"eat your lunch .. or militarily" Obviously all empires want to grow and devour the independent small states/societies and this is what happened and this is wh

"eat your lunch .. or militarily" Obviously all empires want to grow and devour the independent small states/societies and this is what happened and this is why only gigantic states(and those small ones siding with them) stand a chance today. But a often tried out concept is that of federation. Meaning (semi) autonomous entieties get together for common benefits, like military defense and infrastructure. But of course also those have a tendency to turn into empires. (The Delian League in ancient greece comes to mind, or well the russian federation today. ) But that does not mean it must be always like this. I believe there is a sweet spot that can be achieved and stays stable. But the current Zeitgeist seems to head in another direction.