The strength of any chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
While a useful term in the industries that work with an actual chain, the analogy can be expanded to composite (digital) systems with interdependent constituents as well.
graph LR classDef smallNode font-size:10px C0[Strong Link] --> C1[Weak Link] --> C2[Strong Link] C1:::smallNode
The argument then is that the overall Resilience of a composite Authority is only as good as its weakest component.
Originally appearing in “Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man”.