The New Way Nations are Fighting and Why It Matters
The Sunday Essay ☕️
Apple vs. Microsoft: A Legendary Rivalry
Apple and Microsoft have one of the most iconic business rivalries of the modern era, with roots going back to the late 1970s and early 1980s.
In 1976, Apple—founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak—introduced the first user-friendly personal computer to gain widespread traction. Around the same time, Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft, which focused more on software than hardware.
Initially, the two companies collaborated, with Microsoft developing software for Apple’s Macintosh.
Tensions rose when Microsoft created Windows, an operating system that closely resembled the Macintosh interface. Accusations of intellectual property theft followed, marking the beginning of a fierce battle for territory.
But when companies operate at a massive scale, as Apple and Microsoft do, they rarely compete directly. The capital required to go head-to-head with a multinational is enormous. A single loss can wipe out a company.
Even winning can come at a cost—too much dominance risks violating antitrust laws. As John D. Rockefeller learned, the public hates monopolies.
So instead, major corporations often fight proxy wars. They build or invest in subsidiaries and startups to compete for market share—cheaper, less risky, and more discreet.
Is the World Map Any Different?
Since World War II, we haven’t seen two major superpowers declare war on each other.
But that doesn’t mean we’ve achieved global peace.
Take a look at this chart. It tracks both interstate wars (between nations) and civil wars (including rebellions and revolutions) since 1900.
Why were interstate wars so consistent before the 1940s—and why did they drop off after—while civil wars skyrocketed?
I couldn’t find a chart to show it, but it’s also worth noting: civil wars tend to last much longer than interstate wars.
So why the shift?
The truth is, war hasn’t ended. It’s just evolved. Many of the civil wars in that chart are proxy battles—disguised fights between powerful nations.
After World War II, the world faced something new: mutually assured destruction.
Nuclear weapons changed the game. The U.S. and USSR couldn’t afford to go to war directly. The risk was too high. So began the Cold War—and the age of proxy wars.
Civil wars became battlegrounds polluted by foreign money and weapons, funded by superpowers unwilling to go to war themselves.
The First Modern Proxy War: China
The Chinese Civil War, fought in the 1940s, pitted the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), led by Chiang Kai-shek, against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), led by Mao Zedong.
The U.S. backed the Nationalists; the Soviets supported the Communists.
We know how it ended: the Communists won, and the Nationalists retreated to Taiwan under U.S. protection—a stalemate that still lingers today.
The Cold War Proxy Conflicts
Over the next four decades, the U.S. and USSR funded and fought through others:
The Korean War (1950–1953)
North Korea, backed by the Soviet Union and China, tried to unify the peninsula under communism. The U.S. intervened to support South Korea, sending nearly two million troops.
The Congolese War (1960–1965)
Post-independence Congo descended into chaos. The U.S. backed anti-communist forces; the Soviets supported leftist groups. The result: a prolonged conflict and a pro-American dictatorship.
The Vietnam War (1955–1975)
One of the most infamous Cold War conflicts. The U.S. backed South Vietnam; the Soviets supported the North and the Viet Cong. After years of fighting, the North won and imposed communist rule.
The Afghanistan Crisis (Late 1970s–1989)
The Soviet invasion turned into a grinding war after the U.S. armed the Mujahideen. The conflict bled the Soviets dry and helped bring down the USSR.
Proxy Wars Didn't End with the Cold War
If anything, they’ve increased.
Why?
More Nuclear Powers = Fewer Direct Wars
During the Cold War, only the U.S. and USSR had nuclear arsenals. Today, nine countries do. That makes direct war even riskier.
Plausible Deniability
In a globalized world, countries depend on trade and diplomacy. Proxy wars let them act without admitting involvement.
Public Awareness & Anti-War Sentiment
Today’s conflicts play out on social media. With instant news and viral footage, public opposition can explode. Proxies offer a quieter way to wage war.
War Is Cheaper Than Ever
Once, war meant tanks, jets, and massive budgets. Now, it’s drones, cyberattacks, and private armies—outsourced and affordable.
A Multi-Polar World = More Players
The Cold War had two sides. Today, regional powers like China, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and India all use proxies to expand their influence.
Conclusion: A New Kind of War
This is the paradox of modern conflict: fewer wars are declared, yet war hasn’t disappeared—it’s just gone underground.
What once required armies now unfolds through militias, mercenaries, and insurgents.
The battlefield has shifted from borders to ideologies, from territory to influence. And the people who suffer most aren’t the ones pulling the strings—they’re the ones caught in the crossfire of so-called civil wars.
Proxy wars give governments the spoils of war without the fallout. No headlines, no body bags, no declarations. Just influence won or lost through someone else’s blood.
And that’s why they’re so enduring. The chart doesn’t lie. Traditional wars are down, but civil conflicts—many fueled by foreign money and motives—keep climbing.
What we call civil wars are often anything but. They’re battlegrounds chosen by outsiders, not the people who live there.
This is how nations fight now. And the world map, scarred by endless, unofficial wars, is the proof.
I have some thoughts on how this trend might end—some hopeful, some not. I’d love to hear yours in the comments.
This week’s video will show you what is really happening behind the sensational headlines of tariffs and trade wars. My guest is the legendary Jeffrey Sachs.
That is all for today.
Have an epic Sunday,
Jay
The US is destroying the Dollar as the international currency of exchange by 1) using it as a sanctions vehicle, 2) no longer hesitating to ramp up the printing presses to service ever increasing debt levels and 3) stealing other countries assets who were stupid enough to trust the United States. Our first, and one of our wisest Presidents, Washington warned us about staying out of others' wars (at the time, European wars were the closest and affected us the most). Now we rush headlong into regime change, proxy wars, and Presidents bomb with impunity without Constitutionally required Congressional Declaration of War. Our Founding Fathers would not recognize the current American Empire, which like all empires, will crash and burn. They would be stressed by Congressmen and Senators who spend like there is no tomorrow and don't think about future generations of Americans affected still unborn.
There is only one hope: The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed!