Justifying a tyrannical government by virtue of the previous government having been a tyranny <i>too</i> doesn&#x27;t persuade anyone.<p>For the US government, whatever it does is always about its interests, because that&#x27;s what governments are about.<p>However, that&#x27;s just the reason why being a small nation sucks, like any resident of a small country can tell you. Sometimes their plight even manages to gather some popular sympathy[, but as Dalai Lama can tell you, it doesn&#x27;t help much anything]. The lucky ones are who happen to succeed at gaming at least two great powers against each other, instead of being surrounded by one large or its sphere of power, who will merrily invade you if it strikes their fancy.