BTW, a little historical fact that could shed light on the current issues: on this day in 1914, Great Britain declared war on Germany, effectively marking the beginning of WW1. The reasoons for this are so complex and long, but one of the main reasons was due to a massive arms race between these 2 countries. GB was strengthening its already powerful fleet like mad, but Germany was keeping up almost ship for ship. This is but one example.

But basically it amounted to this: tensions growing exponentially between nations until the bubble finally burst. Archduke Ferdinand was just the spark that lit the fuse.

And there were also a series of smaller-scaled wars that led up to it. Starting with the revolutions of 1848, the Crimean War, the Franco-Prussian war when Germany finally unified and instantly became a super-power, the Boer War in South Africa, the first revolution in Russia, the Russo-Japanese war where Japan declared itself as a major power, and finally the war in the Balkans.

It's a really fascinating history, IMHO moreso than WW2. Plus, some of the things happening about 100 years ago seem to be replaying themselves again, only with different players. Hopefully the conclusion won't be the same...