The Ring of Sauron

[Lord of Angmar]

The question I wish to pose on this thread is a simple one: Was it worth it for Sauron to create the One Ring?

I am not saying it was not, but let me briefly (and I do mean briefly) provide both sides of the argument.

On the one hand, the Ring did make him militarily stronger (though whether or not it made him physically stronger is debatable, I suppose). Through the Ring, he was able to dominate the Nazgul and use them as his captains for waging war upon Middle Earth. The creation of the One Ring also played a part in the weakening of the line of Durin.

On the other hand, the Ring made Sauron vulnerable, as it gave him an Achilles' heel, so to speak, as evidenced by the fact that Sauron was completely vanquished and powerless for hundreds of years simply because Isildur cut off his finger.

Had he not created the Ring, would he still have been as powerful whilst waging his war against the Last Alliance? It seems to me that, had Isildur not cut off the Ring, Sauron would surely have won the battle, in which case had Sauron never made the Ring he would not have been defeated. It could be, however, that Sauron would not have been as powerful against the Last Alliance if he had not created the Ring at all.

Your thoughts?