The eastern war offers a useful comparison for how modern states define their interests. Territory is only one measure of power; alliances and less tangible commitments can carry enormous political value. One government may see an ally or interest as insignificant and assume that threatening it will provoke no response. Another may regard the same commitment as critical and be prepared to defend it at great cost. Deterrence can fail when each side assigns a different value to the object in dispute.
Notable Point · 10:12-11:21
Why apparently minor interests can trigger war
Rome's eastern war becomes a lesson in alliance politics: an interest that looks expendable to one state may be essential to another.