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Comment by boeingUH60 | Hacker News Reader

Oops, please not again…

Literally my first thought upon reading the headline… “oh not this shit again”…. I mean really I know tensions can simmer for decades but seriously I thought this was one place that after all the breakups and border redefining we had some kind of lasting if somewhat tenuous peace…

>one place that after all the breakups and border redefining we had some kind of lasting if somewhat tenuous peace…

The Balkans?! Where each country borders its own borders/territories of old.

I don't think the conflict would escalate, though.

I mean yeah, I knew it wasn’t “settled” but it had the feel of the bar/pub fight just after the owner brings out the baseball bat and everyone quickly realised it’s a good idea to stop punching… everyone still has some grudges but they mostly got it out of their system and until someone actively starts some new shit… no one feels particularly compelled to start a fight themselves… its the “grumbling about grievances you don’t quite feel strongly enough to start a fight over” not the “I’ve got a knife on me and I’m trying to stir someone else up to start the fight so no one pins it on me”.

>everyone quickly realised it’s a good idea to stop punching…

The Balkans have been boiling for ~1400 years or so (more if you include Macedonia's claim on Alexander the Great's empire). Modern day (19th century) massacres of thousands of people originate on the Balkans, too... no idea how/when it might be over.

More like Europe in general. There is hardly a country in Europe that wasn't in a number of wars and/or its borders redefined several times.

Europe's history is full of clashes between & within its states.

Ah young Willie McBride, I can't help wonder why

Do those that lie here know why did they die?

And did they believe when they answered the cause

Did they really believe that this war would end wars?

Well the sorrow, the suffering, the glory, the pain

The killing and dying, were all done in vain

For young Willie McBride, it all happened again

And again, and again, and again, and again

Love this Furies song. Great one for singing over a trad session in Dublin

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