Because war is the only big stick that the power elite can use to club not just labor _but also capital_ to go along with a new policy direction (the "war on drugs" and the "war on crimes" helped to initiate neoliberal attacks on labor, and the "war on terrorism" is to deal with political and economic fallouts of the very neoliberal triumph to which the aforementioned wars gave birth). As Doug noted, most capitalists aren't too excited about the prospect of endless war, as they tend to be tight-fisted bean-counters who dislike taking risks. If you tell them to open up their purses to forgive debts, raise wages, etc. to stimulate the global demand, they will say, flat out, "No." If you say, however, "terrorists are gonna get yo mama," especially after a spectacular terrorist crime that really scared many shitless, all classes and social strata find it nearly impossible to object vigorously to deficit spending and higher prices caused by war, "regime change," "nation building," and other costly ventures. -- Yoshie
* Calendar of Events in Columbus: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html> * Anti-War Activist Resources: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/activist.html> * Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osu.edu/students/CJP/>