&gt; <i>Perhaps an analogy could be painted with companies today. Those that churn, and those that nurture skills.</i><p>Those that nurture skills would only be powerful in their own niche, and unable to significantly project power without a cohort of allies?<p>In the age of the longbow, England dominated the British Isles, whose other denizens were significantly smaller in population and economy. The French, on the other hand, kicked England out of the continent, and were a continental power. The English won some key battles, but at the end of the age of the longbow, the scorecard was in France&#x27;s favour.