has Biden done a good job as president?

[The Architect Of Fate]

I acknowledge Virtue was a poor word choice. So maybe this works better.

Achieving the same ends by subversion rather than conquest seems to render the choice moot.

Not really. If you subvert another country (which is what I assume you're referring to), the repercussions are a lot less severe than marching troops over the border or unleashing a nuclear barrage.

Boru

Depends
If by the repercussions you mean the amount of damage done to a country. Subversion can destroy a country as thoroughly as any invasion depending on how it's done and where it's done. If by the repercussions you mean the response by other actors that depends on the level of Sympathy or Apathy of those other actors and the level of plausible deniability a country has.