By the way, with the exception of the War of 1812, avoiding stupid quarrels with powerful countries was one of the smartest things that the United States did in its rise to superpower status.

顺便说一句，除了1812年英美战争外，避免同强国进行愚蠢的争执是美国能够上升到超级大国地位最聪明的决策之一。

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The central point made by Mr Lieven's witty and impeccably scholarly book is that Russia owed its victory not to the courage of its national spirit or to the coldness of the 1812 winter, as some French sources have argued, but to its military excellence, superior cavalry, the high standards of Russia's diplomatic and intelligence services and the quality of its European elite.

ECONOMIST: Russia's war against Napoleon