Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Even so, over the course of human history, this reliance upon national military might to defend national security has produced disaster after disaster. Although almost every country has armed itself for national defense, even those with immense military might have ended up fighting recurring wars to defend what they regard as their national security. Just look at the history of the āgreat powersā of recent centuriesāthe United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, Germany, and Japanāand consider how frequently they have waged war, sometimes emerging as the victors and other times as the vanquished.