What you have to assess is whether you have the will to fight.

However formidable a military power you may be, you cannot impose upon a people anything against their will.

People cannot give up their cause, their rights, for fear of defeat.

If somebody trusts me, then I will reciprocate.

India deliberately aggravated Sri Lanka's ethnic crisis. It destabilized Sri Lanka [by training and arming Tamil militants, including the Tigers] so that it could play a dominant role in bringing Sri Lanka within its sphere of influence.

What you have to assess is whether you have the will to fight.

When I was deciding to fight, the thought of winning or losing didn't bother me.