Even if the United States and its allies intended only to destroy and degrade Chinese military power rather than conquer the country and forcibly change its government, Chinese leaders might fear the latter, making cataclysmic war more likely. Such an outcome would defeat the purpose of the defenders’ strategy—to keep the costs and risks incurred in the war matched with the interests at stake. Any victory of this sort would be pyrrhic—ash in the victors’ mouths.
