Natural resources, endless war is good for defense contractors, and it's a way to have proxy wars with other large states (Russia / China). These incentives ho

Natural resources, endless war is good for defense contractors, and it's a way to have proxy wars with other large states (Russia / China). These incentives hold almost everywhere and not just the Middle East. That's why destabilization in Central/South America and Africa is also compelling and has been ongoing for ages. But, the Middle East has particularly compelling geographic, social, and technological circumstances for a candidate location for endless war. Specifically: 1. It's far from the US and closer to competition ("best defense is a strong offense") 2. Until recently the ethnic and religious make up of Middle Eastern peoples was hyper localized, making them outgroups who were easy to demonize 3. Also until recently it was not likely for media to make its way out of the Middle East where people could see just how terrible war is and how similar the people there are to people everywhere else