Sarah Paine — Why wars are so difficult to end

War termination requires aligning military actions with clear, limited political objectives to avoid the pathologies of escalation or protracted insurgency. Conflicts often fail when objectives shift from limited territorial gains to unlimited goals like regime change, which forces adversaries onto "death ground" and stiffens their resistance. The Russo-Japanese War serves as a model for successful termination, where Japan achieved its goals and secured a favorable peace, whereas the Korean War illustrates the dangers of exceeding the culminating point of victory through inconsistent political aims. Effective strategy demands recognizing when to stop, as seen in the Gulf War’s success, versus the costly traps of insurgency and global escalation. Ultimately, the primary discriminator in war is the nature of the ends—limited or unlimited—which dictates the necessary effort and the feasibility of a stable, negotiated exit.