Articles

Articles.
//**__Possitive Effects of War.__**//

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 * WW2**

The economic depression that took place in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s devastated the U.S. economy. A drastic decline in domestic and international capital investment, combined with a disparity between the U.S.’s productive capacity and its peoples’ inability to consume, led to the collapse of the U.S.’s economic regime, the industrial sector being hit hardest. As president of the U.S., Franklin Roosevelt, elected in 1932, proposed the “New Deal”. His plan called forth the introduction of various social and economic reforms that would constitute a socioeconomic progression in the U.S. The most notable of the new administration’s actions, however, was the adoption of a fiscal policy that would moderately inflate the currency value in the U.S. This would initiate an upward trend in commodity prices and afford some relief to the debtors that had been most affected by the collapse of the economy. Roosevelt’s reforms were successful to a certain extent, but did not completely mend the U.S.’s hurt economy ([]). The prosperity of the U.S. economy that was a result of World War II is significant because of the economical juxtaposition between the depression years and the wartime years. Roosevelt’s New Deal set the stage for further economical progression that took place during and after World War II.

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 * Vietnam War**

Vietnam War Effects The Vietnam War was a very costly war. It not only affected those in battles, but it also left behind long term effects on people everywhere in the world. It was an extremely costly war with over 58,000 Americans dead and over 150,000 wounded in battle. Many Americans were affected by the war for so many had died and many more were wounded. North Vietnam was victorious over South Vietnam and allied forces. The Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975 marked the end of a very bloody war. The Vietnam War had many long lasting effects on the veterans who fought for America from the 1950s to the 1970s. Some veterans from Vietnam even formed groups against the war. These veterans formed an organization known as Vietnam Veterans Against the War. The organization had a purpose, “It was organized to voice the growing opposition among returning servicemen and women to the still-raging war in Indochina, and grew rapidly to a membership of over 30,000 throughout the United States as well as active duty GIs stationed in Vietnam. Through ongoing actions and grassroots organization, VVAW exposed the ugly truth about US involvement in Southeast Asia and our first-hand experiences helped many other Americans to see the unjust nature of that war.” ([]). These organizations formed due to the large number of cases of post-traumatic stress disorder found among veterans of Vietnam. A chemical used by the United States, Agent Orange, also had adverse effects on veterans. One government release states, “Approximately 20 million gallons of herbicides were used in Vietnam between 1962 and 1971 to remove unwanted plant life and leaves which otherwise provided cover for enemy forces during the Vietnam Conflict. Shortly following their military service in Vietnam, some veterans reported a variety of health problems and concerns which some of them attributed to exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides.” ([]). Many veterans came home to America only to find out that they will live the remainder of their life with the fear of developing a disease. The Vietnam War affected these veterans in a very negative way. Many veterans also suffered from negative stereotypes of Vietnam veterans following the Vietnam War. It is stated, “There are persistent stereotypes about Vietnam veterans as psychologically devastated, bitter, homeless, drug-addicted people who had a hard time readjusting to society, primarily due to the uniquely divisive nature of the Vietnam War in the context of U.S. History.” ([]). The veterans of Vietnam defended our country just as the veterans of all previous wars, except for the Confederates in the American Civil War, and they deserved the same treatment as any other yet they did not receive that treatment. It has only been in more recent years that Vietnam veterans have begun to receive the recognition that they deserve, even though some people lie to gain this attention as well. In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated to the veterans of Vietnam. “The Vietnam Veterans Memorial serves as a testament to the sacrifice of American military personnel during one of this nation's least popular wars. The memorial consists of three distinct sections. "the wall", the three service men statue and flagpole and the women in service to the vietnam war statue. The purpose of this memorial is to separate the issue of the sacrifices of the veterans from the U.S. policy in the war, thereby creating a venue for reconciliation.” ([]). Seven years might not seem like long time following the war, but it was a long time in which the 58,000 soldiers were not recognized for their valiant deeds defending the rights of the South Vietnamese in Vietnam. Due to the Vietnam War an issue with narcotics also developed. One form of narcotics causing a large amount of trouble was heroin. It is said that, “The indisputable fact was that by late 1970 heroin use was emerging as a major health issue among U.S. servicemen, with some medics reporting that as many as 10% of GIs in some units were regular heroin users by the end of 1970. The penetration of cheap drugs into U.S. military in Vietnam also led to a rapid increase in drug importation into Australia, thanks in part to the thriving Rest and Recreation circuit, with some U.S. personnel sent to Sydney on R&R leave being used as drug "mules". Demand among ex U.S. personnel who returned to the states created increased heroin demand in the U.S.” ([]) This of course was not a good thing and introduced a new drug into America which has now caused even more problems due to the sharing of syringes. The Vietnam War also had dramatic effects on the people living in Vietnam, South Vietnam in particular. With North Vietnam the victor, South Vietnam was forced to submit to the communist rule of the North. “The new government promptly sent people connected to the South Vietnam regime to concentration camps for "reeducation", often for years at a time. Others were sent to so-called "new economic zones" to develop the undeveloped land. Furthermore, the victorious Communist government implemented land reforms in the south similar to those implemented in North Vietnam earlier. Persecution and poverty prompted an additional two million people to flee Vietnam as boat people over the 20 years following unification.” ([]). In this way not only did the people of Vietnam suffer the most casualties, but if they lived in South Vietnam following the war they suffered for they had favored freedom over oppression. The use of chemical weapons in Vietnam also affected the local population a great deal. One very harmful chemical was Agent Orange, “Today more than one million people suffer from serious diseases, including different types of cancer and disabilities, as a result of the spreading of defoliants and herbicides, and in particular AGENT ORANGE, which contained large amounts of DIOXIN. 200 000 children are now the third generation of victims suffering from malformations and severe defects of the immune and the nervous system.” ([]). Even thirty years after the end of the war, children in Vietnam are still affected by the chemical operations carried out by the United States in order to destroy vegetation giving cover to the North Vietnamese Army. The Vietnam War is still today well known mainly due to the fact that it has affected so very many people throughout the years. Had it not been for the controversy surrounding the war it would probably not be as well remembered as it is now. It could have ended up like the Korean War, forgotten due to larger wars taking place soon after.

Works Cited

“VVAW:Where We Came From, Who We Are.”[]. “Agent Orange.”[]. “Vietnam Veteran.” Wikipedia. []. “Vietnam Veterans Memorial.” []. “Vietnam War.” Wikipedia. []. “Timeline.” Available [].


 * Korean War**

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The Korean War was able to bring diverse effects to not only Korea but the World. The Korean War was one of the most destructive and brought economic and social damage to Korea. However, the Korean War was able to boost the economy of both Japan and the US. The Korean War also legitimized the United Nations and led to further expansion of military power. The Korean War also showed the growing anti-communist feeling across the US. The Korean War brought both positive and negative effects to the world. The Korean War brought many negative effects to Korea. “The Korean War was one of the most destructive of the 20th century. Perhaps as many as 4 million Koreans died throughout the peninsula, two-thirds of them civilians. This compares, for example, with the 2.3 million Japanese who died in WWII. China lost up to 1 million soldiers, and the US suffered 36,934 dead and 103,284 wounded. Other UN nations suffered 3322 dead and 11,949 wounded.” ([] 6559607__0/Korean_War.html) The Korean War also brought social damage to Korea, “especially in the North, where three years of bombing left hardly a modern building standing.”([]) The war also reinforced the boundaries between the North and the South. North Korea remained a communist nation and South Korea became a free republic. This social difference still brings conflict even today. Although the Korean War had negative effects on Korea, it did however boost the economy of Japan,” The war had a lasting consequence beyond Korea. Much of the material used in the war was bought from nearby Japan. This gave Japanese economy such an dynamic boot after the ravages of WWII that some have called the Korean War, Japan’s Marshal Plan, a reference to the US economic aid program that helped rebuild post-war Europe. The Korean War had similar effects on the American economy, as defense spending nearly quadrupled in the last six months of 1950.”([] _War.html) The Korean War although devastating to Korea was able to bring a new beginning to the Japanese with a better economy. The Korean War was able to give the Japanese the success that WWII gave the US after the depression. Besides world economic success and social devastation the Korean War was also able to legitimize the United Nations as well as bring larger military expansion to the world. “It confirmed the ideas behind NSC-68, with its call for US to expand its military and to lead an anticommunist alliance. (Goldfield, pg 870) The Korean War also, “responsible for establishing America’s chain of military bases around the world and its enormous defense and intelligence system at home.” ([]) The Korean War was able to reinforce the idea of a more prominent military system and the importance of the United Nations. The Korean War had both positive and negative effects. The Korean War was able to boost the economy of the Japanese government and revive their economy similarly to the way ours was during WWII. The Korean War, however, was very destructive to Korea. Both North and South Korea had much causality but they both were stretched economically. With the end of the Korean War it left Korea still split and still with a communist government to deal with even through today. The Korean War also legitimized the United Nations as well as brought more military power throughout the world. The effects of the Korean War can without a doubt still be seen throughout the world today.

[] We. Must. Get. Out. Of. Iraq. There are too many reasons now why Bush’s stupid war needs to be ended yesterday. Add this one to the pile… As would be expected, Iraqi children living in Jordanian camps report witnessing gruesome events related to the war. These sorts of trauma leave indelible marks on children’s social and emotional development. According to a World Vision report Trapped! The Disappearing Hopes of Iraqi Refugee Children, “43 per cent of children surveyed in Amman, Jordan witnessed violence in Iraq, and 39 per cent said they lost someone close through violence.” I can’t imagine how it would be to grow up in a war zone or have to flee your home for a refugee camp. Even as refugees, the children do not feel safe. Electronic Iraq reports, “‘These children have been kidnapped and held for ransom, witnessed brutal home invasions, suicide bombings and murders. Now refugee life offers them little option but to go to work as child laborers, exposing them to the threat of deportation,’ said Ashley Clements, author of the report. Understandably, 25 per cent of the Iraqi refugee children World Vision surveyed did not feel safe in their Jordanian homes. This is a combination of past experiences, lack of refugee status, which leaves the entire family unsure, and the absence of healthy routines like going to school, the report says.” Source: Planetsave ([])
 * Negative Effects of War**
 * Iraq**


 * Mental and Physical Health**

Among the consequences of war, the impact on the mental health of the civilian population is one of the most significant. Studies of the general population show a definite increase in the incidence and prevalence of mental disorders. Women are more affected than men. Other vulnerable groups are children, the elderly and the disabled. Prevalence rates are associated with the degree of trauma, and the availability of physical and emotional support. The use of cultural and religious coping strategies is frequent in developing countries.

The year 2005 is significant in understanding the relationship between war and mental health. This is the 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war and of the start of the war in Lebanon. Every day the media bring the horrors of the ongoing "war" situation in Iraq. Some recent quotations from the media depict the impact of war on mental health: "We are living in a state of constant fear" (in Iraq); "War takes a toll on Iraqi mental health"; "War trauma leaves physical mark"; "War is hell... it has an impact on the people who take part that never heals"; "War is terrible and beyond the understanding and experience of most people"; "A generation has grown up knowing only war". Wars have had an important part in psychiatric history in a number of ways. It was the psychological impact of the world wars in the form of shell shock that supported the effectiveness of psychological interventions during the first half of the 20th century. It was the recognition of a proportion of the population not suitable for army recruitment during the Second World War that spurred the setting up of the National Institute of Mental Health in USA. The differences in the presentation of the psychological symptoms among the officers and the soldiers opened up new ways of understanding the psychiatric reactions to stress. During the last year, a large number of books and documents have addressed the effects of war on mental health. They include the WPA book "Disasters and mental health" (1); the World Bank report "Mental health and conflicts - Conceptual framework and approaches" (2); the United Nations (UN) book "Trauma interventions in war and peace: prevention, practice and policy" (3); the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) document "The state of the world's children - Childhood under threat" (4); the book "Trauma and the role of mental health in postconflict recovery" (5) and a chapter on "War and mental health in Africa" in the WPA book "Essentials of clinical psychiatry for sub-Saharan Africa" (6). Though there have not been any world wars since the Second World War, there have been wars and conflicts throughout the last 60 years. For example, in the 22 countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region of the World Health Organization (WHO), over 80% of the population either is in a conflict situation or has experienced such a situation in the last quarter of century (7). War has a catastrophic effect on the health and well being of nations. Studies have shown that conflict situations cause more mortality and disability than any major disease. War destroys communities and families and often disrupts the development of the social and economic fabric of nations. The effects of war include long-term physical and psychological harm to children and adults, as well as reduction in material and human capital. Death as a result of wars is simply the "tip of the iceberg". Other consequences, besides death, are not well documented. They include endemic poverty, malnutrition, disability, economic/ social decline and psychosocial illness, to mention only a few. Only through a greater understanding of conflicts and the myriad of mental health problems that arise from them, coherent and effective strategies for dealing with such problems can be developed. The importance that the WHO attributes to dealing with the psychological traumas of war was highlighted by the resolution of the World Health Assembly in May 2005, which urged member states "to strengthen action to protect children from and in armed conflict" and the resolution of the WHO Executive Board in January 2005, which urged "support for implementation of programmes to repair the psychological damage of war, conflict and natural disasters" (8). The WHO estimated that, in the situations of armed conflicts throughout the world, "10% of the people who experience traumatic events will have serious mental health problems and another 10% will develop behavior that will hinder their ability to function effectively. The most common conditions are depression, anxiety and psychosomatic problems such as insomnia, or back and stomach aches" (9). This paper briefly reviews the evidence from published literature about the impact of war on the mental health of the general population, the refugees, the soldiers and specific vulnerable groups. For the purpose of this paper, the term "war" is used to include both wars waged between countries (e.g., the Iraq-Kuwait war) and conflicts within countries (e.g., Sri Lanka). The review presents data concerning some major wars/conflicts (the countries involved are considered in alphabetic order) and then briefly outlines the risk factors emerging from the literature.


 * Afghanistang**

More than two decades of conflict have led to widespread human suffering and population displacement in Afghanistan. Two studies from this country are significant in terms of both their scope and their findings. The first study (10) used a national multistage, cluster, population based survey including 799 adult household members aged 15 years and above. Sixty-two percent of respondents reported experiencing at least four trauma events during the previous ten years. Symptoms of depression were found in 67.7% of respondents, symptoms of anxiety in 72.2%, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 42%. The disabled and women had a poorer mental health status, and there was a significant relationship between the mental health status and traumatic events. Coping strategies included religious and spiritual practices. The second study (11), using a crosssectional multicluster sample, was conducted in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, to estimate the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms, identify resources used for emotional support and risk factors, and assess the present coverage of basic needs. About 1011 respondents aged 15 years and above formed the sample. Nearly half of the population had experienced traumatic events. Symptoms of depression were observed in 38.5% of respondents, symptoms of anxiety in 51.8% and PTSD in 20.4%. High rates of symptoms were associated with higher numbers of traumatic events experienced. Women had higher rates than men. The main sources of emotional support were religion and family.

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 * War and The Enviroment**

IMAGES OF DEVASTATED battlefields are all too familiar. A German officer in 1918 described ‘dumb, black stumps of shattered trees which still stick up where there used to be villages. Flayed by splinters of bursting shells, they stand like corpses upright. Not a blade of grass anywhere. Just miles of flat, empty, broken and tumbled stone.’ The ploughs in Flanders fields still turn up human bones every year. But twentieth century technology, busily applied to the practice of war, has ensured a more lethal harvest. For example, landmines: planted in millions in war-torn countries across the world, killing and maiming long after wars are over, and denying agricultural use of the land in which they lurk. A Khmer Rouge general called them ‘the perfect soldier’: cheap, efficient, expendable, never hungry, never needing sleep. But eighty percent of landmine victims are civilians, not soldiers; and nearly a quarter of those are children. Clearing mines is laborious, dangerous, and 30 times the cost of the weapon itself. So is clearing unexploded ordnance of all kinds (including worldwide munitions dumps which leak toxic wastes). The most severe UXO contamination in the world is in Laos. Bomb disposal teams have no records to work from. ‘It was America’s secret war and we can’t get the information,’ says a team leader. ‘All you can do is teach people to live with the bomb.’ But it’s the testing and manufacture of the nuclear bomb which has been responsible for some of the most profound and persistent environmental damage to life on earth. “The complex mixture of contaminants found on many military sites is dynamically moving through the environment,’ says a medical expert. Radiation problems affect people near nuclear plants in every country that has them. Repair and maintenance of many installations and equipment are dangerously inadequate. Nuclear waste is a global problem that won’t go away, threatening environmental disaster on a vast scale: its poison, and toxic chemicals which accompany all weapon production, have travelled round the globe in the atmosphere and ocean currents; as well as water and air, they harm earth, plants that grow in it, and subsistent livestock and wildlife. Human exposure to nuclear and chemical tests and factories, or via the food chain, results in miscarriages, malformed foetuses, high infant mortality and congenital disorders, leukaemia and other cancers, tumours, thyroid disorders, and complex debilitating and life-shortening syndromes. The number of reports of such harmful effects on health, habitat and culture – always at risk in war – continues to grow.