The Fear of War

The majority of Spartans were probably in favor of a war with Athens because they did not believe that this war would be any different than what they had fought before. Sparta wasn't driven by a fear of Athens per se But for the fear that Athens had incited in their allies And it was their allies fear that drove Spartan self-interest This can best be seen in Sparta's refusal to arbitrate because their whole system depended upon their allies being able to count on the Spartans to protect them when necessary.