They are often tax havens, which attract rich people and by taxing them very lightly, they are able to support a small local population. So there is desire on t

They are often tax havens, which attract rich people and by taxing them very lightly, they are able to support a small local population. So there is desire on the part of rich elites to keep them. They're like parasites in a global economic system. Imperial powers are similar to carnivores, they can force their economic will onto other nations, but at the high cost of maintaining large military, and smaller nations that build up their economy are like herbivores, they focus on internal prosperity, rather than outside world.