Markets and marketing are integral to human welfare and survival. When used however for the purposes of war and other systemically violent conflict, they can be devastating and pose an existential threat to humanity. Drawing on experience in war-ravaged and recovering economies, the author examines a stream of research on marketing systems disrupted or destroyed by war. Some underlying conditions and predictors of war and its peaceful resolution are introduced, including social traps and their mitigation or elimination. An argument is revisited for marketing as a form of constructive engagement, which must be implemented to affect and to develop equitable and sustainable marketing systems, flourishing communities, societal wellbeing and sustainable peace. The article concludes with some considerations for further research.