On Monday, July 24, 2023 at 12:26:47 PM UTC-4, ltlee1 wrote:
"More than a century ago, Europe was convulsed by World War I, pitting the Allies—led by Britain, France, Russia, and eventually the United States—against the Central Powers, led by imperial Germany and Austria-Hungary. In the west, fighting
occurred along a 440-mile front that stretched from the English Channel to the Franco-Swiss border. Much of this front was characterized by an operational stalemate lasting years on end. Repeatedly, over the course of the war, hundreds of thousands of
soldiers surged out of their trenches and went to their deaths for a few miles of land.
More than a century ago, Europe was convulsed by World War I, pitting the Allies—led by Britain, France, Russia, and eventually the United States—against the Central Powers, led by imperial Germany and Austria-Hungary. In the west, fighting
occurred along a 440-mile front that stretched from the English Channel to the Franco-Swiss border. Much of this front was characterized by an operational stalemate lasting years on end. Repeatedly, over the course of the war, hundreds of thousands of
soldiers surged out of their trenches and went to their deaths for a few miles of land.
Today, many commentators have likened the current Russia-Ukraine war to the Western Front of World War I. Satellite images show extensive Russian trenches all along the 700-mile front, with miles upon miles of land mines and fortifications—all of
which seem to hark back to a different era. As do the gray-scape images of gnarled trees and mud craters inflicted by artillery barrages, as well as pictures of soldiers, drenched and shivering in the cold, standing guard in those dreary trenches that
echo scenes from more than a century ago. Latching on to this historical analogy, observers conclude that the current Ukrainian counteroffensive is doomed to failure and that the war is inching toward an inevitable stalemate.
Historical analogies can be imperfect but informative. Some, however, are outright misleading, and the World War I analogy is one of them."
https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/07/18/ukraine-counteroffensive-world-war-i-ii-western-front-normandy-trench-warfare-strategy-history/
"Historical analogies can be imperfect but informative."
One comparison between Ukraine and WWI may be useful: Misalignment between Peoples and Borders.
“The continent of Europe was once an intricate, interwoven tapestry
of overlapping languages, religions, communities and nations. ...
Between 1914 and 1945, however, that Europe was smashed into the
dust. The tidier Europe that emerged, blinking, into the second half
of the twentieth century had fewer loose ends. Thanks to war,
occupation, boundary adjustments, expulsions and genocide, almost
every body now lived in their own country, among their own people. ...
Since 1989 it has become clearer than it was before just how much the
stability of post war Europe rested upon the accomplishments of Josef
Stalin and Adolf Hitler. Between them, and assisted by wartime
collaborations, the dictators blasted flat the demographic heath upon
which the foundation of a new and less complicated continent were
then laid." (Post War by Tony Judt)
Before WWI and WWII: "Europe was once an intricate, interwoven tapestry
of overlapping languages, religions, communities"
After WWI and WWII: "The tidier Europe that emerged, blinking, into the
second half of the twentieth century had fewer loose ends."
"Since 1989 it has become clearer than it was before just how much the stability of post war Europe rested upon the accomplishments of Josef
Stalin and Adolf Hitler."
It is clear to Tony Judt that alignment between peoples and borders are
the foundation of post World War stability.
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)