The thing is, there are power struggles in the higher echelon of these well placed scum who we sometimes, unintentionally, call our leaders. For the corporatists and defense contractors its simply money-flow by any means mecessary, an entirely atheistical, love of money, desire for power approach. For the oil men, it is being on good terms with dictators, espeically dictators in oil rich countries. If they can work out privatization schemes with mutual benefits, a war would be disadvantageous. This is why I've stated that Iraq was not about oil, and in fact many of the wars imposed in South West Asia hurt oil companies. That brings us to the Neocons, who utilize US military, sometimes mercenaries to engage in wide-scale destabilization campaigns to secure Israel and Balkanize regions, creating tribal in fighting. This can sometimes allow for profit making reconstruction efforts, multilateral and unilateral states will fight over this task, either China or the US. These destabilization campaigns can many times hurt oil companies but so can they benefit from them if the Balkanization destroys countries who refuse to work with them. Then they must work out where they can drill or set up LNG pipelines in geopolitical gratifying positions, understanding that tribal infighting from these Balkanization campaigns might hurt their chances of establishing footholds in these regions.

For the arms dealers, war is a racket, for them only, and its continuation is deserving and needed to increase profit margins.