing is that you are wrong about countries allowing money laundering. No country in the world allows that. Every country takes its orders from the US and Europe. They can shut you out of the worldwide financial system and they've already to done that to Iran. Iran has a hell of time selling its oil now. And unlike bitcoin oil is indisputably valuable. So it can be done and has been done before.
First of all- you do not have to change bitcoin into fiat, there are many many places that accept bitcoin directly online (bitmit.net for just one example) and if fiat were to see hyper-inflation which is very likely then I am sure people in real bricks n mortor shops will consider alternatives such as bitcoin, silver, gold etc.
Demand, there is demand for bitcoin atm as you can see from the price the trend of the price of Btc and also Mt goxs' order book. Not everything happens because governments allow it, if governments pass ridiculous laws they are ignored by the people,(people don't seem to have a problem exchanging fiat for illegal substances, yet this is prohibited). yes the government exercise great control over financial and business matters but this is because of tax and other license revenues the government collects, if you are not a operating in "their" system, if you do not register a company it is different / easier (I'm not going to elaborate here).
I never said money laundering, I was referring to regulation of financial activities such as currency / stock / shares / comodoties exchanges, If bitcoin became a massive worldwide currency countries would be fighting for exchanges to be in there country so they could tax it. I don't know about Irans Oil i thought they were doing fine supplying it to the chinese, didn't it even turn out that it was being used in american military vehicles?
As for money laundering many countries allow it, if you work for HSBC.
You are right about potential pressures that will arise from the central banks and governments will be interesting. The Bank for international settlements is the Chuck norris of banks and they won't like copertition with a system they can't controll.
