It is no secret that war is a synonym of destruction and famine, that is, a war undoubtedly brings serious economic consequences to the countries directly involved. However, this is not all, as these consequences can spread to neighboring countries or those that have a certain commercial relationship with those involved.
Consequences of wars
A war affects an entire society: no matter how close or far it is from the countries in conflict, at the international level, everyone is affected. Not only are those who are geographically close affected, but also those who have certain trade agreements. This can bring a chain effect and, therefore, end up hurting every part of society.
Another thing to take into account is the environmental impact. In a war, firearms are constantly used, explosives of great magnitude that end up affecting our planet and, in the worst case scenario, a nuclear war could take place, which could mean the end of our existence.
On a psychological level, survivors of war violence, death and famine are affected for life. There is no doubt that war has devastating consequences. But how much it might affect the world as a whole depends mainly on the length and magnitude of the war, as well as the weapons used.
The main consequences of a war:
The first thing that is affected will be the public services. To begin with, the health service will be collapsed due to the large number of wounded people, and the morgues would also collapse. In addition, the electricity and water services would be affected, so that a war is nothing more than the partial or total destruction of a certain area, which will have to be rebuilt little by little after the conflict. But some of the worst consequences are the following:
Famine and poverty: a war has the capacity to interrupt the main means of production and import, so it would cause food shortages, as well as a higher rate of poverty, since jobs will be interrupted and income of any kind will decrease dramatically. Worst of all, many lands will be left infertile.
Violence: the constant threat generated by the conflict makes people be alert all the time. This can change their lifestyle because people get stressful and extremely cautious, as any slightest sign can represent a great threat. In addition, due to the strong economic crisis, many fall into stress and desperation. So, they begin to steal and loot in order to survive.
Social fear: post-traumatic stress, gastrointestinal disorders and insomnia are some of the psychological problems that can affect the population for life. This mainly affects the inhabitants of the countries involved, and to a lesser extent, it can also affect the rest of the world’s population.
Separations and losses: it is usual for people to lose everything, but this not only refers to material things, including the house where they lived, but also includes the loss of friends, neighbors and relatives. This causes a loss of identity, in such a way that the person does not feel capable of being who he/she was again.
Currently, the war between Russia and Ukraine, according to the UN, has left around 1.5 billion people affected worldwide. This is due to the disruption of fertilizer and food because of the conflict. But this is not all.
Consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war
To begin with, Russia is the second largest exporter of oil worldwide and its main customer is the EU. When there is a conflict, this trade is interrupted and generates a greater expense for those countries that must look for a more distant supplier and the world oil supply is affected.
Russia is also the world’s second largest gas exporter. As a result, it is not surprising that the economies of countries have been negatively affected, especially those that are still recovering from the pandemic.
Moreover, an estimated 15.7 million Ukrainian inhabitants are in urgent need of protection and humanitarian aid. According to the UN, approximately 14 million Ukrainians (one third of its population) have had to flee their homes.
With regard to food, there has been a worldwide increase in prices; Ukraine and Russia account for almost 30% of wheat production and shipments, as well as about 18% of corn production. Now, this has stopped due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which generates a price increase in the basic food basket of neighboring countries, such as North Africa and Caucasus, Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
There is no doubt that in a war there is no real victory. There is only a terribly affected territory that must be rebuilt and only after several generations it will be possible to enjoy a full and quiet life, full of peace and stability.