For Dupigny a nation resembled a very primitive human…
““For Dupigny a nation resembled a very primitive human being: this human being consisted of, simply, an appetite and some sort of mechanism for satisfying the appetite. In the case of a nation the appetite was usually, if not quite invariably, economic … (now and again the national vanity which at intervals gripped nations like France and Britain would compel them to some act which made no sense economically: but in this respect, too, they resembled human beings). As for the mechanism for fulfilling the appetite, what was that but a nation’s armed forces? The more powerful the armed forces the better the prospects for satiating the appetite; the more powerful the armed forces the more likely (indeed, inevitable, in Dupigny’s view) that an attempt would be made to satiate it; just as heavyweight boxers are more frequently involved in tavern brawls than, say, dentists, so the very existence of power demands that it should be used. His own failure in Indo-China had merely confirmed him in his cynical views. The League of Nations? Nothing but a pious waste of time! ‘Never””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Nations act like individuals driven by basic appetites, using military power to satisfy them, often irrationally.
In simple terms: Countries pursue basic desires, using armies, sometimes irrationally.
Key Takeaway
Question the motives behind national aggression.
Themes
politics
military
human nature
irrationality
Mood
skeptical
analytical
Type
philosophical
historical
When to use this quote
- foreign policy debates
- military budgeting
- historical analysis
- media commentary
Key Concepts
realism
political theory
Questions to Reflect On
- What drives a nation beyond appetite?
- Are there examples of restraint?
A Different Perspective
The view is cynical and may ignore altruistic motives.