https://www.azquotes.com/author/1426-Otto_von_Bismarck :
The secret of politics? Make a good treaty with Russia.
The Americans are a very lucky people. They’re bordered to the north and south by weak neighbors, and to the east and west by fish.
Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.
God has a special providence for fools, drunks, and the United States of America.
We live in a wondrous time in which the strong is weak because of his moral scruples and the weak grows strong because of his audacity.
When you want to fool the world, tell the truth.
Preventive war is like committing suicide out of fear of death.
He obtained from Congress the right to borrow from the people by selling to it the ‘bonds’ of States … and the Government and the nation escaped the plots of the foreign financiers. They understood at once, that the United States would escape their grip. The death of Lincoln was resolved upon.
The most significant event of the 20th century will be the fact that the North Americans speak English.
You can’t destroy the polish national-consciousness or Poles on the battlefield, but if you give them power, they will destroy themselves
Even the most favorable outcome of the war will never lead to the decomposition of the main forces of Russia, which is based on millions of Russian … The latter, even if they break up international treaties, just as quickly re-connect with each other, like pieces of a particle of mercury.
The main thing is to make history, not to write it.
The result of a war (against Russia) would never result in the destruction of the main power of Russia, which rests upon millions of Russians of the Greek [Orthodox] confession. Even if separated by treaty, these would just as soon reunite, like the parts of a splattered drop of mercury.
This indestructible empire of the Russian nation, made strong through its climate, its vast spaces and its resiliency…would after its defeat remain our sworn opponent thirsting for revenge, exactly like France now is in the West…the “smashing” of a nationality by 3 great powers has not happened in connection with the Poles in 100 years.
The vitality of the Russian will be no less; in my opinion we would do well to treat them as a basic danger against which we maintain protective dikes, but which we cannot eliminate from the world.
By attacking Russia we would only further consolidate it; by waiting we could possibly witness their internal decay and decomposition before we experience their attack, and that even sooner, the less we hinder them by threats from plunging deeper into the Orient.
https://russia-insider.com/en/history/bismarck-knew-dont-mess-russia/ri11870
comment: this is all well known. the study of european history, and particularly military history, makes the above akin to : “no shit, sherlock” [pragmatism usually does?].
that is where i have landed; this war was fomented on both sides, since the majority of people, in the past and now, don’t want war – for most people are not driven insane to the point of human sacrifice for greed [is that a safe assumption?— it seems less and less true nowadays ? or is this more a manifestation of media? likely the latter, but that has always been the case? ]
what percentage of people go along to get along? the elephant in the room, indeed. which is what politics is: agitation of the edges for attention ? whatever, politics and war are levers of power; time has not changed this … and will not (?)