A mainland with diverse species is more resistant to would-be conquerors. Perhaps it is harder to subdue a nation that possesses a greater cultural diversity. The actions of a conqueror are more likely to offend and inflame rebellion where the cultural seed bank is broad. At the very least, such nations, by nature, have more experience with aggressors. This more subtle form of invasion has been accelerated by technological advances in global communications.
Information now skips as easily across water as it does across land.
With western-type development comes the associated environmental problems, exacerbating problems bought on by rapid population growth of the previous decades. Manila is beautifully nestled in a crescent of rough volcanoes and mountains encircling Manila Bay. But once inside the city, urban sprawl, traffic congestion, and air quality were nightmarish at times. I lost count of the number of new American-style malls during our drives through Manila, but could not ignore the contrast of these glittering Titanics towering above miles of corrugated metal and cardboard squatter shacks across the road. Rebar juts from the top of newly occupied concrete buildings, as if recent construction is intended to accommodate additional floors in the near future.