Apart from the first paragraph, I agree. I do not really understand why you accuse me of presentism. Perhaps because you got my argument precisely backwards. I

Apart from the first paragraph, I agree. I do not really understand why you accuse me of presentism. Perhaps because you got my argument precisely backwards. I was commenting on your entire paragraph 1), not only on the quoted part. And wanted to argue that quite a bit of current US attitude looks from a European perspective similar to the "home by christmas" attitude in Germany in 1914. ( Actually I think that the "home by christmas" attitude is quite exceptional.) I will admit that my knowledge of WWI east of Berlin is somewhat suspect, but I think the similarity proposed in the Economist article is anyhow a case of if we paint in broad strokes and squint a little, instead of a very close similarity. And therefore I think ( in the framework of this analogy), the Balkans play the role of the spark plug, rather than an integral part of the analogy. One specific and major blindness is people not being able to tell the difference between colonial police actions and total war on home turf. Yes dudes with uniforms and rifles fight both, but its really two different concepts. Great point, it is quite exactly the same difference between Global War on Terror and global war.