I can't help but notice that the "animal nature of all" (in reference to violence) usually emerges in men. And the innocents you mention are most often the women and children. If by war machine you include women producing sons, then I suppose they are guilty of adding to the fights between men. I realize there are violent women and there are armies that include women, but this is by far the minority. It is men who kill, rape, burn, and bomb.
I don't know where to go with these observations. I read a lot of history books (to make up for the bullshit they teach us in school), and the more stories I read by women the more horrified I am. Of course, war is an issue so much bigger than any gender concern; but I still cannot help but wonder what other people think about this.