Andrew J. Bacevich Quotes
Wars once begun drag on in perpetuity.
This was not always so. But even in WWII America and its allies were willing to inflict such terrible damage on teh infrastructure and civillians required if the last vestiges of the military are to be destryoed or rendered incapabley of ressurecting themselves. Since then we have not been willint to pay that price, nor the price of losing lives of our own military. As a result, fanatics who can recruit additional fanatics who are willing to die for a cause con continue the firght almost perpetually.
Andrew J. Bacevich, "The Never-Ending War in Afghanistan", Op Ed, The New York Times, March 13, 2017
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
In the earliest prediction of the World War II conflict between America and Japan:
Some others at the time did not see the different theaters of fighting as separate, but observed one commonality of almost all the violent conflict in the world—–Islamic, fundamentalist, extremism. Hence they viewed it as a world war with a singular enemy. Wars rarely ended at the time because most world opinion was against the Draconian degree of destruction and suffering for a people to be so broken that they will not consider fighting again. Cease fires allow the partied to regroup and ready themselves to continue their struggle.
Andrew J. Bacevich Jr. is an American historian specializing in international relations, security studies, American foreign policy, and American diplomatic and military history. He is a Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History at the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. He is also a retired career officer in the Armor Branch of the United States Army, retiring with the rank of colonel. He is a former director of Boston University's Center for International Relations (from 1998 to 2005), now part of the Pardee School of Global Studies. Bacevich is the co-founder and president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.
