Why We Fight derives its name from the series of propaganda newsreels (some which were directed by Frank Capra) released during World War II, partially serving as a message to American soldiers about to engage in combat as to the reasons for their participation in the war effort of the time, as well as why the United States could no longer maintain its status as an isolationist country. Very unlike those films, this documentary takes its title much more literally, giving a more pragmatic account as to the nature of the business of war today. I say "business" in several senses, not only as in the pursuit of war, but also as to the profitability of it.