Wars follow that arc.
They begin in tempo and certainty. They end — if they end — in exhaustion and negotiation.
The first shot is decisive.
The last shot is negotiated.
Breaking up is hard to do.
Ending wars is harder.
Bibliography
1. • Washington Post, “Neil Sedaka, pop craftsman behind ‘Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,’ dies at 86,” 2026. Obituary confirming Sedaka’s death and summarizing his career and cultural impact.
2. • U.S. Department of State, Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS), Vietnam 1967 . Archival record preserving official references to “light at the end of the tunnel.”
3. • Dartmouth Vietnam Project, Oral History of Denis O’Neill. Veteran recalling Walter Cronkite’s broadcast and describing the war as a “quagmire.”
4. • U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, “Paris Peace Accords, 1973.” Official summary of the agreement ending direct U.S. military involvement in Vietnam.
5. • National Archives, “Fall of Saigon, April 1975.” Documentation and photographic record of the U.S. embassy evacuation.
6. • C-SPAN, House Committee Hearing, February 2003. Video record of Paul Wolfowitz stating Iraqis would be “greeted as liberators.”
7. • Reuters, “Factbox: Iraq War – The Notable Quotes,” 2008. Compilation including Vice President Dick Cheney’s similar statement.
8. • Linda J. Bilmes, Harvard Kennedy School, “The Financial Legacy of Iraq and Afghanistan.” Analysis estimating long-term war costs at $4–6 trillion.
9. • Brown University Watson Institute, Costs of War Project . Comprehensive accounting of human, financial, and displacement impacts of post-9/11 wars.
10. • U.S. Department of Defense historical summaries, October 2001 Afghanistan invasion. Overview of initial objectives and rapid fall of Kabul.
11. • Reuters, “Taliban Take Kabul as U.S. Evacuates,” August 2021. Reporting on the collapse of the Afghan government and U.S. withdrawal.
12. • James D. Fearon, “Rationalist Explanations for War,” International Organization , 1995. Foundational academic model explaining war persistence through uncertainty and commitment problems.
13. • Carl von Clausewitz, On War . Foundational treatise defining war as politics by other means.
14. • Reuters, “Iran Launches Retaliatory Missile and Drone Strikes,” 2026. Reporting on Iran’s response to initial U.S. strikes.
15. • Reuters, “Pentagon Says Iran Campaign Will Not Be Endless War,” 2026. Coverage of U.S. official statements emphasizing limited objectives.