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wespiser_2018

> I am not a grunt who thinks wars can only be won with boots on the ground. However, all wars must eventually be won with boots on the ground.

This has to be an over-simplification, and we should think this narrowly about armed human conflict. It's definitely possible to win a war by simply not fighting it, to win a war via stalemate (cold war), by finding a political alternative, or by just not showing up.

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The cold war isn't a great example. It encompasses violent proxy wars, involving plenty of ground combat (e.g. Korean War; Vietnam War).

Fair point! I only bring it up because we didn't directly fight the Soviets, although the use of combat troops was a large part of the cold war geopolitical strategy, as you mention!

Cold war wasn't a war, and it involved a lot of ground operation (spies), which oddly could be said to have brought the two sides closer.

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