3 ms·

> A larger conflict is in no one's interests and is in no one's intent. It never is for most people, for 99.99% of people anywhere, and every war ever fought,

by antocv 11y ago

> A larger conflict is in no one's interests and is in no one's intent. It never is for most people, for 99.99% of people anywhere, and every war ever fought, was not because most people wanted to. Its always an elite, minority of people which decide they can and do want to send others to war. Such people are Erdogan, Putin and Obama.

ckozlowski 11y ago
Strangely enough, when I made that comment, Erdogan, Putin and Obama were the people I was referring to. I don't think for a moment anyone's itching for a war.
merpnderp 11y ago
I get your sentiment, but I think the hyperbole undervalues that often wars are popular. Sometimes widely popular. The US's entrance into WWII, the US War for Independence. The US Civil War. These are a handful of cases, but they each had far far higher support than .01% approval. Currently roughly 75% of Americans support our war against ISIS.
vinceguidry 11y ago
That's not really true. A full-scale war is necessarily conducted by both the state and the nation. Even autocrats need the blessing of the general population to successfully prosecute such a war, otherwise he runs the risk of the people rebelling and shutting down vital infrastructure just when they need it most. You can't have your army in two places at once, quelling the populace and fighting the enemy. Full-scale war intensely taxes everyone's resources. Also soldiers won't fight with the zeal they need to be effective against soldiers defending their homeland unless they really believe in what they're doing. Hence the general move before and after the two world wars towards more limited war. With a limited war, you have to rely on professional, volunteer soldiers to conduct operations. Many nations conscript, but largely to keep readiness up. It's difficult to conduct the sorts of operations you see in the small-scale military operations of today with a conscript army. These are people with jobs and lives, they just won't be able to give their all. Big wars only happen after long-term feedback loops of media coverage rousing national anger against other nations make it politically feasible to actually declare war. These wars truly are everybody's affair.

by antocv 11y ago

ckozlowski 11y ago

Strangely enough, when I made that comment, Erdogan, Putin and Obama were the people I was referring to. I don't think for a moment anyone's itching for a war.

merpnderp 11y ago

I get your sentiment, but I think the hyperbole undervalues that often wars are popular. Sometimes widely popular. The US's entrance into WWII, the US War for Independence. The US Civil War. These are a handful of cases, but they each had far far higher support than .01% approval. Currently roughly 75% of Americans support our war against ISIS.

vinceguidry 11y ago

That's not really true. A full-scale war is necessarily conducted by both the state and the nation. Even autocrats need the blessing of the general population to successfully prosecute such a war, otherwise he runs the risk of the people rebelling and shutting down vital infrastructure just when they need it most. You can't have your army in two places at once, quelling the populace and fighting the enemy. Full-scale war intensely taxes everyone's resources. Also soldiers won't fight with the zeal they need to be effective against soldiers defending their homeland unless they really believe in what they're doing. Hence the general move before and after the two world wars towards more limited war. With a limited war, you have to rely on professional, volunteer soldiers to conduct operations. Many nations conscript, but largely to keep readiness up. It's difficult to conduct the sorts of operations you see in the small-scale military operations of today with a conscript army. These are people with jobs and lives, they just won't be able to give their all. Big wars only happen after long-term feedback loops of media coverage rousing national anger against other nations make it politically feasible to actually declare war. These wars truly are everybody's affair.