The previous sections documented a consistent pattern: regime-change wars cost trillions, delivered no oil benefits to Americans, and reliably generated contractor revenue and personal and political benefits. This raises a final question: if these wars fail to achieve their stated goals, why do they keep happening?
The answer lies in structural features of how war decisions are made, funded, and reviewed. These features insulate decision-makers from the consequences of failure while preserving the financial incentives that make continued conflict profitable for a narrow group.
This section documents the mechanisms that allow failed wars to continue and unsuccessful strategies to expand.