Does anyone have any ready examples that refute this thesis? Has a real lasting peace ever been negotiated between two military combatants without one being brought to its knees?
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They haven't acheived peace yet in Northern Ireland, and neither side has been militarily defeated, but a substantial number, undoubtedly the majority, on both sides have simply grown weary of the fighting over the years. It's quite possible that a final negociated peace settlement in Northern Ireland will come about in the next few years - without Rush Limbaugh's 'decisive military victory'.