Butenthusiasmforwar, frombucklingonarmourtorippling standards to determined sightseeing, colours the medievalChronicles, as does the fear, wearinessandboredom that set in afterwards.
As these industrialised countries, struggling with budget deficits and (in some cases) public warweariness chose to sit out foreign crises more often, the world seems to be becoming a less predictable and more volatile place.
The American public, showing real signs of warweariness after two ground wars over more than a decade, is unlikely to be enthusiastic about a military confrontation with Iran that is likely to be far more costly and indeterminate than either Iraq or Afghanistan.