As with most international crises, public opinion is somewhat flummoxed in the preceding days, while most wait to see what prominent leaders and elected officials, i.e. those with the obligation to act, decide to do. Then, after action has been taken, it seems the great hordes of armchair strategists and analysts come out to critique and/or criticize the selected course. ... Read this and 32 comments.

Is peace, lasting peace, a possibility? Field Marshal Helmuth Graf von Moltke wrote that "Eternal peace is a dream ..." Several lines later he added that though war can inflict "grievous wounds on all involved," no one can "avoid the misfortune" or "evade the necessity." (Moltke On the Art of War, 22). It has been relatively easy for post-modern man to dismiss the musings of an old Prussian militarist, but is such dismissal productive? ... Read this and 67 comments.