Modern warfare - CCEAThe debate about the cost of war

In any war there are direct and indirect victims. In countries that end up being invaded, ordinary civilians can be as much at risk as the military, maybe even more so as they do not have the equipment or skills to fight back effectively. The cost of war must be measured in terms of:

• Death and destruction – The number of people killed and injured, the destruction of towns, villages and countryside and the number of people whose lives have been shattered all need to be taken into account. War can leave a country totally devastated.
• Displaced people – War forces thousands of people to leave their homes and often their countries as well. This turns them into refugees, people without a home. This is a lasting effect of war.
• Economic cost – War destroys homes, crops, power supplies, industry, schools and hospitals. All of these vital services have to be replaced once the war is over. This uses up vast amounts of money and resources that poor countries cannot afford.
• The environment – The weapons used in war can lead to the pollution of air, water and soil. This is particularly so when chemical, biological or nuclear weapons are employed. Sometimes there is the deliberate destruction of a natural resource, such as the burning of oil wells. This can have a disastrous effect on the environment.
• Psychological effects – War can scar the people involved in many ways. Soldiers who have witnessed terrible atrocities (or committed them) may suffer trauma as a result. Civilians whose daily lives have been shattered can suffer in a similar way.
• Tourism – War can have a huge economic impact on some countries when tourism is affected. Egypt and many Middle Eastern countries are no longer popular tourist destinations due to war and conflict.