Evil is so relative. Both sides of any given war usually see the other as evil. Once you get blood feuds going, it can quickly escalate. All you need is a few "the ends justify the means" and "an eye for an eye" kind of people in the right places.
All forms of looting kill people. Takeovers are a form of oppression. Battles result in large numbers of dead and wounded.
But if the code of the realm is "the ends justify the means" and "an eye for an eye," along with "we will betray anyone so long as by doing so we put ourselves in a better position," that makes, I think, a material difference.
Especially that betrayal one. The key there, I think, would be to make sure that your betrayals don't just net you short-term gain, but put you in the good books of someone who's going to be relatively powerful on the continent when the war is over.
