chavos

It is often alledged that religion is teh core cause of most wars, or most severe wars.

First, i posit that not every war in which religion is invoked is a religious war. We can understand the spread of the Islamic Empires outside of the context of religion started a war. Religion provided organization which provided for a state, which then made war. There is a differnce, IMO. Continueing clashes between the Islamic World and the Christian world can be better understood as the conflicts of cultural boundaries rather than religious ones. East/West conflict greatly predates the rise of either of those religions.

Second, in the ancient world, culture and religion are hard to separate. What we might see as a war of religion may be more about national identity-a war of liberation, which in modern times would be seen as political.

Anyhow, a listing of wars and their primary causes, which i will add to if you all remember ones i don't. For instance, i know only a little of non-Western wars...

Greco Persian Wars: Territorial/Economic
Pelloponesian Wars: Political/Economic
Macedonian Campaigns (Alexander the Great): Territorial
Maccabean Revolt: Political/Religious
Punic Wars: Economic/Political
Other Roman Campaigns: Territorial/Economic
Sack of Rome and Hunnic Invasion: Territorial/Economic
Carolingian Campaigns (Charlemange): Territorial/Political with nominal Religious overtones
Islamic Expansion (Ummayid): Territorial with religious overtones
Crusades/Islamic Reaction (Seljuk): Territorial/Religious
Infighting amongst Res Publica Christiana (Middle Age European wars): Political/Economic/Territorial
100 Years War: Political/Territorial
War of the Roses: Political
Hapsburg Campaigns (Holy Roman Empire circa 1500): Political/Territorial with Religious overtones
Naval Campaign for Meditteranean (Lepanto, et al): Political/Cultural/Religious
Conquest of Americas: Economic/Territorial with Religious overtones
30 Years War and Associated Dynastic Conflicts: Economic/Political/Religious
English Civil War: Religious/Poltical/Economic
Ottoman Campaigns: Territorial/Cultural/Religious
Northern Wars (Peter the Great): Political/territorial/Economic
Franco-Spainish Wars: Political/Territorial
Sepoy Wars: Political/Economic
Seven Years War: Economic/Territorial
Revolitionary War: Political/Economic
French Revolution and Associated Campaigns: Political
Napolionic Wars: Political/Territorial
Crimean War: Economic/Territorial/Political
American Civil War: Economic/Political
Prussian Wars (Bismark): Poltical/Economic
Mahadist Campaigns: Anti-Imperialist/Religious
Indian Wars of American West: Territorial/Economic
Boxer Rebellion: Anti-Imperialist
Russo-Japanese War: Territorial/Political
WWI: Political
Russian Revolution and Red/White Wars: Political
Spanish Civil War: Political
WW2: Political/Ethnic
Korea: Political
Vietnam: Anti-Imperialist/Poltical
Cambodia: Political/Economic
Algerian War: Anti-Imperialist
Arab-Israeli Wars: Political/Religious
Gulf War I: Political/Territorial/Economic
Somalia: Economic/Political
Rwanda: Ethnic
Balkans: Religious/Political
Afganistan: Political/Religious
Gulf War II: Political
Intifada: Religious/National Liberation
Sudanese Civil War: Religious/Political

So, to those who say most wars are over religion...don't say it. It's not true. The major conflicts are primarly economic, political, etc...with some smatterings of religious conflict thrown in for good measure. But most of the recent outbreaks since the Islamic/Christian fighting are small brush fires in comparison to the political wars that were fought.

Edit: I re-did the section on arab and muslim expansion, using better labeling of the factions.