Detailing long-buried diplomatic offers showing how close we came to avoiding the outbreak of World War Two on both continents or ending it years earlier offering important lessons for war in Ukraine
The history lessons are there indeed...but will we ever learn?
As Bill Murray says," It's hard to win an argument with a smart person, but it's damn near impossible with a stupid person". The military and political arguments for the push to escalate and supply more and more offensive arms to Ukraine and delay the inevitable are an embarrassment to logic.
Right about now, as I watch us stumble into what may well be the end of humankind, I remain confounded that we never seem to learn by the avoidance lessons of wars past.
Thank you David Pyne for your insight and perspective as always.
Fascinating and an education in "real politik". The myth of the "righteous crusade" we've been spoonfed all our lives is just that. A myth. War is never a battle of absolute "good" vs absolute "evil". Only the poor buggers who fight and die in them believe so. It always comes down to a pragmatic struggle for control of territory and resources by those who are driven by their ambitions for power. There are no winners. War makes losers of us all and degrades and devalues the dignity of the human spirit. A truly intelligent and civilized species would always seek to negotiate a peaceful compromise where legitimate conflict of interests arise rather than resort to reckless destruction and organised murder. The immaturity of the attitudes and words of some of these powerbrokers amazes me. Do they think we are impressed with their bellicose pissing contests? If so they are wrong. Peacemakers and effective diplomats are impressive. Drum beating warmongers are not, and War profiteers are simply repulsive.
The British were and are acting in their own interest for sure and liberal historians do overstate matters to save FDR at minimum from any culpability. But....
No way was Hitler not going to war. No conference in Aug or Sep 1939 was going to stop war, only postpone it slightly. Hitler was 100pc subterfugal.
Missed Opportunities for Peace-The Secret Diplomatic History of the Second World War
The history lessons are there indeed...but will we ever learn?
As Bill Murray says," It's hard to win an argument with a smart person, but it's damn near impossible with a stupid person". The military and political arguments for the push to escalate and supply more and more offensive arms to Ukraine and delay the inevitable are an embarrassment to logic.
Right about now, as I watch us stumble into what may well be the end of humankind, I remain confounded that we never seem to learn by the avoidance lessons of wars past.
Thank you David Pyne for your insight and perspective as always.
Fascinating and an education in "real politik". The myth of the "righteous crusade" we've been spoonfed all our lives is just that. A myth. War is never a battle of absolute "good" vs absolute "evil". Only the poor buggers who fight and die in them believe so. It always comes down to a pragmatic struggle for control of territory and resources by those who are driven by their ambitions for power. There are no winners. War makes losers of us all and degrades and devalues the dignity of the human spirit. A truly intelligent and civilized species would always seek to negotiate a peaceful compromise where legitimate conflict of interests arise rather than resort to reckless destruction and organised murder. The immaturity of the attitudes and words of some of these powerbrokers amazes me. Do they think we are impressed with their bellicose pissing contests? If so they are wrong. Peacemakers and effective diplomats are impressive. Drum beating warmongers are not, and War profiteers are simply repulsive.
The British were and are acting in their own interest for sure and liberal historians do overstate matters to save FDR at minimum from any culpability. But....
No way was Hitler not going to war. No conference in Aug or Sep 1939 was going to stop war, only postpone it slightly. Hitler was 100pc subterfugal.
Excellent! One small errata "Chamberlain itself" should be himself