Mostly was thinking M-A-D and nuclear whatever(s) (orbiting platforms, missiles, torpedo's, suitcases, bombs, shells, along with the rest (chemical/biological)) of WMD's.
More like a "dust-devil" than a storm.
Any time frame, past-present-future.
Would we still butt heads without a clear advantage in either time (when ready), weapons, manpower, resources, etc.?
Cops (policemen) are called "bullies" because they have more power, but we forget (more often than not) they don't start things.
Your basic classroom "bully" will pick on the weak, but will think twice about a fight he has a 50/50 chance of loosing. Either ignore you or try to recruit you (to his cause), attempt a friendship, gang up or find a different angle of attack.
Parity appears to work in this scenario, if only temporally.
What about the "Big Picture", .... the rest of the school?
I guess it's a question about power. Taking power away is not an option in/of human nature. If you are powerless, you get stepped on, no matter how glorious the intentions of the stepper intentionally/originally were.
Power corrupts & absolute....yada yada.
There is also the power of the press/media, for good and all that (non-disputable), but also the power of a corrupt press in selective/exclusive/bias reporting, and without a BS detector.....can be very persuasive, or equally destructive. (the weapon of the little guy)
Orson Wells (War of the Worlds broadcast)
No matter the weapon used, if someone thinks they can get away with something (theft etc.), you wimp out and don't object, or thinks before it starts they have you beat (fight), because of more/better this or that....they probably will.
Does "Mother" need to be there to break it up, or do we let the playground fight till the last kid standing? Leader of the pack thing, they will eventually fight, and what reason they use for the fight is most times irreconcilable and irrelevant.
Will it end, or will there always be a reason to do it, no matter how Lame?