Equilibrium and War

Equilibrium and War:

Conflict usually starts because of an irreconcilable difference in a balance of power between two or more groups, or two or more ideologies. Once hostilities break out, the progression of conflict usually follows the course of both sides attempting to rebalance the dynamics of the society or situation they are fighting for in their favor, creating an equilibrium out of the imbalance that started the conflict to begin with. 

Their are a few ways to create and/or restore an equilibrium that was distorted or destroyed in a conflict.

You can fight until a stalemate, like a ceasefire of sorts, where territorial and ideological concessions and achievements are met mostly at a base level because your opponent was strong enough to prevent you from achieving your ideal territorial, material, and ideological goals. This creates an uncomfortable equilibrium that usually doesn't last very long and often goes out of balance at some point.

      You can fight until you achieve a strategic, symbolic and emotional victory and your opponent loses the will to continue the conflict, even though your opponent maintains a level of autonomy and self-governance. This is more ideal for you, and less ideal for your opponent, but your opponent is not completely destroyed.

On a short side note, game theory and its applications to war is not all math. Emotions morality, ethics, and symbolism play a significant role in the progression and outcome of games, and both add a fairly significant level of complexity and unpredictability to the dynamics of the game that is often quite hard to quantify on top of the raw mathematical constructs and concepts of game theory.

The last one, and obviously the most immoral and unethical, is the complete elimination or eradication of your opponent. This "restores" an equilibrium by eliminating the need for an equilibrium entirely. Why would a balance of power be necessary when your opponent is completely destroyed. This achieves total, supreme victory and absolute authority and sovereignty for the victor.

Even so, there will always be new factions and new groups that form because of the absence of balance and the tendency of an absolute authority to abuse their power that creates resentment and animosity that leads to a new challenger.