Throughout history, we have associated prosperity with the notion of conquest. The victors of war meant the triumphant could distribute greater wealth among their people. If they considered the moral issues, the victory justified it as improving the lives of those conquered. Or they were the chosen people and had God on their side. A nation’s prestige and might were synonymous with its expanse, territorial conquests, natural endowments, military prowess, tax revenues, and the size of its internal market. Conversely, being small was associated with vulnerability, an inability to take effective action, and even doubts about survival.
James Breiding has observed the solutions that work are increasingly coming from small, adaptive nations that are outperforming larger ones in providing for citizens. This success of these small nations inspired his book “Too Small to Fail: How Some Small Nations Are Reshaping The World” and S8nations, a non-profit organisation based in Zurich, Switzerland, which has the goal of connecting the most resourceful leaders and thinkers of the world’s most innovative nations to learn from each other and spark bold pragmatic best-in-class solutions.
The pervasive “bigger is better” mindset has long fueled the ambition for empire-building. However, there comes a point where the benefits of expansion no longer outweigh the costs. The challenges of maintaining social unity in the face of diverse languages, ethnicities, social customs, and geographical distances become insurmountable. The disappearance of past civilisations stands as a stark reminder of the impermanence of authority and the constant evolution of human communities. Notably, ecological overshoot and the isolation of the elite have been significant factors in past failures.
While the COP meetings held since the publication of Limits to Growth in 1972 were intended to halt the increase of CO2 emissions, they have had no effect. In fact, emissions have continued to grow. It seems corporations’ concerns and profit motive were more important than scientific considerations. It is quite apparent that our leaders, as a group, do not understand.
It might be due to my English-speaking bias, but I suggest Britain and the United States of America are facing more challenges as people protest. Their responses to protesters stand in stark contrast to Taiwan’s, which engaged the protest group G0v (pronounced gov-zero), has actively included them in the government, and is using AI to build a more democratic society.