The situation I am asking about arises when an aggressor attacks a country, occupies parts of its territory, but then the side under attack manages to mount a defense and drive the aggressor back to the former state boundaries. At this point, the side previously under attack has the choice between :
- continuing into the territory of the former invader or...
- stopping at the border and declaring the conflict to be settled
WWII was definitely not "stop at the border": the attack continued over the former boundaries of Nazi Germany up to Berlin. Conversely, NATO driving Iraqi forces out of Kuwait was "stop at the border" and appears to have worked.
How frequent is the "stop at the border" policy? Is it a new invention of the 20th century or has it been applied many times in the past? What is the most typical outcome?