Uh-huh. War is by far the most expensive and wasteful activity that humans engage in, but it's exciting to observe vicariously (specially if you approve of it) and it's very profitable for certain people in business and politics. The main challenge with a war, other than coping with pouring a country's human and material assets into a bottomless pit, is selling it to the public at home. This is crucial to maintaining an effective war effort. Fear is a good motivator, so that's the angle that usually works best.

Remember what a dire threat Manuel Noriega was to the world when he (eventually) stopped following CIA orders? OOOO-weee! Scary!

Remember what a dire threat Saddam was? Oh dear! Gotta protect ourselves from the terrible WMDs!

Note what a dire threat Ahmadinejad is being portrayed as now. He is the new official "Bad Guy" of the news media. There always has to be one if you want a war. They have to have a recognizable face for people to be afraid of. Once he is gone, they'll find another.