korrents

What Sarah Paine thinks about war

@sarah-paine · 26 positions · 0 changes of mind

Historian of maritime and continental empires who taught strategy at the U.S. Naval War College for twenty-four years.

Sarah Paine did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

12 dated positions, 2026, in their own words. Our reading of what Sarah Paine has said — not written or endorsed by them.

  1. Our readingMaritime powers are the exception and continental powers the rule, and the whole difference is whether a country can defend itself at sea.

    Their wordsIt turns out maritime powers are the exception and continental powers are the rule. Why? Cuz maritime powers, if need be, can defend themselves primarily at sea with their navies. Whereas, a continental power simply cannot.

    ↗Sarah Paine - Why Putin and Xi can't escape geographyyoutube.com 1st of 26 in this recording

    Interesting

  3. Our readingGenocide is what happens to the losers of continental warfare, and in our own day the Uyghurs are slated for it.

    Their wordsAnd uh genocide is what happens to the losers in continental warfare. And apparently in our own day, the Uyghurs are slated for genocide.

    ↗Sarah Paine - Why Putin and Xi can't escape geographyyoutube.com 4th of 26 in this recording

    Interesting

  5. Our readingA continental army's first mission is to keep the regime in power, not to defend the border — which is what the People's Liberation Army is for.

    Their wordsPurpose number one of an army in this world is you protect the ruling machine. So, if you think about the People's Liberation Army, it's uh goal number one, uh mission number one is to keep the Communist Party in power.

    ↗Sarah Paine - Why Putin and Xi can't escape geographyyoutube.com 6th of 26 in this recording

    Interesting

  7. Our readingLand powers lose people by the million and maritime powers by the hundred thousand, and the reason is simply that the fighting happens at home.

    Their wordsSo, the deaths for the the land powers are measured in uh millions, whereas the maritime powers, it's a hundreds of thousands, still not a great number.

    ↗Sarah Paine - Why Putin and Xi can't escape geographyyoutube.com 7th of 26 in this recording

    Interesting

  9. Our readingA continental power fights on its invader's timetable; for a maritime power, whether and when to intervene at all is a matter of strategy.

    Their wordsWhereas if you're a maritime power observing someone else being invaded cuz in theory it's pretty tough to invade you by sea, it's a major point of strategy as to whether you're going to intervene at all and if you are, what is the timing?

    ↗Sarah Paine - Why Putin and Xi can't escape geographyyoutube.com 8th of 26 in this recording

    Interesting

  11. Our readingThe first rule of fighting a continental power is to keep your own economy growing, because that is the money that funds the military and the allies.

    Their wordsSo, rule number one is you keep the home economy growing. That is number one, because that's going to produce the money that's going to fund your military, fund your allies, allow you to do everything.

    ↗Sarah Paine - Why Putin and Xi can't escape geographyyoutube.com 13th of 26 in this recording

    Interesting

  13. Our readingA maritime power must never take on a continental power's main force directly, and Britain broke that rule at great cost in the First World War.

    Their wordsRule number five, a rule that Britain broke at great cost in World War I. Do not take on the enemy main force directly. You certainly do not do that as an opening move.

    ↗Sarah Paine - Why Putin and Xi can't escape geographyyoutube.com 14th of 26 in this recording

    Interesting

  15. Our readingWhatever a state thinks it will gain by sending soldiers is inferior to what it would have got from sending diplomats and lawyers.

    Their wordsAnd their idea is we must hash out our different differences with diplomats and lawyers cuz when you send the soldiers in, it is uh whatever gains you think you're going going to get are going to be inferior to what you would have done with the diplomats.

    ↗Sarah Paine - Why Putin and Xi can't escape geographyyoutube.com 20th of 26 in this recording

    Interesting

  17. Our readingThe maritime order goes unappreciated because its objectives are negative: you can never prove you prevented anything.

    Their wordsBut the maritime world is about negative objectives. It's preventing things from bad things from happening. And um you can never prove that you prevented anything.

    ↗Sarah Paine - Why Putin and Xi can't escape geographyyoutube.com 21st of 26 in this recording

    Interesting

  19. Our readingSovereignty is the bedrock principle of international law: if states may invade one another, there is no international law left to speak of.

    Their wordsThink about it. The bedrock principle of international law is sovereignty. If we're all going to be invading each other, what international law is there?

    ↗Sarah Paine - Why Putin and Xi can't escape geographyyoutube.com 22nd of 26 in this recording

    Interesting

  21. Our readingThe maritime world does not try to eliminate a rogue state; it aims only to contain the problem at an acceptable cost.

    Their wordsThis world is not about the operational win of totally eliminating a problem. It's rather it's containing it at acceptable cost.

    ↗Sarah Paine - Why Putin and Xi can't escape geographyyoutube.com 24th of 26 in this recording

    Interesting

  23. Our readingAlmost no country is maritime by geography, but an alliance can bestow a collective maritime position on everyone who joins it.

    Their wordsAlliances can bestow a collective maritime position and power package to those countries that join in.

    ↗Sarah Paine - Why Putin and Xi can't escape geographyyoutube.com 25th of 26 in this recording

    Interesting