Does War Make Sense

[Terry Lee Grams]

Why Modern War No Longer Makes Economic Sense

For most of human history, war could make economic sense. Armies were relatively cheap, destruction was limited, and the victor could seize land, labor, tribute, or trade routes largely intact. Conquest often produced real economic gain.

That logic no longer holds.

As weapons became industrial and then mechanized, the cost of war rose sharply. By the twentieth century, wars no longer destroyed only armies—they destroyed cities, factories, infrastructure, and civilian populations. The very assets that create wealth were increasingly wiped out in the process of “winning.”

Today, the situation is worse. Modern war requires enormous spending before a single shot is fired. Advanced weapons systems, logistics, intelligence, and technology cost so much that victory almost always costs more than anything that could be gained from it. In simple terms, to win a modern war, a nation must spend more than victory can ever repay.

Even more telling is what happens afterward. Victors now routinely rebuild the defeated—sometimes at great expense. This is not generosity. It is an admission that leaving a shattered society creates instability, resentment, and future conflict that ultimately harms the victor as well. Reconstruction has become part of minimizing the damage of war, not profiting from it.

So why do wars continue?

Because war is no longer fought for economic gain—it is fought for political survival. Leaders may wage war to avoid appearing weak, to distract from internal failure, or to preserve their own power, even when the war impoverishes their country. What is irrational for society can still be rational for those in control.

The hard truth is this: human instincts evolved when violence was limited and reversible. Our technology now makes violence total and irreversible. Our thinking has not caught up.

Modern war is not a path to prosperity. It is a failure to recognize that the mathematics of power have changed—even if human behavior has not.