Awase means "come together". The concept of Awase is to merge into an attacker’s movement and take control. Not by attempting to directly oppose power, but by merging into the power and disabling it.
Imagine trying to stop a runaway car rolling down a hill with no driver. Standing in its way and trying to stop it by physically overpowering it will not work, and most likely end badly. However, running next to the car, jumping in, and applying the brakes will result in stopping the car.
