The word pacification (and Roman history discussion too)

It's an interesting word philosophy behind it. Through pacification, you are ensuring peace. But you are not being peaceful. I was listening to something on the "Pax Romana" and they maintained that the only way to
maintain peace is through repeated victory. There's the idea that there is no such thing as a single victory. That's never achievable. Hence you need to keep having victories. Oh my neighbors are pacified. Cool. Well, now I have to protect them. Are their neighbors pacified. Well, might as well take them over too. Heard a lot of talk that Rome was an accidental empire in this regard.