There is a certain kind of man who interprets silence as weakness. When wars end, he hears a lack of courage. When treaties hold, he sees a lack of nerve. When prosperity rises without bloodshed, he wonders why no one took anything. To such a man, civilization is merely the intermission between battles: a moment when nations inexplicably forget that only force conquers, and only conquest counts. Europe, of course, knows otherwise. Europe buried this idea—literally—alongside the millions of yo...

There is a certain kind of man who interprets silence as weakness. When wars end, he hears a lack of courage. When treaties hold, he sees a lack of nerve. When prosperity rises without bloodshed, he wonders why no one took anything. To such a man, civilization is merely the intermission between battles: a moment when nations inexplicably forget that only force conquers, and only conquest counts. Europe, of course, knows otherwise. Europe buried this idea—literally—alongside the millions of yo...