War And The Global System
(immagine tratta da http://asoldiersblog.blogspot.com)
The word war is generally so unpleasant and so frightening in the face of those who know it’s effects and consequences. From a global perspective, a war could simply be defined as: fighting between two or more countries, that involves the use of armed forces and usually continuous for a long period of time. Experienced has showed that, the effects of wars are bitterly felt even after the war had long ended. Till date, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan are still facing the effects of the Second World War. A good case study is the recent Middle East war between the US, its allies and IRAQ. We cannot pretend to say the war ended successfully, for the repercussions are being felt now with a lot of terrorism everywhere in the world, suicide bombers with wanton destructions of lives and properties, etc. All these said so far, war could simply be summarized as “the absence of peace”, and therefore has to contribute on the global system. Whether or not wars contribute negatively or positively on the global system will be examined herein below.
The world today reflects the sum total of its activities. It is all the activities in their parts, reflected by various nations that define the stability of the global system. Therefore, how peaceful and successful the global system is, will be a function of how productive are it’s integral parts. In this regards, if one part of the world is at war, be it “civil” i.e. fighting between opposing groups within one country like the civil war in Sierra Leone which lasted for about 10 years; the entire system is affected. This is more so because, as a global system, there are therefore global norms and laws that governs all. Taking the war in Iraq as our case study, we discover that her former leader Sadam H. waged a “warfare” with the neighboring countries and has always been a threat to the entire Middle East, causing him to become a “warlord.” Thousand and thousand of people were killed, some disabled for life, others made homeless, some made orphans etc -bad indeed. Today, the war is still going on in a different form while Sadam and his Cohorts are being charged for “war crimes” -Crimes of killing or harming people during a war for reasons that are not allowed by International Laws about wars.
On the economic front, we would equally notice that wars also have adverse economic effects on the global system. Infrastructurally, in the case of Iraq, major roads that can cost millions of Dollars and which took years to be conceived and developed within one day became rubbish. Magnificent buildings etc that could equally cost millions of Dollars were transformed into ashes. May be in the history of this beautiful nation, there will never live to be some of these structures again. Other historic artifacts, things that were left for posterity and could only be seen in special museums, were destroyed, thus breaking the link between the past, the present and the future. As such, there will always be a missing link in the new generations to come. The natural scenery is often affected to a greater or lesser extent. e.g. Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, today has been rendered barren due to the effects of the atomic bombs that were dropped there. And even plants and animals there still suffer from mutations.
As a result of all these, hunger, starvation, malnutrition etc will be the order of the day. There will equally be general increase in commodities, goods and services. At this stage, only International relieve can remedy such situations, like it is being done in Iraq (Oil for food program) and other war-torn areas around the world. Foreign and even local investors will get frightened because of the instability to invest. Equally during such periods, there are massive exodus of people from the affected country to a more stable one for refuge, bringing untold hardship and other vices to bear. All these put together, one will be right to say wars have effects on the global system.
Another good example here will be the first and second world wars, which was aroused by a few countries but later spread all over the world. Even those countries that were not directly involved, sent back-up troops to a side of interest. There was equally wanton destruction of lives and properties, massive displacements of people, which till date some families, have never been reunited with relatives’ friends and loved ones. Some have been rendered permanently handicapped. The entire world still continues to feel the effects till date either directly or indirectly, with some compensation here and there amongst the stakeholders. Despite this, the traces and effects of such wars can never be wiped out; leaving unpleasant memories to individual nations and the affected citizens. How then can we expect true peace in the global system?
The Russian writer LEO Tolstoy in his book “War and Peace”, which is considered as one of the greatest works of European Literature and also the longest, wrote about five families during the times of the Napoleonic wars.
It was all a picture of suffering, misery, hatred, fright, abandonment and all the vices associated with wars. As such, human rights abuses are inevitable, leading to war crimes, punishable by International Laws. How therefore can the global system be stable when the International system has been defiled?
Having looked detailly at wars and some of its adverse effects on the International Community and the global system in general, let us at this stager settle down and see how wars have affected the global system positively.
Wars have checked so many world dictators and war-lords to minimize excesses in their authorities e.g. Adolf Hitler, Napoleon Bonaparte, etc This is because these leader are aware an attack on one nation may arouse attack from other sympathizing nations, thus affecting the global system.
The United Nations Organization is a birth child of the Second World War. According to this organization, an attack of one nation is an attack on all nations. This assertion has greatly put extremis to check. We therefore find that weaker nations are protected. A positive feedback on the global system.Coming back to our case study of Iraq, we discover that if not of America and its allied waged-war against Iraq, Sadam could not have been overthrown and captured, and the people of Iraq would still have been suffering from execution, usurpation and other degrading inhuman treatment from Sadam today. The Gulf region in particular and the world at large would have been leaving under threat of attack, rendering the global system unstable both politically, socially, economically and otherwise. Because of wars, several International treaties have been signed between nations, etc that has come to bring lasting peace. Humanitarian Law have also been made which now protects citizens, nations, lands, properties etc; which affects the global system positively. From the above discussion so far, wars and the global system are functionally very related. Wars affect the global system both politically, socio culturally and economically. If one were to be judgemental based on the positive and negative changes brought about by wars on the global system, we would be right enough to conclude that no matter what, wars have an adverse effect on the global system. The indiscriminate destruction of lives and properties cannot be compromised for any reason. If the US and its allies are claiming victory over Iraq, they should first of all think of those children that have been left without parents, those parents that have been left without children, those they have made permanently disabled by loosing their limbs, sight, impede hearing, paralyzed etc, the homeless, those suffering from starvation and worst still the rising terrorist attacks we face around the world, putting to question the stability and functioning of the global system.
Personally, I think if the following proposals are taken into consideration wars will be limited and the global system will be more functional and stable.
The world today reflects the sum total of its activities. It is all the activities in their parts, reflected by various nations that define the stability of the global system. Therefore, how peaceful and successful the global system is, will be a function of how productive are it’s integral parts. In this regards, if one part of the world is at war, be it “civil” i.e. fighting between opposing groups within one country like the civil war in Sierra Leone which lasted for about 10 years; the entire system is affected. This is more so because, as a global system, there are therefore global norms and laws that governs all. Taking the war in Iraq as our case study, we discover that her former leader Sadam H. waged a “warfare” with the neighboring countries and has always been a threat to the entire Middle East, causing him to become a “warlord.” Thousand and thousand of people were killed, some disabled for life, others made homeless, some made orphans etc -bad indeed. Today, the war is still going on in a different form while Sadam and his Cohorts are being charged for “war crimes” -Crimes of killing or harming people during a war for reasons that are not allowed by International Laws about wars.
On the economic front, we would equally notice that wars also have adverse economic effects on the global system. Infrastructurally, in the case of Iraq, major roads that can cost millions of Dollars and which took years to be conceived and developed within one day became rubbish. Magnificent buildings etc that could equally cost millions of Dollars were transformed into ashes. May be in the history of this beautiful nation, there will never live to be some of these structures again. Other historic artifacts, things that were left for posterity and could only be seen in special museums, were destroyed, thus breaking the link between the past, the present and the future. As such, there will always be a missing link in the new generations to come. The natural scenery is often affected to a greater or lesser extent. e.g. Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, today has been rendered barren due to the effects of the atomic bombs that were dropped there. And even plants and animals there still suffer from mutations.
As a result of all these, hunger, starvation, malnutrition etc will be the order of the day. There will equally be general increase in commodities, goods and services. At this stage, only International relieve can remedy such situations, like it is being done in Iraq (Oil for food program) and other war-torn areas around the world. Foreign and even local investors will get frightened because of the instability to invest. Equally during such periods, there are massive exodus of people from the affected country to a more stable one for refuge, bringing untold hardship and other vices to bear. All these put together, one will be right to say wars have effects on the global system.
Another good example here will be the first and second world wars, which was aroused by a few countries but later spread all over the world. Even those countries that were not directly involved, sent back-up troops to a side of interest. There was equally wanton destruction of lives and properties, massive displacements of people, which till date some families, have never been reunited with relatives’ friends and loved ones. Some have been rendered permanently handicapped. The entire world still continues to feel the effects till date either directly or indirectly, with some compensation here and there amongst the stakeholders. Despite this, the traces and effects of such wars can never be wiped out; leaving unpleasant memories to individual nations and the affected citizens. How then can we expect true peace in the global system?
The Russian writer LEO Tolstoy in his book “War and Peace”, which is considered as one of the greatest works of European Literature and also the longest, wrote about five families during the times of the Napoleonic wars.
It was all a picture of suffering, misery, hatred, fright, abandonment and all the vices associated with wars. As such, human rights abuses are inevitable, leading to war crimes, punishable by International Laws. How therefore can the global system be stable when the International system has been defiled?
Having looked detailly at wars and some of its adverse effects on the International Community and the global system in general, let us at this stager settle down and see how wars have affected the global system positively.
Wars have checked so many world dictators and war-lords to minimize excesses in their authorities e.g. Adolf Hitler, Napoleon Bonaparte, etc This is because these leader are aware an attack on one nation may arouse attack from other sympathizing nations, thus affecting the global system.
The United Nations Organization is a birth child of the Second World War. According to this organization, an attack of one nation is an attack on all nations. This assertion has greatly put extremis to check. We therefore find that weaker nations are protected. A positive feedback on the global system.Coming back to our case study of Iraq, we discover that if not of America and its allied waged-war against Iraq, Sadam could not have been overthrown and captured, and the people of Iraq would still have been suffering from execution, usurpation and other degrading inhuman treatment from Sadam today. The Gulf region in particular and the world at large would have been leaving under threat of attack, rendering the global system unstable both politically, socially, economically and otherwise. Because of wars, several International treaties have been signed between nations, etc that has come to bring lasting peace. Humanitarian Law have also been made which now protects citizens, nations, lands, properties etc; which affects the global system positively. From the above discussion so far, wars and the global system are functionally very related. Wars affect the global system both politically, socio culturally and economically. If one were to be judgemental based on the positive and negative changes brought about by wars on the global system, we would be right enough to conclude that no matter what, wars have an adverse effect on the global system. The indiscriminate destruction of lives and properties cannot be compromised for any reason. If the US and its allies are claiming victory over Iraq, they should first of all think of those children that have been left without parents, those parents that have been left without children, those they have made permanently disabled by loosing their limbs, sight, impede hearing, paralyzed etc, the homeless, those suffering from starvation and worst still the rising terrorist attacks we face around the world, putting to question the stability and functioning of the global system.
Personally, I think if the following proposals are taken into consideration wars will be limited and the global system will be more functional and stable.
1. The International Community represented by regional organizations like the African Union, European Union etc should intervene in areas of conflict in its prime stage before it blows out of proportion.
2. The United Nations under the leadership of the US should be more diplomatic in handling sensitive issues like conflicts.
3. The responds to issues that are a threat to global peace should be very prompt and timely. Not when the situation most have gone out of proportion.Like the case in Rwanda and Burundi.
4. No single nation should enjoy veto rights or show dominance in any International Organization, like the case of US in the United Nations Organization.
5. Nations should be very cooperative in terms of decision-making.
6. Nations should respect the sovereignty and integrity of others e.g. the US imposed decisions on others nations.
7. All state parties being a signatory to any International Laws and treaties or Conventions should respect the terms of the signatories.
2. The United Nations under the leadership of the US should be more diplomatic in handling sensitive issues like conflicts.
3. The responds to issues that are a threat to global peace should be very prompt and timely. Not when the situation most have gone out of proportion.Like the case in Rwanda and Burundi.
4. No single nation should enjoy veto rights or show dominance in any International Organization, like the case of US in the United Nations Organization.
5. Nations should be very cooperative in terms of decision-making.
6. Nations should respect the sovereignty and integrity of others e.g. the US imposed decisions on others nations.
7. All state parties being a signatory to any International Laws and treaties or Conventions should respect the terms of the signatories.
