In the anarchic world of international politics, it is better to be Godzilla than Bambi.

China, in short has the potential to be considerably more powerful than even the United States.

Simply put, the most powerful state is the one that prevails in a dispute.

A state's potential power is based on the size of its population and the level of its wealth.

The German air offensives against British cities in World Wars I and II not only failed to coerce the United Kingdom to surrender, but Germany also lost both wars.

In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler believed that his great-power rivals would be easy to exploit and isolate because each had little interest in fighting Germany and instead was determined to get someone else to assume the burden. He guessed right.

Important benefits often accrue to states that behave in an unexpected way.