This seems like the flip-side of the argument that eschewing violence makes you honorable only if you're actually capable of committing violence in the first place. Eschewing violence because you're incapable of committing it just means you're weak.
If Country A knows Country B can't defend itself, it's natural to assume at some point A may attack B. If the countries are relatively equally armed and skilled in the use of those arms, it would take a lot more for one country to attack the other.
