The Melians pointed out that they'd never actually fought with the Spartans and were like, listen, if it's all the same to you, we'd like to go Switzerland on this one. Except, of course, they didn't say that because there was no Switzerland, to which the Athenians responded, and here I am quoting directly, the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must. Needless to say, this is not a terribly democratic or enlightened position to take. This statement, in fact, is sometimes seen as the first explicit endorsement of the so-called theory of realism in international relations. For realists, interaction between nations or peoples or cultures is all about who has the power. Whoever has it can compel whoever doesn't have it to do pretty much anything. So what did the meritocratic and democratic Athenians do when the Melians politely asked not to participate in the fight?