Arguably, we're beating the shit out of the middle east for the same reason we beat the shit out of Japan (and Germany, just for good measure): Because they hit us.<p>If you let people hit you, people will know that you let people hit you. The same holds, in a much stronger sense, when you move out to conflicts between societies (or, in the same field, corporations) because such organizations -don't- feel even the empathy that humans do, and so habitually assault one another.<p>Were the wars worth it? Well that just depends on how hostile you think the world is. I'm fairly certain at least those two were/are. You can't turn the other cheek when attacked and maintain a position that keeps every two bit conquerer from seeing you as a likely target.