"States can be deterred by the fear of retaliation; non-state organisations cannot by deterred at all"

John Bruton's quote recommends that states can be deterred from taking particular actions by the worry of retaliation, while non-state organisations can not be hindered at all. This is since states are usually more organized and have a greater capacity to respond to risks than non-state organisations. States have the resources and infrastructure to react to threats with military or economic retaliation, while non-state organisations lack these resources and are therefore unable to respond in the very same way. This implies that states can be deterred by the fear of retaliation, while non-state organisations can not be prevented at all. This is an important distinction to make when thinking about using deterrence as a diplomacy tool. It is very important to comprehend the differences in between states and non-state organisations in order to efficiently use deterrence as a tool to avoid dispute.