Ethics, Scientists, Engineers and the Military - Ethical Engineering for International Development and Environmental Sustainability - page 322

The number of non-state confl icts can vary signifi cantly from year to year,
whereas changes in state-based confl icts occur slowly (Themnér and Wallenstein
2013 ). The longest lasting wars were between the Afghan government and the
Taliban and the Iraqi government and a number of 'rebel' groups. In 2001-2010
there were three confl icts between states: India and Pakistan (2001-2003), Iraq
and the USA and its allies (2003) and Djibouti and Eritrea (2008). However,
although interstate confl ict is becoming increasingly rare, it can easily escalate to
a devastating level. Internal confl icts with international involvement are becoming
increasingly common. This includes both confl icts linked to the USA's war on
'terror', such as the confl icts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and government inter-
vention in their neighbours' internal confl icts, such as Namibian troops supporting
the Angolan government in its confl ict with UNITA (National Union for the Total
Independence of Angola) (Themnér and Wallenstein 2012 ). A fragile peace of
30-year duration is continuing in East and South East Asia, but there have been
increasing tensions and rapid military build-ups since 2008, particularly in East
Asia (Tønneson et al. 2013 ). There were armed confl icts in Mali, Syria and Yemen
in 2012 related to the Arab Spring, and these confl icts could escalate (Allansson
et al. 2013 ).
In addition to its costs in lives, war has had signifi cant economic costs and
negative impacts on development. For instance, it has been estimated that armed
confl ict between 1960 and 2007 reduced GDP by $9.1 trillion or 12.5%. To select
just a few depressing statistics relating to inadequate development:

1. Half the world's population, nearly three million people, live on less than $2.50
a day (Shah 2013 ).
2. 21,000 children die each day due to poverty (Shah 2011 ).
3. Nearly a billion people were unable to read a topic or sign their names at the start
of the twenty-fi rst century (UNICEF 1999 ).
4. Meeting the millennium goal of providing all children with schooling by the year
2000 would have taken less than one percent of spending on weapons (Brazier
1997 ), but 72 million children of primary school age, 57% of them girls, were
not even enrolled in school in 2005 (Anon 2007a ) .

In the case of one well-known example, the war in Iraq, violent deaths have been
variously estimated as 151,000 and 655,000 between March 2003 and June 2006. In
addition, over three million people have been displaced as refugees or internally
since 2003, basic services such as electricity are still disrupted, public health has
deteriorated and unemployment is about 28% (Perlo-Freeman and Solmirano
2012b ).
The prevalence of armed confl ict in Africa has had serious consequences for
development, with an estimated loss of

€ 18 billion per year or 15%, amounting to

€ 284 billion since 1990. This sum could have alternatively been used to solve the

problems of HIV and AIDS in Africa or provide education, clean water and sanita-
tion and prevent tuberculosis and malaria (Anon 2007b ).