It’s not a question of timeframes, but of how likely you are to lose the war, how big the concessions would have to be to prevent the war, and how much the war would cost you even if you win (costs can have flow-through effects into the far future).
Not that any of this matters to the NK discussion.
“winning” or “losing” a war, outside of total annihilation, are just steps toward the future vision of galaxies teeming with intelligent life. It seems very unlikely, but isn’t impossible, that simply conceding is actually the best path forward for the long view.
It’s not a question of timeframes, but of how likely you are to lose the war, how big the concessions would have to be to prevent the war, and how much the war would cost you even if you win (costs can have flow-through effects into the far future).
Not that any of this matters to the NK discussion.
“winning” or “losing” a war, outside of total annihilation, are just steps toward the future vision of galaxies teeming with intelligent life. It seems very unlikely, but isn’t impossible, that simply conceding is actually the best path forward for the long view.