Joseph Bonner speaks on the effects of war

War and terrorism are on the rise in 2021, and all wars can in some way be traced back to bigotry, greed, and religious intolerance, leaving millions to suffer during and after a war has commenced.

There are essential ways war and terrorism destroy a community. This post is to identify three of those ways.

Death & Suffering

The most significant wars fought in humanity's history were WWI and WWII. Experts estimate that some 60 million lives were lost due to that war, most being civilians. When you put a face, a life, and a family behind each of those 60 million faces, it is clear that death only accounted for part of the suffering.

Now imagine the parents who had to lay their child to rest or the child who wondered when mom and dad were coming home, only to find out that the war had robbed them of a lifetime of experiences with the only ones they knew and loved.

Death results in suffering, but when a loved one is ripped away due to war, the wound may be especially hard to heal, as the survivors are eternally plagued by thoughts of what could have been and what should have been.

Economy

It comes as no surprise that the economy suffers significantly during a war.

According to Michael Shank, Adjunct Assistant Professor at NYU's Center for Global Affairs, "negative unintended consequences occur either concurrently with the war or develop as residual effects afterwards thereby impeding the economy over the longer term."

Some of the things that account for the poor economy directly result from war, including damaged buildings and funding for community necessities being reallocated to fund the war effort.

Water and food sources may be damaged during a conflict, and education may altogether cease.

As a result, the economy may suffer a severe setback leading to sickness, hunger, malnourishment, and even starvation.

Displacement

During civil and global unrest, people may be forced to migrate, having to leave behind possessions, loved ones, and with it, a sense of security.

Often those groups are forced to become refugees in a neighboring, less hostile country where they may have little to no rights and be subjected to more suffering.

So as we see a rise in global conflict, it is essential to reflect on the harm war and terrorism cause on the international community because those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.