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Is that true? What if the situation is that I am currently stronger then you but can expect to become weaker in the future? Why not force a war now if I can e

Is that true? What if the situation is that I am currently stronger then you but can expect to become weaker in the future? Why not force a war now if I can expect to win? I still haven't finished it (too depressing) but my reading of the book The Sleepwalkers about the events leading up to WWI is that all the parties thought they were in that place; even if they all had a full picture it's certainly possible those beliefs would in fact be true.

aeternum 5y ago
If I know that you are currently stronger and would ultimately win a war, I should logically concede now since I will lose anyway. If I know that you are currently stronger but we both also know that I can draw out a war such that I eventually become stronger, then you shouldn't go to war since you will ultimately lose.
- vkou 5y ago
  > If I know that you are currently stronger and would ultimately win a war, I should logically concede now since I will lose anyway. You'll often lose less if you fight to a loss. In fact, you often won't have to fight at all if you make it clear to your adversary that you will fight to a loss. If I'm a street thug, I'm not going to try to mug someone who clearly communicates that their response to a mugging is detonating their suicide vest. I will, however, repeatedly victimize someone who clearly communicate that they are a pushover. This is an iterative game, against the same players. Loss aversion is not a winning strategy to pursue in the long-term. Something resembling tit-for-tat is.