Two hundred and forty years ago, in 1776, the United States of America exited Britain, after winning a hard fought revolutionary war. Now Britain has decided to exit the European Union after peaceful vote called Brexit. One way or another, the alignment and realignment of peoples is ongoing.

In 2014, Scotland voted to remain part of the United Kingdom, but now there are thoughts of reconsidering. Most of the people of Scotland would rather stick with Europe rather than with England.

The people of London, distressed at the prospect of Brexit, expressed an interest in becoming an independent city state, like Athens and Rome used to be. While these and other city states of old enjoyed autonomy, problems with self-defense and external pressure caused their ultimate downfall.

Perhaps the most impressive modern city state is Singapore. This small economic powerhouse has thrived, but not democratically. Its government exerts strict controls over the people. In Singapore, different religions and cultures co-exist harmoniously because strife is severely punished. Imports of chewing gum are prohibited. Not flushing a public toilet is a crime. Thus, gum does not stick to people’s shoes or under tables and public toilets are tolerable. All said and done, Singapore is not only prosperous, but also cosmopolitan and really pleasant.

Could we once again have cities turning into independent city states and collapsing? Could more or larger dictatorships succeed by using the carrot of prosperity and organized society along with the stick of public floggings, expulsion and more?

Who knows? The future repeats history over and over again, but not in exactly the same way.

See Irina Gajjar’s website and Amazon author pages for more on her views and philosophy.