SNIP
>...Historically, economies gain strength during wartime.
>
Really?

The U.S. economy certainly did gain big time from WWI and WWII, but that was because the U.S. stayed out of the war and sold arms and related stuff.

I think, economically, none of Germany, Italy or Japan grew economically stronger during the war(s), though all did benefit from the Marshall Plan and other arrangements.

There may be evidence that the U.S. economy did OK during the Viet-Nam war, but that was really the establishment and corporations getting rich at the expense of the people. Somehow the success of corporations is allowed to rub off as success for those in the country where the corporations are owned. I never did understand that, and never will.

Iran and Iraq went broke fighting war with each other, even with the heavy backing of Iraq by the U.S.

The USSR certainly wasn't growing economically during the Afghanistan war, as was proved by the soon-after demise of the whole system there.

The Isreali economy has been having trouble for a long time now and under your theory it should be thriving, what with the Palestinian conflict and the hevy expenses that involves.

**IF** war was good for economies then there would be wars regularly. Imagine, getting rich by warring!