(obviously i'm fascinated by a lot of chaim's different answers so far today for the askJTF..here's another one)
Chaim mentions that when bad things happen to righteous people in this world, they are given redemption in the next world. The same holds true when the wicked get away with murder in this world and pay the punishment in the next.
There was a way Chaim answered the question however that made me think...What if a leader were to gather the masses of the righteous and convince them that their war is the righteous one and that their deaths would be repayed with rewards in heaven? Look what the Muslim leaders have done to their masses...
I want to add to Chaim's answer to this point...Not only is it righteous to be righteous...but to choose life takes a front seat as well. When both are at stake, there are, in Judaism, a few instances where you choose the right thing over your life...