GTCharlie:
Yes, human history is a history of war, and all along somebody always became wealth producing weapons. Our capitalist system has perpetuated war and solidified it as one of the main driving forces of the world economy. We still manage to convince ourselves that we fight wars in the name of higher principles (like freedom, democracy, peace, etc.); however, the true driving force behind war has always been and will always the acquisiton of wealth and power. Higher principles and ideology are in the end just excuses.