A biological and socio-cognitive framework may enhance our understanding of the security process, as the two perspectives collectively acknowledge that (i) competition for resources is/was an important factor in human social behavior and evolution (e.g., Bowles, 2009) and (ii) individuals differ in the ways in which they interpret information given their own traits and circumstances. ...this is neatly illustrated by George Bush's “mission accomplished” speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in May 2003. ...given knowledge of context, ultimate levels of explanation can aid our understanding of the maladaptive practice of warfare. A principal components analysis of trait judgments made toward faces revealed that differences in human face shape can be modeled on two primary dimensions, reflecting the extent to which an individual appears intent on causing harm to others (their perceived trustworthiness) and the extent to which an individual appears capable of causing harm to others their perceived dominance; (Oosterhof and Todorov, 2008). Given that attractiveness is associated with a suite of positive attributions (Langlois et al., 2000) and that a positive reputation can benefit one's reproductive fitness (Fehr, 2004; Nowak and Sigmund, 2005), strategic economic behavior in light of a beautiful appearance is to be expected, particularly given the severe penalties incurred when individuals are perceived as having used their looks for nefarious purposes (e.g., in cases of fraud; see Mazzella and Feingold, 1994 for a meta-analytic review; see also Wilson and Eckel, 2006).