The security dilemma asserts that both strength and weakness in national security can be provocative to other nations. If a nation is too strong, this can be provocative since "most means of self-protection simultaneously menace others." On the other hand, if a nation is too weak, "great dangers arise if an aggressor believes that the status quo powers are weak in capability or resolve." Thus the dilemma: directly and indirectly, both strength and weakness can upset the balance of security in international relations. This holds true with both offensive anrd defensive weapons as the Soviet–US ABM Treaty illustrates: though the anti-ballistic missiles are purely defensive for one, it still weakens the efficiency of any other hostile state's ability to retaliate.