I didn't succeed with the Philo --> Republic slingshot. But as I always was number one in GNP, I don't think that anyone has got Republic. I started researching it on my own and will be finished in 13 turns, which gives me some more time to expand and be better prepared for Republic.
Very soon I will have three 4-turn settler factories running and will expand very rapidly...
As for the Americans...let them build some infrastructure and then I will run through them to get their luxuries...
I just found the borders of the Koreans, another AI civ...