What Is It Good For?

The earnest ruminations of military experts, convened at West Point by Harper’s Magazine, about our “endless war” never once addressed how to actually bring about its end [“Combat High,” Forum, June]. Instead, they only confirmed opinions that many of us have held for decades: a self-selecting military inspires consensus and obedience, and civilians, freed from the worst of war’s consequences, remain ignorant or uninterested. These factors skew the political calculus for our leaders toward prolonging conflicts.

The British and French withdrew from their empires, and many earlier empires perished because of military overreach. If this…