Wardecs exist as part of a system to limit PvP of almost any kind in a certain area of space. They are not specifically about structures. The wardec mechanic gives a defender 24 hours to prepare, warning of who is attacking, and the ability to make their foe fair game for an ally of their choosing for free, or a few more for a fee.
The system is meant to bias towards the defender in any PvP engagement. It is not meant to assure safety to non-structure owners, industrialists, or any other individual or group.
I think the stifled conflict is because the wardecs themselves are not binding enough (corp dropping) and it is debatable whether the advantages of a corporation outweigh the near immunity to PvP provided by CONCORD protection. Industry should integrate with the Eve ecology rather than disassociate with it on grounds that the makers of war-machines are somehow more pure and innocent than the people who pilot them.
Provide a PvP shield of any kind that people can willfully take up, and they will. Every time they do so, Eve moves closer to being some other game we can already play if we don’t like this one.
People want to do things the easy way. It’s sensible and efficient, but satisfaction comes from getting something done when the hard way was the only way. How far to skew the balance makes for a good debate, but to be able to force a confrontation with anyone else is the heart of Eve. War must not become something capsuleers can opt out of more easily than they already can.