7 ms·
You're seeing the article as being about the US, but if you see the (modern) US as (1914) Britain, then its other countries warmongering that can draw you in (1
by chr15p 13y ago
You're seeing the article as being about the US, but if you see the (modern) US as (1914) Britain, then its other countries warmongering that can draw you in (1914 Britain didn't care at all about a war in the Balkans, but once Belgium and France were invaded they (we) pretty much had to be involved (Britain guaranteed Belgian neutrality and German domination of the french channel ports would have been very dangerous to British security no matter how "natural" the alliance).
History never happens the same way twice, the article is more a warning that the wrong spark in the wrong place could lead to chain of events resulting in a war between US and China whatever their intentions, just as the assassination of an Austrian by a Serb in Bosnia led to Britain (and eventually the US) into a war with Germany 100 years ago.
- zobzu 13y ago"History never happens the same way twice" Actually, history is bound to repeat itself. Details are details. Similar scenarios unfolded thousand years ago if you're willing to ignore enough details. A nation will always rise, leads through military power, and slowly fall, until another rises. In between, there are periods of fast growth and terrible loss/stagnation as well. Being resources, science or/and human lives.
- vidarh 13y agoAnd this is pretty much the point of the article: We should not look at the present and assume that just because everything looks nice and stable now, barring some minor wars here and there, we are somehow magically "different" to in the past - people entered 1914 thinking a war like World War I could never happen too.