May 8, 2026
Knowing How to Lose

If one understands that a war is lost, it would be wise to accept it and limit the damage. In the Second World War, for example, Germany and, even more so, Japan were razed to the ground, and there were millions of deaths because Germany, unlike in the First World War, did not want to accept a defeat that had been certain since 1943.

It is also true that one must know how to win: to be moderate, to offer a generous peace; otherwise, one ends up resuming the war after some time (as happened with the Treaty of Versailles).