Peace Odyssey 2001 - Anatomy of War

Peace Odyssey 2001

Anatomy of War

War is a women's issue. Women are doomed by their sex to endure many of the greatest horrors of war. Thousands are forced into sexual servitude, or compelled to bear the children of rape.
War is a poverty issue. World military expenditure exceeds $750 billion a year while one fifth of the world's people go hungry every day.
War is a development issue. Real dollars spent on defense have more than doubled since 1965. In developing countries, where one of every three people lives in poverty, military expenditure as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is even higher than in industrialized nations -- three times greater in terms of annual income.
War is a refugee issue. One in every 200 people worldwide is a refugee or displaced person. Seventy-five percent of these are women and children.
War is an environmental issue. The world's nuclear stockpile is the equivalent of 1.8 tons of explosive power for every man, woman, and child on earth. Used, it would destroy the world. Unused, it presents an almost insurmountable cleanup problem. Toxic waste -- much of it military waste -- pollutes vast tracts of land, making them unfit for agriculture or human habitation.
War is a legal issue. International law already prohibits weapons or practices that indiscriminately kill civilians or cause inordinate damage to the environment. Strengthening and implementing existing law would provide a solid foundation on which to build.
War is a humanitarian issue. Every fifteen minutes -- of every day, every year -- someone falls victim to a landmine. At the current rate of clearance, it will take about 1100 years to clear the landmines that have already been laid, but only if no new mines are laid beginning in 1996!
War is a conservation issue. Energy used by the world's armies equals that of all the energy used in Japan.
War is an economic issue. The developed countries spend as much on the military every year as the poorest 2 billion people on earth earn in total income. The poor countries spend $130 billion a year, money that could be redirected to social needs.
War is a health issue. Many countries spend three times as much on arms as they do on the health and education of their people, and have twenty times more soldiers than doctors. In 1991, 2.5 million died for lack of immunization for measles, tetanus and whooping cough. The cost of saving them would have been $15 a child. Arms spending worldwide costs $49 a person.
War is a moral issue. Until we create a culture of peace, until we define limits, until we substitute outrage for compliance, we will not end war.