What you have to assess is whether you have the will to fight.
If I am cheated or betrayed, I will react.
India claimed to have intervened in Sri Lanka to secure Tamil interests. In actual fact, India came to secure its own interests.
If somebody trusts me, then I will reciprocate.
If the Sri Lankan government resorts to state oppression against the Tamils and Muslims, then we will fight.
When I was deciding to fight, the thought of winning or losing didn't bother me.