Overwhelming military power does not let a state direct events without constraint. The schoolyard analogy shows how the strongest actor may have to moderate its behavior because observers interpret full-force action as bullying. Public opinion can therefore deny a superior military some of the capabilities theoretically at its disposal. The strategic danger is that restraint framed as fairness may prolong a war and increase casualties rather than produce the quickest defensible victory.
Notable Point · 1:20:49-1:23:32
Overwhelming power can still be restrained by public opinion
Post-Cold War superiority did not guarantee freedom of action because domestic audiences could limit how force was used and judge an unequal fight as bullying.