Six Reasons Why the Wars We Wage Often Go Wrong | Jim Powell | Cato Institute: Commentary

Six Reasons Why the Wars We Wage Often Go Wrong | Jim Powell | Cato Institute: Commentary: 'war is the most costly, violent and unpredictable thing governments do. Again and again, even decisive victories can turn out to be serious mistakes, if not catastrophes, because of unintended consequences. While we might be able to control what we do, we cannot control how other people react to what we do.

Here are 6 reasons why wars go wrong:

1. Nations at war often try to avenge their suffering, which means they are likely to inflame hatreds that persist for a long time and provoke more wars.'

'2. The overwhelming stresses of war can trigger economic chaos, political crises and totalitarian regimes.'

'3. If allies have conflicting aims, a war is likely to have conflicting outcomes.'

'4. A vulnerable adversary can become unbeatable if it unexpectedly gains a big ally.'

'5. Major powers can be thwarted by people who are fighting for their homeland, know their territory well and have nowhere else to go.'

'6. People don’t want somebody else building their nation, even when they’re making a mess of it — especially during a civil war.'