The defense industry make more money winning.
They make the most money inciting conflict and ensuring it lasts a long time. The holy grail is arming both sides with little regard for who wins as long as customers keep buying weapons. That's the 'win' for them.
In capitalism, some people make money under any and all circumstances!
I mean, sure. By that definition, Mexican cartels and the Mob are pure, unbridled capitalism.
Do you think the defense industries in Russia, China, or Syria (as random examples) are in the business to not make profits.
Of course they make profits off war! When did I say other countries did not? That's largely the problem: As long as war is profitable, there will always be war, and war is very profitable to many countries, not just the US.
Russia is now a capitalist country. They replaced communism with capitalism in 1991. Arms exports are significant source of profit for them.
Granted, it's not a very democratic one, but democracy and capitalism are 2 separate things. There are many fiercely capitalistic countries and economies that are not democratic. Pinochet's Chile was advised by none other than Milton Friedman and his 'Chicago Boys', who also advised Reagon later on. Chile was the 'test bed' for their market theories. It was also brutally repressive (and US-backed).
China is also a major exporter of arms, and profits off them. I'm not sure how I implied that they didn't. China has shifted more to a market-based economy over the years and certainly is capitalistic, having major industries owned by private investors.
I don't know much about Syria's defense industry or if it even has a viable arms export business, but Assad certainly benefits politically and economically from wars and conflict - or else he wouldn't engage in them.
And of course, Israel is a powerhouse in the defense sector, with its arms industry generating billions in revenue.
I think you're helping make my point that war is very profitable to many, and especially those in power. If it is profitable to drive towards war, that's what they will do, because it is incentivized.
Isn't understanding incentives an important aspect of studying economics (and macroeconomics)?
