The 1930 London Naval Treaty was an earnest peace project shaped by the trauma of the First World War. Its advocates expected mutual weakness to make conflict irrational, but weakness can encourage gamblers and leave peaceful states unable to manage escalation. This distinction between good intentions and effective deterrence links interwar choices to Allied unreadiness before the Second World War. The comparison with forces optimized for policing and counterinsurgency extends the warning to any state that lets its capability against a peer opponent atrophy.
Chapter · 0:37-6:02
Why peace through naval weakness could invite war
The opening argument asks how a treaty designed to make war impractical could instead leave democratic powers unable to deter aggressive leaders.