Stop War & Support Peace
War has no winners; there are only losers in a war.
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War – one word that contains the suffering of millions.
Few words evoke as many emotions as war. War is a conflict between two or more groups of people. It serves as a tool to promote religious, ideological, political, economic or other goals. War usually begins where there is a lack of will to resolve conflict or differences of opinion and interests through negotiations and agreement.
The word “war” reached the English language from the old High German word werran (to confuse or to cause confusion) via the Old English werre (meaning the same).
Ancient warfare: Stele of the Vultures, c. 2500 BC. Source: Wikipedia
History The history of the human population is interwoven with conflicts, disputes and wars. If you wanted to travel through time to a period without wars, you would have to go back extremely far. Probably the oldest known war, according to the victims, was the conflict in Sudan about 13 400 years ago at the Jebel Sahaba site.
The first infantry army was documented in Ancient Mesopotamia. Its task was to maintain the state‘s power, defend the population from invaders and expand the size of the whole empire.
Did you know that… Lawrence H. Keeley (professor at the University of Illinois and author of War Before Civilization) estimates that about 90-95̴ % of known societies have either fought constantly or have been engaged in at least occasional warfare throughout history?
With the development of civilization, strategy, combat tactics and, of course, weapons were developed. Trained mobs of Romans were replaced by cavalry, mass deployment of infantry and archers. With the discovery of gunpowder and firearms, archers lost their significance and were replaced by rifle divisions. The beginning of World War I meant the end for cavalry as an elite combat unit, where there was no place for them in trench warfare.
World War I (before 1939 known as the Great War or World War) was another turning point and brought about another primacy. It can also be spoken of as the first global conflict, thanks to the involvement of economies worldwide. Technical innovations in the form of airplanes and tanks entered the scene. In addition to speeding up fighting and increasing range, due to aircraft, another invention came into play - chemical weapons.
Did you know that… of the 60 million European soldiers who were mobilized in the First World War, 8 million were killed, 7 million were permanently disabled, and 15 million were seriously injured?
World War II used the full potential of new weapons. Thanks to accelerated relocations, what was known as the Blitzkrieg enabled war to be waged and larger territories to be conquered in shorter times. A new invention was the ballistic missile. This provided an advantage in attacking far beyond the enemy line. At present, these missiles are able to strike any place on our planet.
With World War II came another turning point, the invention of the nuclear weapon. From this point in our history, man has been able to erase life on the entire planet through his inventions.
Did you know that… estimates vary for the total casualties of World War II, but most suggest that some 60 million people died in the War, including about 20 million soldiers and 40 million civilians?
Napoleon's withdrawal from Russia, painting by Adolph Northen. Source: Wikipedia
Types of Warfare At first glance, it seems that war is obvious and that when we see it, we know it. But it’s not that simple. Some wars may not be obvious at first glance. But let's take it gradually:
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Total Warfare - in such a war, perhaps all available resources are deployed just for the purpose of victory. In such a war, there is less distinction between civilians and the army, and the numbers of human casualties correspond to this. In the time of Nazi Germany, total warfare also meant total deployment (Totaleinsatz), i.e. a situation in which people from the occupied territories, who performed slave labor under inhuman conditions, were mostly involuntarily transported to the Third Reich.
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Hybrid Warfare (or non-linear or alternative warfare) - non-military tools such as misinformation, propaganda, terrorist attacks, cyber attacks, economic sanctions and others play a major role here.
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Guerrilla Warfare - the conduct of armed conflict by means of minor attacks and raids against the enemy. It is often referred to as a sabotage war.
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Ideological Warfare - in which one side tries to impose its ideology on the other side.
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Information Warfare - the goal is to gain supremacy, mainly in the use of information and communications channels and technologies.
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Cold War - was the political conflict that took place between 1947 - 1991 between communist states (USSR and its allies) and western democratic states (USA and its allies).
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Chemical Warfare - includes the use of chemicals with toxic potential as weapons.
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Biological Warfare - the goal is to provoke an epidemic of infectious diseases, which destabilizes the enemy's defenses. Unlike the use of conventional weapons, neither chemical nor biological warfare disrupts the infrastructure.
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Asymmetric Warfare - takes place between parties that have significantly different military forces or significantly different tactics.
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Religious War (or also a Holy War) - is a war that seeks to justify conflicts in the diversity of religions and the need to spread or, conversely, to suppress other religions.
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Civil War - armed conflict between groups of people of one country. It may be the result of a weak central government, various forms of inequality in society, or the existence of marked oppression of a certain, clearly defined section of the population. Since 1945, this has been the most common form of warfare, claiming the lives of more than 25 million people.
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World War (or also Global War) - a military conflict that directly or indirectly affects the whole world. It may involve a number of countries or continents. It can also involve just two warring states that affect the whole world.
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Nuclear Warfare - in such a conflict there would be the mass use of nuclear or thermonuclear weapons. It would be a very quick war, because it would only take a couple of minutes for intercontinental missiles to reach their target. The result would be enormous loss of life. Potentially, such a conflict would result in the destruction of the entire human civilization or at least the dramatic collapse of civilization. The use of nuclear weapons would not only have devastating effects by their usage, but also subsequently, in the form of a nuclear winter. The consequences of the deployment of nuclear weapons would be so terrible, that they serve as a kind of prevention of major conflicts.
Did you know that… LEGO does not make models of modern weapons and military equipment that are currently in use? The aim is to keep play experiences for children within the realms of fantasy.
The First Geneva Convention governing the sick and wounded members of armed forces was signed in 1864. Source: Wikipedia
Military Law In our world, every thing has an order. War, too, has its own rules. Military Law is part of International Law. It regulates the conditions for starting a war (jus ad bellum) and the behavior of the warring parties (jus in bello).
Modern Military Law, which is stated in the Geneva Convention of 1949, includes, for example, a ban on attacking doctors, ambulances or hospital ships of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, Magen David Adom, The Red Crystal, or other institutions related to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
Among other issues, modern Military Law deals with:
- declaring war
- acceptance of surrender
- treatment of prisoners of war
- military necessity, along with distinction and proportionality, which governs the legal use of force
- ban on the use of certain weapons
Military Law is binding not only on states but also on individuals - especially members of armed forces. For example, they are obliged to make every effort to prevent damage to civilians and the property of those not participating in fighting.
Persons who have committed or ordered any violation of Military Law (especially atrocities) during a conflict are individually responsible for war crimes. These violations are then reviewed and a verdict is proclaimed after a trial.
USAF C-123 Provider spraying Agent Orange on Vietnam forests. Source: Wikipedia
Consequences of War Wars or any other form of armed conflict leave traces that can be divided according to the areas they affect. They are as follows:
- Economic - these can manifest themselves immediately in parallel with the course of the war, but also in addition, in the form of destroyed factories and other facilities. The labor force is affected in a multitude of ways, most often due to the drastic loss of life, change in population, gender imbalance (more men die in conflicts), the labor force size shrinking, due to the movement of refugees and the displacement and destruction of infrastructure, which in turn allows for a deterioration of productivity. Loss of safe transportation routes make it impossible for the economy to function properly.
- Social - forced displacement or migration of people fleeing war plays a major role. Destruction of schools and the educational infrastructure lead to a decline in education in many countries affected by war. During conflicts, individual countries suffer from looting and lose precious cultural heritage and property. Last but not least, the environment also suffers greatly. Just remember, for example, the Vietnam War and the toxic defoliant Agent Orange.
- Political - war may become a tool that determines the direction of political development in a country, in a positive, but also a negative direction.
Gold bars. Source: Pixabay
Cost of War Since ancient times, defense and war expenditures have been around 50 % of city or national budgets, even in peace time. This funding strategy lasted until the 20th century. In any case, a modern army with modern armaments is a very expensive undertaking. According to the Costs of Major U.S. Wars, expenditure on conflicts for the US was as follows (amounts are converted to the value of the dollar in 2011):
- Civil War: Union - 59 631 million
- Civil War: Confederacy - 20 111 million
- World War I - 334 billion
- World War II - 4 104 billion
- Korea - 341 billion
- Vietnam - 738 billion
Military graves. Source: Pixabay
And what is the highest price? All destroyed property can be restored, roads and buildings rebuilt, but human life cannot be restored. War does not involve dead soldiers and civilians - real people die in a war, people who are someone's parents, spouses, children… Although many oppose this idea, in fact war has no winners, it only has losers…
Lost lives during armed conflicts (the number of victims is the average of the lowest and highest estimates):
- World War II (1939 - 1945) - 77 136 243
- Mongol conquests (1206 - 1405) - 34 641 016
- European colonization of the Americas (1492 - 1691) - 34 047 026
- World War I (1914 - 1918) - 18 165 902
- Russian Civil War (1917 - 1921) - 6 708 204
- Korean War (1950 - 1953) - 2 598 076
- Vietnam War (1955 - 1975) - 2 383 000
Actual people die in conflicts - someone's parents, spouses, children.
Death, injury, sexual violence, malnutrition, illness, and disabilities, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety are just some of some of the physical and emotional consequences of war.
War results in social and economic uncertainty to lives War primarily results in loss of life, property and social security. Along with the destruction of cities and the infrastructure, war also has long-term effects on countries‘ economies.
- Economic impacts The first effects of an economic nature will occur almost immediately after the outbreak of a conflict. Others come additionally as a result of the damage that hampers the economy. This may be damage to infrastructure in the form of destroyed factories, roads, bridges, as well as services, education and the healthcare system. At the same time, there is a shortage of manpower due to the loss of life and the outflow of people fleeing war.
However, military conflicts do not only affect the economies of the warring parties. Neighboring countries are negatively affected by the influx of migrants, and this significantly increases the expenditure side of a country’s budget.
After the end of war, there is another burden on the economy of the losing state, known as war reparations. These are damages paid by the losing party (parties) to the winning party (parties) as compensation. Reparations can take a financial as well as a material form. Their type and fulfillment will be established by a Peace Treaty.
Did you know that… in Germany during the Thirty Years' War, the Swedish armies destroyed up to 2 000 castles, 18 000 villages and 1 500 towns, one-third of all German towns, and the population of the German states was reduced by about 30 %?
- Social impacts These start almost immediately after the outbreak of conflict. Displacement or migration of people seeking security in safer parts of their country or in neighboring countries plays a major role here. There is also a great restriction on movement, which is due, for example, to the announcement of a curfew or the general need to reduce the risk of injury. In any case, war is accompanied by secondary mortality from diseases and epidemics.
Did you know that… during Napoleon's retreat from Moscow, more French soldiers died of typhus than were killed by the Russians?
War is usually followed by a time of economic crisis, accompanied by poverty, which goes hand in hand with a lack of quality education. During a war, for example, artists and writers leave the country, i.e. educated people who could normally raise the country's cultural level.
Consequently, the gender imbalance is more visible. This is also due to the fact that it is men who usually fight and die in a war. This imbalance is then reflected in a slower restoration and renewal of the infrastructure.
During conflicts, individual countries are not immune to the destruction of cultural monuments or targeted looting. The country thus loses its cultural heritage and property.
Did you know that... between 1500 and 1914, more soldiers were killed by typhus than died in all military conflicts combined during that time?
- Political impacts War may be seen as a political tool. After the end of conflict, there is an opportunity to change the ruling regime and to set out a new direction for political development in a country. For example, in civil wars, there is often a struggle to overthrow a dictator and to establish a democratic government.
There are many things we can do to take a stand against war.
People fear war, but have no idea how to stop conflicts. It may seem that individuals cannot do much. There are international humanitarian efforts, government programs, resolutions, conventions, campaigns, and interventions by various local and international NGOs and UN agencies in place, to address various issues of military conflict. However, there are many ways to contribute to peace.
“You can't solve a problem on the same level that it was created. You have to rise above it to the next level.” Albert Einstein
Prof. Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was a lifelong pacifist. In 1921 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his contribution to Theoretical Physics. The Albert Einstein Peace Prize has been awarded annually since 1980 by the Albert Einstein Peace Prize Foundation.
Words are powerful. Speeches of politicians start conflicts. Communication can end them again. So, communicate the benefits of peace. Your message must be clear, so that others know what you are doing, get interested and involved in your cause.
What can each of us do to make a difference?
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Educate yourself to convince others Make sure you fully understand the issues of war. Read the news, stay up to date, research the historical backgrounds. Then you will be self-confident and know what you are speaking about, and others will accept you as a reliable source of information.
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Use social media to spread awareness Use social media to your advantage. Create a group, invite your friends, educate your community about your peace efforts. If you are serious about ending war, you need to help others to believe in this outcome too.
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But do not succumb to extremist views Do not add to violence and hatred, on either side. Problems must be resolved by setting an example, collaboration, joint pressure. Committing new crimes will only create new vicious circles.
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Do not expose yourself to disinformation There are many unreliable sources of information which a warring side might disseminate. Ignore such sites, preserve a clear mind, make sure you only learn facts that are true.
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Find like-minded people Start an anti-war movement in your area, school or workplace. Recruit other people who believe that peace is possible. Organize meetings at a local restaurant. Make connections and find other pacifist groups in your area to join forces with them.
Anti-war demonstrations show commitment of people to live in peace. Source: Unsplash
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Participate in non-violent protests Show the public how strong your commitment is, inspire others to take action against war. In the park, on the street, attract others’ attention. Make signboards, tell people about your beliefs, engage them in communication.
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Sign an anti-war petition There are many petitions online that people can sign electronically. Or you can create a new one, and share it with friends, family and others, e.g. on social media, to collect as many signatures as possible.
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Contact politicians to voice your concerns Express your opinion and share it with your political representative. Engage your friends to join you and send their own messages demanding peace.
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Vote for politicians who are against war Elect the anti-war candidate, and encourage your friends to do so also. You can also support your candidate by donating money or volunteering your time.
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Support people and institutions financially who are working to end war Donate to campaigns, support refugee camps, volunteer your time, or assist in another way. These contributions will assist victims of military conflicts. Raise money for your cause. Spread the word to amplify your reach.
“I don’t know what will be used in the next world war, but the 4th will be fought with stones.” Albert Einstein
