Status Updates From Diplomasi

The purpose of the separation of powers was to avoid despotism, not to achieve harmonious government; each branch of the government, in the pursuit of its own interests, would restrain excess and… serve the common good… By pursuing its own selfish interests, each state was presumed to contribute to progress as if some unseen hand were guaranteeing that freedom of choice for each state assured well-being for all.

Ch 15

It never occurred to them that the failure to make their alliances correspond to rational political objectives would lead to the destruction of civilization as they knew it. Each alliance had too much at stake to permit the traditional Concert of Europe diplomacy to work.
Instead, the Great Powers managed to construct a diplomatic doomsday machine, though they were unaware of what they had done.

Ch 9 20 minutes left