Yes. The ultimate example is Russia. The West need a bogeyman to keep us cowering in our bunkers. You cannot convince me that diplomacy or flat-out cold-hard currency cannot convince Putin to just stop his bullshit. I just don't believe it. I don't want to come across as some mad conspiracy nut, because I'm not. But the answer to all your questions is MONEY. The West could pay-off Putin TODAY if they wanted.It's all about dividing people.
Whilst I'm on this rant, let me say something else. China could easily broker a peace-deal with Ukraine/Russia/Putin. Russia is beholden to China through trade. But imagine the optics, the leader of Ukraine, Zalenski and Putin, across a table signing a peace-deal in Beijing. The US does not want that. The US does not want to admit that China is the global leader in the world. I could go on and on about this but I won't bore you.