For example, Cameroon is hardly worth a nod, but Israel counts for big points. Over the course of your turn, you can choose actions in each country ranging from quiet diplomatic overtures to full blown military occupation, but your opponent will certainly take issue with some of the things you do. For instance, you can't just send the Marines into Afghanistan and not expect the Soviets to object. When they do object, or when you object to something they've done, you have a crisis on your hands. In Balance of Power, when the superpowers disagree on something, they start escalating along a series of challenges that lead closer and closer to an apocalyptic showdown.
Someone has to back down or the game ends.
And no, there is no animated display or a mushroom cloud with parts of bodies flying through the air. We do not reward failure. Crawford's goal was to present international politics during the Cold War as a series of interrelated factors. Unfortunately, his web of causes and effects is buried under an overbearing spreadsheet. Playing Balance of Power is like being assaulted by a thousand statistics and map filters.