Of
Heribert Prantl
Wars are ended in very different ways; but history has recurring patterns. Pattern one is the annihilating victory of a belligerent party. Pattern two is the weariness of all warring factions. Pattern three is the peace treaty between them, although negotiations on an equal footing are not the rule. There are many mixed forms between patterns one and three. And there is a pattern four, which is not a pattern but a wishful thinking, a fantasy, a medieval oddity that has been agreed upon over and over again but never successfully practised. It was and is an expression of the longing for a non-destructive way out of the war: the duel of the rulers.