Throughout human history it’s important to know that most alliances are torn up whenever it’s convenient. Most treaties are torn up when it’s convenient. That’s one of the things that makes World War I and II so unusual. Is that people actually followed treaties. That’s even what the Germans said to the British when the Germans violated Belgium’s borders. They said you’re going to war over a piece of paper. Most Nations don’t honor treaties unless it’s in their immediate material advantage to do so.
I think you’re correct at a high level, but there is also the medium-term and long-term impact of not honouring treaties which is less predictable and makes the calculation around not honouring a treaty less straightforward (even if in the immediate sense the drawbacks are minimal).
WW1/WW2 also had their fair of treaty violations. Sudetenland annexation is an early example. Nazi Germany breaking the Molotov–Ribbentrop to split up Europe with the russians is perhaps a better known example. Italy was also supposed to join the central power in WW1 as per their treaty examples.
While long term impacts are always difficult to quantify by definition, they do have impact on how people think (especially people in power).
It’s not either-or, though. For instance, defending Belgium is not just a matter of keeping your word - It’s also a convenient excuse for getting involved in the mainland, which you wanna do to stop Germany from dominating it and outbuilding your fleet.
That’s one of the things that makes World War I and II so unusual.
Um, not sure where youre getting that… Germany began arms buildup literally as soon as WW1 was over in 1918. The Treaty of Versailles arguably marks the beginning of economic warfare in the 20th century.
Throughout human history it’s important to know that most alliances are torn up whenever it’s convenient. Most treaties are torn up when it’s convenient. That’s one of the things that makes World War I and II so unusual. Is that people actually followed treaties. That’s even what the Germans said to the British when the Germans violated Belgium’s borders. They said you’re going to war over a piece of paper. Most Nations don’t honor treaties unless it’s in their immediate material advantage to do so.
I think you’re correct at a high level, but there is also the medium-term and long-term impact of not honouring treaties which is less predictable and makes the calculation around not honouring a treaty less straightforward (even if in the immediate sense the drawbacks are minimal).
WW1/WW2 also had their fair of treaty violations. Sudetenland annexation is an early example. Nazi Germany breaking the Molotov–Ribbentrop to split up Europe with the russians is perhaps a better known example. Italy was also supposed to join the central power in WW1 as per their treaty examples.
While long term impacts are always difficult to quantify by definition, they do have impact on how people think (especially people in power).
It’s not either-or, though. For instance, defending Belgium is not just a matter of keeping your word - It’s also a convenient excuse for getting involved in the mainland, which you wanna do to stop Germany from dominating it and outbuilding your fleet.
Um, not sure where youre getting that… Germany began arms buildup literally as soon as WW1 was over in 1918. The Treaty of Versailles arguably marks the beginning of economic warfare in the 20th century.