Not my words, yours. — Brett

Then, don't only madmen start wars between nations?

Like, if we were back in Rome some 2020+ years ago, then yeah I can see your rationale as being applicable. Nowadays nobody is in the business of starting wars... Did I just misspeak?

My limited understanding is that, for the most part, war in civilized nations is primarily about ideology or national pride, not rational.

"War for resources" is a myth, except in the most impoverished areas of the world (e.x. Sub-Saharan Africa, street gangs, etc); Typically it's the other way around, it's "resources for the war", the war being an end in and of itself.

Don't believe it's only "madman", rather people tend to act more irrational when they perceive a wound to their nation or pride has occurred.

I won't go into the histories of recent wars, but the theme is that there have been many diverse people supporting a war, and after things have "cooled down", they look for a scapegoat.