Analysis of why countries go to war sometimes argues that leaders are motivated by problems at home. They attack another country to divert attention from an economic crisis, an unlawful act, or—as in the Robert De Niro movie, Wag the Dog—a sex scandal. In recent years, for example, Israel’s all-out response to the Hamas attack in October 2023 might be explained as having been prompted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political and legal troubles. India’s brief war with Pakistan in May may have occurred to release domestic political pressures in both countries. These explanations may be off the mark, but they appear regularly in speculation about why political leaders decide to fight rather than negotiate.