Again,
none of these assumptions by themselves says that states will or should compete
with each other for power. For sure, the third assumption leaves open the possibility that
there is a revisionist state in the system. By itself, however, it says nothing about why all
states pursue power. It is only when all the assumptions are combined together that
circumstances arise where states not only become preoccupied with the balance of power,
but acquire powerful incentives to gain power at each other’s expense.