Source: The American Prospect
by Ryan Cooper
“In 1910, the British journalist Norman Angell published a book called The Great Illusion, in which he argued that recent economic developments had made war a senseless proposition. Economic relationships were so delicate and easily disrupted, and modern militaries were so expensive and destructive, that any war between major powers was certain to be an enormous net cost for both combatants. There was simply no way to make a big profit, à la Julius Caesar, by conquering some other nation and coming back home with some tigers and a big sack of booty. It followed, Angell reasoned, that if a war did break out, it would likely not last very long. Angell was half right and half wrong. Just four years later, a giant war sucked in all the major powers of the world, and sure enough, it shattered the economies of every combatant that saw serious fighting.” (09/22/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/09/22/irrational-war-trump-putin-russia-ukraine-iran-oil/