The destiny of modern civilized society has been shaped more by one single factor in the last 70 or so years than any other: the unwillingness of a warring state to see its military operations to a final, overwhelming, complete conclusion. In fact, the exact opposite is usually the case: A party will engage in hostile action and gain the upper hand, but then prematurely withdraw or end their campaign before a conclusive, permanent outcome is achieved. This results in either the underlying conditions that originally triggered the conflict remaining unresolved, or the worsening of the basic situation, leading to more conflict in the future. There are several consequential examples of this, the repercussions of which are still felt acutely to this day: Post-WWII Europe When World War II ended in Europe in May 1945, the major victorious powers were left opposing each other in Berlin: The Russians on one side and the Western Allies -- France-Britain-United States -- on the other....(Read Full Article)