Readers reply: Has a call for restraint from an authority figure ever put a stop to war?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts This week’s question: should we be polite to voice assistants and AIs? Has a war ever ended or de-escalated because someone (eg the pope, the UN secretary general) called on the belligerents to “show restraint”?Laurence Whiteside, via email Send new questions to nq@theguardian.com. Pope Leo I persuaded Attila to turn back from Rome in 452CE. redleader Once the dogs of war start salivating, no pleas of restraint can keep them from pursuing death and destruction (also known as personal profit). Mark_Gorman “Peace with honour” is what opponents seek, hence anyone who brings it about can take credit for ending a war. RPOrlando, by email Humans are really good at fighting and maintaining victim narratives, so a lot of conflicts never really end without one party or other being considered “victorious”. Open hostilities begin for many reasons and so the strategic aims involved when starting a war matter in trying to answer such a question. Half a century later, can we really give a sensible answer as to whether Turkey

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