Confusion of War with Victory 127 



shallowness of the discussion of the subject. For 

 example, war is often confused with victory. 

 Thus in advocating a war to defend "national 

 honour" and "vital interests," the assumption is 

 always present that the war will result in victory. 

 If the war should result, not in victory, but in 

 defeat, there is no guarantee, of course, that the 

 "national honour" or "vital interests" will be 

 secured. Austria was ready to go to war with 

 Servia in 191 3 because the "vital interests" of 

 Austria demanded that Servia should not have a 

 "little window on the sea" of the Adriatic. In 

 1914 Austria did actually declare war on Servia 

 because her "national honour" demanded that 

 the assassination of the Archduke should be pun- 

 ished. On both sides the assumption was made 

 that war would result in victory. But with grow- 

 ing world-unity, the assumption that war and vic- 

 tory are synonymous is not always justified even 

 when the opposed forces are apparently so unequal 

 as those of Austria and Servia. In the modern 

 world the possibility of international complica- 

 tions must always be taken into account. No one 

 can prophesy at the beginning of a war what the 

 end will be. 



In this confusion of war with victory, we are 

 dealing with the same confusion which was at the 

 bottom of the duelling system as a method of 

 defending individual honour and interest. This 

 theory was exploded for the case of the individual 

 duel, when Aaron Burr, who was in the wrong, 



