The way rulers think

 

Churchill won a Nobel Prize. Not for anything to do with politics. For writing.

He was a writer as much as a politician. He supported himself through writing (at least for a part of his life, after he decided that working as an officer cost him too much to continue). And he wrote well. 

Among others, he wrote a history of
- of WWI in five volumes
- of WWII in six volumes
- and of The English Speaking People in four volumes
 

So, having been stuck on how to write the political side of Ashen, I've decided to see what Churchill has to say. 

His take on WWII is the most interesting, but the six volumes spooked me. Under the assumption that WWI is described in a single volume, I asked for the book for Christmas. As seen above, I was very wrong about the single volume. But the old edition is delightful, the book is very well written (I can see where the Nobel prize comes in), so off I went. 
 
 
My main impression after reading half of the book:
 
Rulers see things differently. 

They use different information.
 
Not secret information. They just pay attention to different things than the rest of us.


"The spring and summer of 1914 were marked in Europe by an exceptional tranquility. [...] Germany seemed, with us, to be set on peace. Although abroad the increase of armaments was proceeding with constant acceleration, although the fifty million capital tax had been levied in Germany, and that alarm bell was ringing for those that had ears to hear, a distinct feeling of optimism passed over the mind of the British Government and the House of Commons.'


 

Show me the money.


Impending conflicts can be seen in the pattern of spending. Increased military spending means preparation for war, no matter what the diplomats say.



---

This realisation sent me off to find information on military spending of various countries - surprisingly easily obtained from google.

Here is one link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures 


On the basis of this, quite a few countries may be getting ready for war.

It is very obvious which country is the most intent on military domination of the world.

And there appears to be high possibility of conflict in the Middle East with Oman and Saudi Arabia spending around 10% of their GDP on armaments.

We may be entering interesting times. 







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