Article originally appeared on amac.us.
Discussion is heating up – about war with China. Understanding what that would mean is vital, and argues strongly for deterrence. Wars are imagined as short, limited, victorious affairs, somehow worth the loss, a chance for advantage, or to defend unjust advances. They usually turn out differently.
World War I began with Kaiser Wilhelm II heading for France, then Russia, to elevate Germany and Central Power allies Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Empire. It was to be a short, affordable, limited, and glorious.
The war began with an assassination in Serbia, Russia coming to Serbia’s defense, then entry by allies France, Britain, Italy, Japan, and the US. In four years, it killed nine million solders, five million civilians, millions by genocide, and left 23 million wounded.
Hardly limited, it spread from Europe to the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and the Pacific, leaving a trail of blood, loss, and multigenerational devastation. Almost 20 percent …
| View full article |
