[bradrn]

Deveraux explicitly endorses (1) in the article:

> If anything, I think cultural values have lagged, resulting in countries launching counter-productive wars out of cultural inertia (because it’s ‘the doing thing’ or valued in the culture) long after such wars became maladaptive. Indeed, I’d argue that’s exactly what Russia is doing right now.

[krunck]

It's what the US has been doing since WWII.

[anonymouskimmer]

In the past 30+ years the US wars (minus Afghanistan) have probably been reactive responses to the OPEC oil shock of the 70s and a bit of the US Embassy hostage situation in Iran. I wonder how much a gallon of gas costs if you factor in all of the money (not including the cost of lost lives) from those wars.