Introduction
This research paper is critical analysis of war on terror. The paper mainly reflects on some of the pros and cons of war on terrorism and its effect on humanity and human rights. In an analysis of the players involved in the war, the paper takes a side through analysis of areas of disagreements.
War on terrorism is a government plan for the reason of protecting it citizens as well as ensuring safety of innocent citizens of other countries. However, recent wars against terrorists are emerging because of negative administrative assertions such as affirmations by government administration. The assertions catalyze the emergence of confrontation for instance the declaring to engage war as a peacekeeping mission.
Another example of such affirmations include the indications that some countries are in violation of policies for instance, war in Iraq stated because Iraq was in violation of some U.N. Security Councils’ Resolutions, mainly being in possession of weapons of mass destruction.
In most instances when dialogue seems not to workout, fight for peace is an issue that develops and catalyze war. Some governments especially from developed countries have resources capable of providing mysterious powers and are thus capable of engaging war to assure global protection. The unsuccessful endeavours to promote dialogue for peaceful solutions succumb to war threats and eventually lead to action against terrorism.
Governments react pro-actively and use most resources in its power to protect its citizens by fighting enemies such as terrorists. However, power of commands to declare war without solid reasons, proof and consultation is not morally justifiable. In most cases, war on possible terrorist threats causes negative effects on human lives by depriving those involved and the innocents within the territories the most essential needs and rights.
Effects on Solders in War
Many coalition soldiers involved on war against terrorism or possible nuclear attacks such as the U.S. war in Afghanistan and Iraq lost their lives in combat (Rai and Chomsky, p 141). According to Iraq coalition casualty count (p 1), more than 4,300 U.S. and 4,693 coalition solders died because of the Iraq war. One of the main reason why this research is against battle on terrorism and terms the government actions as unjustifiable is due to reason that there are huge effects on human rights.
This is mainly attributable to poor planning. A good example is the deaths of the great compatriots due to haste of administrators to go to war after dialogue fails. This cause of action deprives many families their special affiliates, some of whom are responsible for basic provisions including love. Other than fatalities, many casualties who were competent family providers end up depending on others in different ways due to physical, mental and psychological injuries from the war.
Such conditions increase pressure on health provisions due to lack of specialized facilities or medical provisions in most care centres especially among the involved developing countries. The effects not only affect the coalition governments in war, but also members of the attacked countries for instance, Iraq people recorded the greatest number of fatalities and casualties during the Iraq war (Keegan, p 31).
Cost of War
The second reason why this research takes a stand against the governments’ action to resolve issues through wars is due to the high dependence on large-scale humanitarian and reconstruction assistances after the war. Primarily, war involves a high compromise on human rights, which requires delivery of humanitarian support and prepositioning of crucial human needs (Sifry and Cerf, p 27).
Humanitarian crisis during war elevates further. Various organizations and agencies are able to provide aid through the oil for food programme before the war, but war engagements halts the undertakings thus causing loss of innocent human life especially children in the war-torn areas.
They succumb to poverty or malnutrition related deaths. People have right to basic needs such as food but war-torn areas causes massive suffering associable to lack of food especially among women and children. In line with Sifry and Cerf (p 27), war disrupts these non-governmental organizations plans for humanitarian assistance due to the uncertainty during and after the war.
Poverty is one of the main effects associable to human crisis. Basic needs such as medicines, shelter, hygiene facilities and food therefore remain a concession during war. There are fears over shortage on humanitarian assistance even among the affected. Casualty reports confirm the fears, as the numbers of reported victims are overwhelming (Iraq coalition casualty count, p 1).
Effects War on Tourism on Education and Healthcare
War often forces women and children to vacate their home and settle in displacement camps for safety. This remains a permanent scar to the society since children are not able to attend schools.
Regardless of some humanitarian assistance from neighbouring countries, there is often refusal to assist and allow refugees to enter and settle in their countries. During the Iraq war, there were massive movement of people mainly from Baghdad and other major cities before and after the war began but towards the end of the war, the movement started reducing due to restrictions (Chancellor Schroeder, p 3).
Governments in war torn area are responsible for the health facilities and education programmes. War affects provision of the amenities for displacement and refugee camps. War causes poor or lack of governance; this means that the affected country’s administration is not able to cater for it human needs. Innocent children end up suffering from something they rarely understand and furthermore war causes psychological suffering of the naive minds of the children who experience firsthand combat.
Effects on Humanity
Wars on terror since time in history have caused massive impact on various crucial infrastructures, hindering transportation of basic needs and services. During such confrontation, unruly mobs and looters continue to make it difficult for the movement of humanitarian aid.
Some of the main challenges include distribution of water, installation of sewerage systems and food shortages. Delivery of health service has also been a major challenge for instance shortage of supplies, staff and in some cases attacks on conveys or assisting organizations. Lack of resources and existence of compromised infrastructures therefore hinders provision of health services. In most of the affected areas, reports indicate that peacekeeping armies end up providing health services to civilians (Chancellor Schroeder, p 3).
Compromised security
Compromise on security is also a big challenge during and after the wars. Some of the humanitarian organizations put up bases in war zones areas to facilitate relief operations, but they are worried of security since protection by the involved parties may compromise the security of its staff. The insecurity is a total pervade to the human working environments. This causes low working morale, difficulties of finding trained or retrained workers and disrupted training or supervision.
Compromised security also affects the reconstruction and relief activities especially during or after the war for instance access to the war-torn areas, compromised cost of service delivery due to lowered security of relief personnel and weak coordination and communication among relief agents.
Compromised human rights
Lastly, denial of various human rights has been evident in majority of the countries or areas involved in wars. First, people in the affected zones have problems of accessing health services due to insecurity and financial segregation. Geographical differences also prohibit access.
The status compromises health care activities and as evident in war-hit areas, there is shift of care from the normal form of preventive to specialized curative form of care. This is a compromise on life since most of the available systems lack strong specialist to undertake curative care. War therefore adversely affects and compromises human health and life. There is reduction of the rural or community-based care, disrupted health surveillance and compromised public health programmes.
Poor or destruction of infrastructure compromises on humanity for instance destruction of health resources like clinics, referral systems, equipments and vehicles. Additionally, war affects the communication logistics. There is lack of food, drugs and equipments maintenance procedures. Conclusively, some of the adversely yet essential human health-sustenance infrastructures include sanitation, food security, water and power.
Conclusion
Restoration of peace and order appears to be a major priority before and after war. This is important especially when humanitarian needs are in consideration. Ability to overcome the main barriers to restoration of understanding, growth and provision of human needs mainly depend on infrastructure. Generally, governments fail to understand that there is need to avoid war at all costs due to these effects. War compromises various aspects that support humanity and human needs. It equally compromises a wide range of humanitarian rights.
Works Cited
Chancellor Schroeder. Remarks on anti-war Stance as Saddam Crumbles.
Mexico City: Agence France-Presse. 2003. Print
Iraq coalition casualty count. Operation Iraqi freedom. 2009. Web.
Keegan, John. The Iraq War: UK: Vintage Series publishers. 2005. Print
Rai, Milan. & Chomsky, Noam. War plan Iraq: ten reasons against war on Iraq. New York, NY: Verso Publishers. 2002. Print.
Sifry, Micah. & Cerf, Christopher. Iraq War Reader: History, Documents. New York, NY: OpinionsSimon & Schuster publishers. 2007. Print.