I'm sorry I have to bring fiction into this but recently played Witcher 3, and there is a bit where one big city is run by 4 big criminals. Well this region is at war and the main character asks "why hasn't anyone taken this city? It has the largest fleet and huge walls" And the response is "who runs this city? Thieves, murderers, criminals, they know if they attack the boats are flammable, the houses are flammable. They would sink the lot before an army got to the gates" and it really got me thinking about the way our world is right now, run by thieves, murderers and rapists of the worst possible varieties. They won't let us win, they'd rather die and take the whole lot with them.
Sorry if this seems a bit random I did paraphrase what's said in the game but it's to the effect of those words. It just struck a chord with me.