Great Power conflict occurs when there are multiple, equally matched nations. This has long be the standard in world politics, and America’s unipolar dominance over the last three decades is an aberration in this respect.
“Great powers force each other to define their core interests, the things each is truly willing to fight over, and then make compromises and accommodations as necessary over the rest, lest competition descend into conflict. This is the messy, unsatisfying, and oft-neglected other side of great-power competition. Call it the management of strategic rivalry” 1