Apparently, in high level play, the countries are all viewed as essentially equal despite them being asymmetric. For example, in the novice games I've played,

Apparently, in high level play, the countries are all viewed as essentially equal despite them being asymmetric. For example, in the novice games I've played, Austria is always the first to bite it due to the fact that they have the most borders to defend. However, if they play their cards right and can eliminate a neighbor, they end up in a pretty powerful position on the board.