When engaging or escalating a war, the national command authorities must do so with purpose. Fundamental to this pre-war analysis is to determine what is the purpose of the conflict; what are we trying to achieve? Dozens of follow-up questions arise, such as: what is the mission; can we accomplish this in a reasonable amount of time; what are the risks; if the outcome is achievable, is it worth the cost; and finally, how do we achieve peace and bring our troops back home? These are basic questions which give rise to many more. Before firing the first shot, the decision-makers must be very intentional. In a democracy, they must also be transparent.
Long, protracted wars generally do not go well. The American Revolution (1775-1783) was protracted to the point that the British Parliament finally decided to “throw in the towel” and look for a negotiated settlement. A century later, they essentially decided to do the same with the Boer War in South Africa. The British Empire had met its limits and decided, after considerable cost, to cut their losses.