You make some good points
Endless war is definite bankruptcy, at the least.
The drug war is an unfortunate example of that.
However, the Cold War was a possible exception to that rule, with its years of relative quiet puntuated by occasional open conflict in proxy states.
The Phillipines, home of bin Laden family today, and Moslem radicals for 100 years asked for and received American help in the weeks after 911.
We have busted up quite a bit of their activities their lately, btw.
Ed