In certain situations, weakness – and the threat that a partner will collapse – can be a source of bargaining power. A bankrupt debtor who owes $1,000 has little power, but if it owes $1 billion, it may have considerable bargaining power – witness the fate of institutions judged “too big to fail” in the 2008 financial crisis.
一则，朝鲜拥有所谓的“弱实力”。在某些特殊情况下，弱势——以及伙伴关系可能崩溃的威胁——可以转化为一种讨价还价的资本。一个欠了1000元债务的破产者可能是渺小的，但一个欠了1亿元的就大不一样了，后者可能拥有相当巨大的讨价还价能力——正如那些在2008金融危机中“大到不能任其倒闭”金融机构一样。