War in the World - The Cost   

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World War I (1914-1918)  
-- Deaths: 15 to 65 million
-- Cost: Over US$60.6 billion
Aftermath:
-- Germany’s war reparation debt of €70 million (€300 billion in today’s currency), took 92 years to be paid off  
-- Other post-war costs, including care for disabled soldiers, reconstruction, moving and burying the perished, and the building of cemeteries and
memorials for soldiers
-- Inestimable numbers of unexploded shells and other ammunition remain in battlefields, causing further injuries and fatalities to this day
-- Deep trauma led to the term “Lost Generation” in describing those who came of age during World War I

Russian Civil War (1917-1921)
-- Deaths: 5 to 9 million
-- Cost: US$35 billion (50 billion rubles)
-- Displaced: 2 million
Aftermath:
-- Overall production fell to 20% of the pre-war production
-- Agriculture fell to 37% of normal production, contributing to the Russian famine of 1921

World War II (1939-1945)
-- Deaths: Up to 72 million, representing 3.1 % of the 1939 world population, making it the deadliest war ever, with up to 11 million
killed in the Holocaust
-- Displaced: Up to 20 million
-- Cost: US$4 trillion
Aftermath:  
-- European and Soviet Union economies collapsed with much of their industrial infrastructure destroyed
-- Of the displaced people, nearly all were malnourished, with many who were ill or subsequently perished With hundreds of thousands of women who
were sexually assaulted, some 10,000 in Germany later died, mostly by suicide.
-- Many post-war soldiers were afflicted with acute post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which was observed in veterans even decades later.
-- Cities were annihilated by bombing. Radiation from the Hiroshima & Nagasaki nuclear explosions instantly killed 140,000 people, with up to 350,000 others
succumbing eventually. Animals and plants also perished due to high levels of radiation.

India-Pakistani Wars (4 main wars from 1947 – 1999, plus ongoing)
-- Deaths: 28,270
-- Cost: Military costs to India and Pakistan, a combined US$3 billion. Lost tourism revenue of US$3.6 billion. Between 2004-2008, India and Pakistan lost
potential trade income of at least US$12 billion– and counting.
-- Unexploded munitions: Leftover landmines and other explosives in the border regions of both countries cause hundreds of fatalities each year.    

Arab-Israeli Conflict (1948 – present)
-- Deaths: 74,000 military, 18,000 civilians
-- Displaced:  1.7 million of 4 million Palestinians are refugees.
-- Costs: The US government pays US$3 billion annually to aid Israel's military, while the total cost of Arab-Israeli conflict to US taxpayers
since World War II is US$3 trillion (2002 dollars), US$114 billion of which was direct aid to Israel – and counting.
Aftermath:
-- Economic costs:  Reduced national income of US$12 trillion for Israeland the Arab nations, with up to trillions of dollars in lost
economic opportunities due to conflict.
-- Mental Health:  80% of Palestinian children suffer from behavioral and sleep problems, as well as increasing levels of violence and reduced hope in
the future. Over 90% of Israelis meanwhile report that they live with a feeling of insecurity.     

Korean War (1950 - 1953 armistice)
-- Deaths: 4 million
-- Cost: US$678 billion (for 1951-1953); US$1 billion (for 1951-2000)– and counting.
Aftermath:
-- The war technically is still not over. In the decades following the cease-fire armistice, hundreds more have been killed in incidents near
the inter-Korean border, and millions of families were permanently separated. Soldiers sent there to fight suffered high rates of post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) and depression, according to one study of Australian veterans.

Vietnam War (1955 - 1975)
-- Deaths: 1.5 million military,up to 4 million civilians
-- Injuries: Over 600,000 Northern; 1.5 million Southern
-- Costs:  USA spent US$111 billion (US$686 billion in 2008 dollars)
Aftermath:
-- Displaced:  Over 3 million fled Âu Lạc (Vietnam), Cambodia and Laos, mostly by boat, seeking refuge in other countries from the violence.
-- Environment: The spread of herbicides such as Agent Orange by US troops to defoliate the countryside left behind a poisoned food chain
and an estimated 4 million affected by disease, with children who are still being born missing limbs and with other disabilities. In the US, children born
to veterans exposed to Agent Orange also have a higher incidence of diseases including prostate cancer, diabetes, and nerve disorders.  
-- Economic Costs:  Indirect and direct costs, such as benefits for veterans and slower US economic growth, equals around $900 billion.   
-- Mental Health: 30% of US soldiers experienced mental disorders and substance abuse following the war.

Colombian Armed Conflict (1964 - present)
-- Deaths: Up to 200,000
-- Cost: US$2.67 billion annually by Colombian government – and counting.

Iran-Iraq War (1980 – 1988)
-- Deaths and injuries:  Up to 1 million Iranians, 300,000 Iraqis  
-- Cost:  Initial cost of US$1.2 trillion (US$600 billion each) *
Aftermath:
-- Economic cost:  Slowdown in economic growth for both countries, with reduced funds leading collapses in key areas such as scientific and technological
productivity.
-- Unexploded munitions: With around 20 million landmines still in the ground, Iraq isconsidered one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world.

Sudanese Civil War (1983 – 2005)
-- Deaths: 2 million due to war, famine and disease
-- Displaced: 80% of the population, or 4 million people, forced to leave their homes at least once
-- Many women and girls sexually assaulted, 11,000 abducted for slavery*
Aftermath:
-- Economic Cost:  66% reduction in the nation's ability to invest in improvements and 8% reduction in national income from 1986 – 90 alone.  
Conflict across all of Africa costs nations an average of 15% of their income per year.
-- Mental Health:  Among Sudanese refugees, 32% suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 20% suffered psychological disorders.

Sri Lankan Civil War (1983 - 2009)
-- Deaths: 20,000 to 100,000
-- Displaced: More than 400,000
-- Cost: Over US$200 billion*
Aftermath:
-- Hundreds of thousands in refugee camps suffer from malnutrition and lack of water, medicine, and sanitation.
-- The nation's tourism industry destroyed as well as main infrastructure, with government revenues diverted from social projects.
-- An estimated 1.5 million landmines and other explosives in the north continue to be a hindrance to the resettling of conflict-displaced citizens.

Second Congo War (1988 - 2003 officially; ongoing)
-- Deaths:  Up to 5.4 million fatalities between 1998 and 2008, making it the deadliest conflict since World War II. Most deaths were from
disease and famine, with almost half killed being children.
-- Cost: US$18 billion in lost income to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and it remains one of the world’s two poorest countries – and counting. *
Aftermath:
-- Displaced:  Fighting has continued for years after official end. Millions have been displaced.
-- Victims of over 40,000 cases of systemic sexual violence, continuing till today,with associated physical and psychological trauma as well as the spread of
HIV and other diseases.
-- All provinces remain affected by landmines and other explosives, preventing both resettling and reconstruction.  

Iraq - Kuwait Gulf War  (1991)
-- Deaths:  up to  36,592 military, 4,664 civilians
-- Environment:  Iraqi forces dumped 400 million gallons of oil into the Gulf and set fire to Kuwaiti oil wells, causing widespread environmental damage
to the Persian Gulf and the desert.    
-- Cost:  US$6.1 billion for coalition nations, US$1.5 billion extra for extinguishing oil fires*
Aftermath:
-- Health:  200,000 US troops sickened by exposure to chemicals develop profound fatigue, gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders, joint and muscle pain,
memory loss, depression and  dizziness.  
-- Economic Cost:  The UN ordered Iraq to pay US$200 billion to victims, including individuals and companies, which was a factor in Iraq’s
subsequent slowed economic recovery.

Yugoslav Wars (1991 – 1995, 1999 Kosovo crisis)
-- Deaths: 127,000
-- Cost:  US$60 billion in damage for 1999 war alone*
Aftermath:
--Water, air, and soil contamination; release of cancer- and other disease-causing chemicals

Cambodian-Thai border dispute (2008 to 20 May 2011)
-- Deaths:  44 – 221
-- Displacement:  Approximately 22,000 Thai citizens reportedly have had to abandon their homes.  

Rwandan Civil War  (1994)
-- Deaths:  500,000 to 1 million killed in 100 days (7 - 13% of population)
-- 250,000 to 500,000 women sexually assaulted*
Aftermath:  
-- Displaced:  2 million became refugees, thousands of whom died of disease in refugee camps.
-- Widespread sexually transmitted diseases and thousands of pregnancies from sexual assault
-- Economic cost:  National income as of 2005 remains up to 25% lower than if the war had not occurred.
-- Mental Health:  25% of population known to have suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Afghanistan War (2001 to present )
-- Deaths:  54,000 – 74,000 military, Taliban members and civilians killed
-- Injured:  59,500*
Aftermath:
-- Mental Health:  60% of Afghans suffer from mental health disorders, while 20% of US Afghan veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) or mental issues.
-- Economic cost:  US costs of both Afghan and Iraq wars, over US$5 trillion including medical expenses for injured veterans, costs to US families
of deceased soldiers, debt interest and harms to US economy – and counting.  
Unexploded munitions:  Some 40 people arekilled or maimed monthly, while economic development is hindered because farmland is unusable.  

Darfur Conflict, Sudan (2003 – 2009, 2010)
-- Deaths:  150 military,300,000 civilians
-- Displaced 2.7 million
-- Cost:   UN and African Union troops sent to Darfur in 2007 cost an estimated US$2 billion in the first year – and counting*
Aftermath:
-- Women in refugee camps continued to be at risk of sexual assault
-- Mental Health: Among those displaced within Sudan, 54% experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 70% experienced general distress.  

Iraq War (2003 to present)
-- Deaths: Up to 750,000 -- Injured: 72,539
-- Cost:  US$704 billion in direct costs to US– and counting*
Aftermath:
-- Mental:  60 – 70% of Iraqi children suffer psychological problems, while 20% of US veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) or mental issues, costing US$6.2 billion in the two years after returning from deployment.   
Unexploded munitions:  In the village of Said Jabar alone, 16% of the population has been killed or injured by landmines and other explosives.  
-- Economic cost: A Nobel Prize winning economist estimates the total costs, including healthcare for disabled veterans, interests on debt and
others be in excess  of $5 trillion– and counting.  
The price of oil has also quadrupled since 2002. 

Soldiers returning from both Afghanistan and Iraq have a 7 times higher risk of respiratory disease, in addition to a newly diagnosed lung affliction arising from a combination of environmental conditions and weaponry effects.

Somalia Civil War (1991 to present)
-- Deaths: Up to 1 million due to fighting, famine and disease
-- Displaced:  1.4 million*

WAR ON PROTESTERS (2010 to present)
Note: The figures that follow are confirmed totals only. The actual numbers may be much higher– and counting -- as long as the violence continues.

Algeria
-- Deaths: At least 8
-- Injured: Over 420*

Azerbaijan
-- Detained or missing: 417*

Bahrain
-- Deaths: 36
-- Injured: 1,000
-- Detained or missing: 800*
-- Cost:  US$2 billion across all economic sectors
-- Many high-level government officials resign in protest against the crackdown

China
-- Injured: 54
-- Detained under surveillance or missing: 58, many who are well-known intellectuals or activists*
-- Tight security imposed to prevent protests Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
-- Deaths: Over 3,000
-- Injuries: Scores, with many women and girls sexually assaulted
-- Detained or missing: 100
-- Displaced war victims: Over 1 million*

Egypt
-- Deaths: 861
-- Injured: 6,467*

Iran
-- Deaths: 18
-- Injured: 91
-- Detained: 1,534

Iraq
-- Deaths: 36
-- Injured: Over 90
-- Detained: Hundreds*

Jordan
-- Deaths: 2
-- Injured: Over 100*

Kuwait
-- Injured: At least 30
-- Detained or missing: At least 50*

Lebanon
-- Government collapsed*

Libya - Libyan civil war
-- Deaths: Up to 10,000 and counting
-- Injured: Thousands
-- Displaced war victims: Over 389,000*
-- Cost:  Patrolling one sector of Libyan airspace for the UN-sanctioned no-fly zone costs the UK military alone £2 million to £3 million per day

Morocco
-- Deaths: 6
-- Injured: 128*

Saudi Arabia
-- Deaths: 2
-- Injured: 3
-- Detained or missing: At least 160*
-- Protests banned by law

Syria
-- Deaths: Over 900
-- Injured: Hundreds
-- Detained or missing: 9,000*

Tunisia
-- Deaths: 223
-- Injured: 100*

Western Sahara
-- Deaths: 38
-- Injured: 736*

Uganda
-- Deaths: At least 10
-- Injured: Dozens
-- Detained or missing: Hundreds*
-- Protests over rising food and fuel prices come as government prepares to spend US$740 million to purchase fighter jets.  Yemen
-- Deaths: Over 349
-- Injured: Over 1,250*
-- Cost:  Over US$5 billion

How many more lives disrupted? Maimed or dead?
How much more loss and suffering do we want to see? How much do we want peace?
Let peace be here now.
How much more do we want to pay?

*Not included are emotional, psychological, physical, and spiritual damage for people, children, and future generations.

*The content posted above were updated in May 2011


 
 
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