For general context, the opinion piece was published April 2014. Bezos owned The WaPo at the time and had since 2013. Author is Stanford historian and archaeologist Ian Morris.
In the long run, wars make us safer and richer

War may be the worst way imanigible to create peaceful societies but it is pretty much the only way.

The Washington Post
Of course it was WAPO
It says it right at the top …