This was the argument put forth by the Roman historian Tacitus, although he put it in the mouth of a British chieftain. That sounded dirty, but it's not. It's all about context here on Crash Course. To robbery, slaughter, plunder, they give the lying name of empire. They make a desert and call it peace. There are two ways to overcome this governance problem. First, you can rule with the proverbial topaz fist.