Ameen M. Dahri
I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, But World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. -Albert Einstein Earth is a “trust” to humankind for its survival, existence, progress and future-making. When two countries fight one another, it affects almost the entire world, which has a profound effect on the economy, trade, and foreign relations. This also happens because many countries are connected to each other due to trade, foreign relations or any other reason. The Oxford English Dictionary defines “war” as, “A state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country.” Wars, often arise from economic, territorial, religious, or political reasons, can leave countries war-torn, requiring decades for infrastructure and economic rebuilding. War is caused by many different things, including competition over land, religious conflicts, and nationalism. The war may be fought for a short time, but its effect can last for a very long time. It is mentioned in a report, published in January 2024, given by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project that “with the continuation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war between Israel and Hamas and political violence elsewhere in the world, more than 170,000 lives were lost and violent conflicts throughout the year 2023.” The continued war in Ukraine is causing extreme civilian harm and leaving millions without access to food, water and other essential supplies. In the past decade, up to two million of those killed in armed conflicts were children around the globe. No generation has ever truly been free of the threat of war, because it has existed for at least the beginning of recorded history, nearly 5,000 years ago and it remains one of the world’s most significant problems. Most people associate wars with weapons, fighting, suffering, and destruction. The causes of war are almost endless. For instance, the U.S. Civil War was fought over the issues of slavery and states’ rights, the Revolutionary War was a war for independence, while World War I and World War II, the two most significant wars in modern history were fought over the issue of nationalism. The Thirty Years War’ was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648, and the population of the German states was reduced by about 30%. After more than two years, there is no end in sight for the war in Ukraine. Millions of civilians are unable to return home. This is not an isolated crisis – the ripple effects of the war can be felt across the globe. War will separate the families. It destroys cities as well as town areas, and the people won’t feel safe. Many innocent civilians can be killed in the war and a number of children will be orphans. The world is facing a huge distruction by global warfare among a number of States/ countries. Day by day, the world order is being chaotic. The powerful organizations are silent, and may be are waiting for a miracle. A thousands of children have died due to hunger and health problems, and this is still going on. When will these wars be stopped? Due to ongoing wars, countries are trying their best to harm the opposite country by using modern weapons and this is not new in history, because wars have always caused only destruction. The loss of life and property due to ongoing conflicts cannot be estimated. It can be seen in history that thousands of people have lost their properties, lives and children due to wars. Studies have shown that conflict situations cause more mortality and disability than any major disease. The leaders of the war zones should also take their steps towards peace, but this may not be possible, because everyone wants their name & identity to be supreme in the world.