From Karl Krause, Austrian writer, journalist, satirist, and essayist (1874-1936):
War is, at first, the hope that one will be better off; next, the expectation that the other fellow will be worse off; then, the satisfaction that he isn’t any better off; and, finally, the surprise at everyone’s being worse off.
See “Six Reasons Why the US Should Stay out of the Russo-Ukrainian Quarrel,” SLL, 2/8/15.