Comment by BurningFrog
2 hours ago
> Entirely wiping out an enemy population can be incredibly risky as they'll try to also wipe you out in response
Which is why you either wipe out the whole population, or not at all.
If you have the type of enemy that holds a grudge across generations, that is.
Should be true for hominids. I have no theory for the wolves.
> Which is why you either wipe out the whole population, or not at all.
Huh? Most of human history is battles here and there -- gain a little more land and stop, deter the enemy then stop, maybe conquer some people and rule them and extract some resources rather than kill them. Not total peace vs genocide. The idea of it being all-or-nothing is neither usually reality nor usually good strategy.