[quote=Jett Ryu]
I see your points. But war is profitable. Just look at Germany after the Nazis started WWII. During the war the economy was very strong. Same goes for America, Japan, and England. But other than food for thought, the idea might make some good RPs on here.
[/quote]

The broken window fallacy actually comes into play here. Whatever gains are temporary, and often purchased on borrowed cash, unless you seriously molest other nations to get things done or strip mine your own civil rights.

The only reason the Nazi state of Germany managed such a turn-around is because they already had a powerhouse industry ready and waiting to get to work. With the fascist government they were fully capable of taking advantage of that.

Then, there's the States, usually the poster child, for this sort of thing. Well, the civil war and the war of 1812 didn't boost their economy. World War 2 only boosted the economy because their competition was shut down. (There was no car industry in Japan and Germany by the end of world war 2 for example. America was only really competing with [i]itself[/i].) Since then further wars have only really cost America more money.

Then, the military industrial complex. It's not self-sustaining without either having clients to sell your weapons to, or of course... Using them... In very expensive wars.

As for the broken window fallacy: Sure, if a broke a window, the shop owner would have to pay to replace it, giving a window maker a job. However, if I bought something at that shop instead, the window remains in use, and the shop owner can now expand his business instead, or buy some other product himself.

Either way, money still flows, but in war, things are only lost, nothing is really gained save perhaps the loss of a potential competitor, and in expanding the military industrial complex.

EDIT

Nowadays, I should define that as in nowadays. Back in "ye olde days" wars could still be fought for acquisition of resources, territory, and manpower. Nowadays, resources are globalized, territory is largely irrelevant save in certain hot zones and taking more is considered by the rest of the world to be a very big [i]no no[/i], and manpower is largely irrelevant in a world with 6.5 billion people. :hehe