The Cost of War

May 1, 2014 at 2:42 pm revchrisw

We have recently celebrated ANZAC day remembering the terrible loss of lives at Gallipoli, in WW1 and in wars since then right up to the continuing war in Afghanistan. Young returned soldiers from Afghanistan led the march in Canberra meaning that the procession of soldiers is not a diminishing and ageing one but has newer soldiers joining it. The media give ANZAC a great deal of attention. Next year being the centenary of ANZAC day will no doubt be especially significant. Tickets have already been allocated to those who want to go to Turkey for the dawn service there in 2015.

While it is appropriate to recall the lives lost and the effects war have on those involved both directly and indirectly, it seems to me that we have not yet appreciated the full cost of war.

Despite increasing knowledge of what involvement in war does to people, we continue to regard war as a legitimate response to conflict. Australians may regard themselves as on the side of peace but our record is that we have repeatedly gone to war at the request of the British or American governments in support of their war policies. We have yet to take an independent approach which I believe would be more fitting for us as a nation located in the southern hemisphere near Asia and the Pacific. We have followed the UK and the USA into war believing that by doing so they will protect Australia if ever needed. We fail to see they make their decisions based on national self-interest not on other considerations which at best are minor by comparison. We also like to think we are always on the morally right side when the reality is more ambiguous. US presidents as supreme commanders think in terms of US interest and power first and foremost. Bill Clinton in a speech to the United Nations for example affirmed that America had the right to “unilateral use of military power” to ensure “uninhibited access to key markets, energy supplies and strategic resources.”

So what is the real cost of war? Here I am thinking primarily of the personal cost rather than the financial cost, though the expenditure on the military, especially in times of war is staggering. By far and away the greatest military power is the USA which spends more than the next 25 nations combined. If the US diverted a mere 10% of its military budget to foreign aid, poverty could be eliminated and people’s lives in many nations enhanced greatly. The desire for national security through military expenditure has driven US debt to a huge figure.

Then there is the cost of rebuilding following the destruction that war causes. It takes years for countries affected by war to recover economically and socially. Infrastructure has to be rebuilt. Land mines remain a scourge in many countries with children the most affected. Artistic and cultural treasures are lost forever. People who have lost loved ones, or have to live with those coping with post-traumatic stress syndrome, are never able to recover their previous lives.

Figures from the US Department of Veterans Affairs highlight the cost of war for those involved. Returned soldiers face extremely high levels of unemployment, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress and homelessness. It is not hard to see why. Those who have been traumatised by the experience of war do not leave it behind at the end of their term of service. They find it extremely difficult to cope with life when they return home because of the psychological impact of what they went through. Nearly one million active service members in the US have been diagnosed with at least one mental health disorder from 2000-2013, nearly half with two or more. A particularly telling statistic is that an estimated 22 veterans take their lives each day. More military personnel die by their own hands than at the hands of others. This year more US troops have committed suicide than were killed by others in Afghanistan. Since 2000, nearly 6,000 service members have experienced traumatic amputations from injuries caused by improvised explosive devices and other war related dangers. Having the best equipped military in the world does not mean people are able to avoid such attacks. As can be seen, the mental and physical cost of war on people is huge.

Yet we continue to resort to violence and war very readily, not only in third world nations but in first world ones, especially the USA. From my perspective this is particularly regrettable as the USA has a Christian heritage and does have Centres for non-violent alternatives to resorting to violence and war. They have in Martin Luther King Jr. a person who showed that non-violent methods of social change do work. Yet the US government is dominated by military approaches when it comes to international conflict. Instead of putting more efforts into alternatives to war they all too readily take the military option.

From my Christian perspective we need to recognise the full costs of war personally, physically including the environment, socially and economically. We can give far greater attention to studying and implementing non-violent alternatives to conflict resolution. There may be some pain to bear in doing so, but surely to avoid war and its legacy is worth it. So often the seeds of future conflict arise out of the suffering and resentment caused by war. So many are negatively impacted by war that we should not regard it as inevitable and necessary but do all we can to foster justice and reconciliation and so avoid violent conflict and war.

The World Council of Churches has a significant document “An Ecumenical Call to Just Peace” which urges churches to take the lead in promoting justice and peace and hence pre-empt conflicts that could lead to violence and war. Prevention is preferable to dealing with armed conflict. There is a cost for peace but it is surely worth pursuing for the cost of war is far greater.

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