"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/

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.

On Friday, July 28, 2023 at 2:27:39 PM UTC-4, ltlee1 wrote:
> 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.

Margaret MacMilla's Foreign Affairs article https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/how-wars-dont-end
offers more parallels:

"In 1914 and 2022 alike, those who assumed war wasn’t possible were wrong. In 1914,
there were dangerous and unresolved tensions among the European powers, as well as
a new arms race and regional crises, which had led to talk of war. Similarly, in the months
leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Moscow had made clear its grievances with
the West, and Russian President Vladimir Putin had given many indications of his intentions.
Rather than rely on assumptions about the unlikelihood of a full-scale war, Western leaders
who doubted the prospect of a Russian invasion should have paid more attention to his
rhetoric about Ukraine. The title of the lengthy essay Putin published in 2021 said it all: “On
the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians.” Not only was Ukraine the birthplace of
Russia itself, he argued, but its peoples have always been Russian. In his view, malign outside
forces—Austria-Hungary before World War I and the European Union today—had tried to divide
Russia from its rightful patrimony.

Putin also echoed early-twentieth-century leaders in concluding that war was a reasonable option. "