In 1878 Bismarck said, "Europe today is a powder keg and the leaders are like men smoking in an arsenal. A single spark will set off an explosion that will consume us all. I cannot tell you when that explosion will occur, but I can tell you where: Some damned foolish thing in the Balkans will set it off." And he was right; in 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated in Serbia and a few weeks later Europe was at war. Millions of people dead and monarchies were toppled all because one man and his wife were shot in their car. It really shows if the cards are set properly, one small incident can blow up into a major war.

That's why I'm so worried about the Syria situation. People criticized Obama's lack of initiative, but in a way I can sympathize. Could we honestly start World War III over fucking Syria of all places? It's possible. As much as I pity the people there, I'm not certain I want to start a war with Russia over it. One thing I hoped with Trump, who gets along much better with the Russians, is that he wouldn't provoke that sleeping dragon. Going back to Bismarck's quote, his comment about the leaders was a jab at their inability to foresee the consequences of a European war and to prevent it. It's true; the month between the assassination and the first declarations of war could've been used to deflect the whole problem, but with shitty leaders like Wilhelm II and Nicholas II, that wasn't going to happen. There's no way I would expect any better from Trump.

I guess after tonight maybe I should start looking into buying a house in the countryside.