Introduction: Geographical- evaluating the conflict through social,
environmental, and economic perspective rather than political. Conflict –
Serious argument about something significant. Impact- An effect or influence
or something. Significant – Something that is very important. An example of a
recent conflict that I will be talking abt is the conflict between Iraq and USA
during 2003-2011. Iraq is located in the Middle east (western Asia). ‘FOR’
Social Impacts: Casualties- 290,000-315, 000.war resulted in a significant
loss of Iraqis’ and mass trauma and grief within the Iraqi Society.
Displacement and Refugee Crisis- mass displacement of Iraqis’. Many
people were forced to immigrate to escape the mass violence. This
displacement disrupted communities and separated families. Destruction of
infrastructure: war also caused a significant amount of damage to Iraq’s
infrastructure. These include schools, homes, hospitals, and other vital
services like water and electricity companies. This led to citizens having little
access to necessities like water, shelter and food. This also hindered
economic recovery. Environmental impacts: Pollution- During the war, they
also used oil fires resulting in pollutions. Many bombs that were used also
contributed to the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Fires were also
deliberately set to oil wells resulting in large scale air pollution and
permanent environmental damage. The burning of the oil wells led to toxic
pollutants being released into the air like sulphur dioxide leading to
respiratory problems and acid rain. Water Scarcity- This war worsened the
water scarcity for Iraq making it even more competitive to access limited
water resources. Rivers and lakes were all contaminated making it even
harder for people to access water. Crop Failure and Agriculture- There
was a huge famine due to crop failure because of contaminated soil.
Economic impacts: huge impact on economy Decline in oil production-
When the oil infrastructure in Iraq was damaged, it caused a significant loss
of revenue for the country. This put a strain on its finances since Iraq heavily
relies on oil exports for income. Unemployment- Many people were
unemployed especially in the agricultural industry, manufacturing. Inflation
and economic stability- Because of the many economic impacts the war
had on Iraq’s economy, this led to raised prices and less purchasing power.
For example, during the war inflation rates almost doubled which was not
good for the economy at all. Foreign debt- Even before the war, Iraq had a
ton of debt. The conflict made things worse for them. They couldn't invest in
important projects or provide essential services because of all that debt.
Global Help - Even though more than 100 billion USD was given to rebuild
Iraq, some parts of the country still struggle to get basic things. This caused a
lot of problems for the people there as lots were left in poor areas.
Organizations like the UN, European Union, and NATO helped to address the
conflict and gave support and donations. Other countries and groups also
gave money to help Iraq rebuild and grow. ‘AGAINST’ not all conflict cause
damage and destruction. depends on if the country is developed (HIC OR LIC)
HIC- LIC is less developed take more time to recover from conflict. Conflict
doesn’t also mean Physical war; it can just be political arguments. It depends
on how long the war has lasted; how many countries involved etc. Short term
impact will be less damaging than long term impact. Natural disasters like
