>>84313469When there is one side pushing for all-out action and another side pushing for the "just leave it alone" solution, you always end up with a shitty middle-of-the-road, ineffective outcome.
By the way "Raze it to the ground" and "conquer" straight up don't exist as modern solutions. None of that is doable realistically.
Every single nation has a huge network of alliances and interdependencies that can't be upset by a drastic action Gengis Khan style.
Other than giving every single one of your enemies an opportunity to isolate you and shit on you, it's also perfect fuel for whoever has a gripe with you from inside your country to stir shit up.
Democracy or even just unrest on the inside and globalization on the outside make it extremely nonsensical and dangerous to embark in unexpected actions that straight up benefit you to the expense of some other nation.
There is no "quick-and-brutal" solution to any problem. It all needs decades or more to be solved.
