Any time the Western way of war can be unleashed on an enemy stupid enough to enter its arena, victory is assured.

This bloody past suggests to us that enemies cease hostilities only when they are battered enough to acknowledge that there is no hope in victory - and thus that further resistance means only useless sacrifice.

History has shown that a government's redistribution of shrinking wealth, in preference to a private sector's creation of new sources of it, can prove more destructive than even the most deadly enemy.

War seems to come out of nowhere, like rust that suddenly pops up on iron after a storm.

Often, the pretexts for starting a war are not real shortages of land, food or fuel, but rather perceptions - like fear, honor and perceived self-interest.

States are like people. They do not question the awful status quo until some dramatic event overturns the conventional and lax way of thinking.