It's not just the only choice, but a phenomenon that eventually gets a mind of its own. There is a point in almost every war where both sides regret the escalat

It's not just the only choice, but a phenomenon that eventually gets a mind of its own. There is a point in almost every war where both sides regret the escalation, but are powerless to stop the war as the time tables have been set, the troops mobilised, the ultimatums issued. And the belligerents, deeply invested in the outcome, cannot stop the war before the cataclysmic defeat of one side. The inevitability of war beyond a certain point is a terrifying prospect.