"Well, at least they have lost the advantage of surprise."
They would lose their advantage if the captain did not act.
Now he could lose the advantage of running as an incumbent.
But within seconds he knew that they had lost the initial advantage.
America's war planners fear that we could soon lose our advantage in space.
They'd come to investigate, and he would lose the advantage of surprise.
Maybe he had lost the advantage when the alien ship appeared.
The problem for the islands is that they have lost their strategic advantage.
In the end, they lost both the reserve system and their advantage at the bargaining table.
But if everybody wants (and gets) a discount, you lose your advantage.