There's also a world of difference between someone in a periphery state saying "let's at least marginally improve things for the people here, in this subjugated state" and someone in the imperial core saying "look at our mighty empire, our people deserve better than to be treated as no better than our subjects in the periphery! improve things here, with all the wealth from our great empire!" even when the latter doesn't say the quiet part loud.
It can't save us, but SuccDems in South America are at least not actively trying to doom us.
There's also a world of difference between someone in a periphery state saying "let's at least marginally improve things for the people here, in this subjugated state" and someone in the imperial core saying "look at our mighty empire, our people deserve better than to be treated as no better than our subjects in the periphery! improve things here, with all the wealth from our great empire!" even when the latter doesn't say the quiet part loud.