Hmm. There are literally NO engineers in the top 20 mob-raising culture war feudal barons that I can think of. Not one. A couple of pure science types, but the rest are economists, psychologists, lit/culture type people. Either we're too dumb to raise armies or... we know better?
Not true in my experience. About as many are clued in as any other field. It’s a basic human trait/aptitude like language. There’s just other wiring that seems to get in the way of making it (persuasion/manipulation) an addictive compulsion.