Small countries have two big advantages: 1. If government does something really bad (e.g., become am evil dictatorship), the majority of the population just mo

Small countries have two big advantages: 1. If government does something really bad (e.g., become am evil dictatorship), the majority of the population just moves 50 km and is suddenly in another country. Businesses move much earlier, so there is lots of tax competition. 2. Corrupt politicians still need to shop and go to the bakery. In small countries you can get easily "hated by the people", making your life miserable. That or the occasional stone in your house's window. Everybody knows where you live. The above two are concrete countermeasures available to the general population against today's standard default "democracy against the will of the people." Compare that to the administrative cities of Washington, Brussels (as EU capital), Brasilia, where no ordinary people live (at least they're physically separated) and where you'd need to move hundreds of kilometers in order to become resident of another country.