Excessive military spending can bankrupt a superpower just as oversized antlers bankrupt elk
Evidence
Like Irish elk leaching calcium and phosphorus from their skeletons to pay for massive antlers, the Soviets were dipping into the resources they needed to stay alive. So severely were social programs depleted that nearly every aspect of Soviet society suffered. This pattern of spending was not sustainable, and in December 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 575
Categorization
- XREF: The Irish elk analogy directly ties the evolutionary arms-race payoff/cost balance from earlier chapters to human superpower economics. — connects to: Costly advanced weapons deter rivals just like large animal weapons — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 592; Costly weaponry can drive a species extinct when resources degrade. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 437
Related
- Costly weaponry can drive a species extinct when resources degrade. (similarity 0.85)
- Cold War arsenals grew to planetary overkill capacity (similarity 0.80)
- Cold War weapons costs multiplied simultaneously across every system category (similarity 0.80)
- Weapons evolve only when reproductive benefits exceed costs (similarity 0.80)
- Climate-driven food decline may have tipped costly antler growth toward extinction (similarity 0.80)
Broader Connections
- Costly advanced weapons deter rivals just like large animal weapons
#corroborates(0.60) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 592 - Costly weaponry can drive a species extinct when resources degrade.
#expands(0.55) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 437