<Actually your view of history is very Eurocentric.

Oddly enough... ;)

Actually, it is probably more American.

The Monguls and other people of the Steppes--Kubla and Genghis Kahn, Tammerlane developed stirrups. They could stay on their horses and still aim their arrows--something no one else could do.

Bronowski had some really good stuff on this invention in "The Ascent of Man." This is almost considered the technological beginning of organized war.

No justification or ideology was involved. Plunder was just an effective way of making a living and easier than trying to farm.



The N'goro peoples that gave birth to Shaka Zulu suffered from an overpopulation problem of both people and their cattle. One of the largest expansions in history had simple greed as the motivation.



Maybe the simple greedy reasons for expansion were objectively true, but I'll bet that although they were not fighting for some complex ideology, that they still justified their actions to make themselves seem noble and motivated by right thinking. Even if it was something as simple as a "warrior's code." A cursory check of the Net seems to show that even the Mongols were not simple thugs, but motivated by complex values. I submit that none of them considered themselves criminals.

Main page (Conan movie fans note the Ghengis Khan quote at bottom!)

More info.

Actually, most war has had pretty pure motivations and not a lot of duplicity.

I think that's exactly what I said.