Read “Liberal Fascism” - Johan Goldberg.
Fascists (Progressives) need a warlike atmosphere in order to convince the individual to give up his individualism in order to support “the cause”. Wilson and FDR used the wars of their times to promote fascism/socialism.
I’ve also conjectured that the main reason the left opposes the “war on terror” is that it isn’t being used to advance their socialist domestic policies like they would if they were in charge.