dimensional analysis, ugh!
Thanks.
I have been thinking how all this boils down to dimensional analysis (Hi marcus

). At least in this way one can connect with the argument based on superficial divergences of renormalization theory.
Point is, that force has dimensions of [length]^-2. More precisely, one says that
[f]= [m][x]/[t]^2=[h]/[x][t]=[h][c]/[x]^2
where h and c are constant as usual, so the variable physical input must have a way to appear with dimension [length]^-2.
In absence of masses (remember [m]=[h][c]^{-1}[length]^{-1}) the only scale available is the separation between the interacting forces. So if we aim for a adimensional (scale-less) coupling constant, dimensional analisis imposes upon as a force following the inverse square law.
The same process sleeps at the end of the "degree of divergence" of a loop in perturbative QFT. It can be seen that the naive condition for renormalization is, simply, to compare the dimensionality of fields and coupling constants with the dimensionality of space.
In the following I'll put h=c=1 if only for training.
Lets try to add some masses but still insisting in scale-less coupling constant. First, a massive propagator "M" could be used just to reduce or to increase one degree of force. So we have the possibilities
f= K M/x, f=K 1/Mx^3.
But in such cases the limit M \to 0does not recover the previous forces (thus should we need to colapse one spatial dimension in the limit if we ask for consistency?). Still it is possible to use M just to cancel the distance in other way:
f={K \over x^2} (1-(M x)^p)^q
If q=1/2 then we have an interaction that becomes imaginary beyond a certain distance. Actually these interactions can be used to approach Yukawa. And of course dimensional analysis let us to implement yukawa directly, too, but this is very ad-hoc (while q=1/2, p=2 fits very well with P=\sqrt{E^2-M^2} using the procedure some messages above).
If we consider masses in the interacting particles, we should by symmetry to keep them either as a sum m+m', and then it is as the previous case, or as a product, mm', getting two additional possibilities with adimensional coupling:
f=K mm', f={K \over m m' x^4}
The second one shows a dependence similar to Fermi weak force (I supposse? Compare its potential with a delta function in three dimensions) except for masses. As for the first one, a constant force happens for instance in confinement of quarks, ie color string, but no mass dependence happens in this case, neither in fermi force. Still, Nature likes to keep things in order, and the string tension of charmonium is of the order of the product of masses of both quarks.
There are two cases where the coupling constant can be home of a scale. Gravity (ie geometry) and spontaneus symmetry breaking. In the second case, if a theory is the result of a very low energy approximation to a Yukawian theory, the scale of this theory appears in the coupling constant, for instance K_F=k/M_W^2 relates Fermi theory with yukawian GSW model of electroweak interactions. In the first case the coupling carries a unit of area, Planck area. In both cases the resulting theory is not renormalizable.