fair points, but i think covid wasnt big enough of a problem - war is. i would sometimes look towards history and think "why didnt these tribes just unite against the crusaders and win its so easy but they just kept infighting" now i see its really hard to come together, but the alternative is your people lose   ignoring the major downsides of trying to remain completely sovereign - you cant make it, its impossible(unless extremely lucky). unless you have a plan
Latvia