in our present situation, do you think our country is at war? why? why not?
Answers
War destroys communities and families and often disrupts the development of the social and economic fabric of nations. The effects of war include long-term physical and psychological harm to children and adults, as well as reduction in material and human capital
The effects of war are widely spread and can be long term or short term.[2] Soldiers experience war differently than civilians, although either suffer in times of war, and women and children[citation needed] suffer unspeakable atrocities in particular. In the past decade, up to two million of those killed in armed conflicts were children.[2] The widespread trauma caused by these atrocities and suffering of the civilian population is another legacy of these conflicts, the following creates extensive emotional and psychological stress.[3] Present-day internal wars generally take a larger toll on civilians than state wars. This is due to the increasing trend where combatants have made targeting civilians a strategic objective.[2] A state conflict is an armed conflict that occurs with the use of armed force between two parties, of which one is the government of a state.[4] "The three problems posed by intra‐state conflict are the willingness of UN members, particularly the strongest member, to intervene; the structural ability of the UN to respond; and whether the traditional principles of peacekeeping should be applied to intra‐state conflict".[5] Effects of war also include mass destruction of cities and have long lasting effects on a country's economy.[6] Armed conflict has important indirect negative consequences on infrastructure, public health provision, and social order.[7] These indirect consequences are often overlooked and unappreciated.
During the Thirty Years' War in Europe, for example, the population of the German states was reduced by about 30%.[8][9] The Swedish armies alone may have destroyed up to 2,000 castles, 18,000 villages and 1,500 towns in Germany, one-third of all German towns.[10]
Estimates for the total casualties of World War II vary, but most suggest that some 60 million people died in the war, including about 20 million soldiers and 40 million civilians.[11] The Soviet Union lost around 27 million people during the war, about half of all World War II casualties.[12] The largest number of civilian deaths in a single city was 1.2 million citizens dead during the 872-day Siege of Leningrad. Based on 1860 census figures, 8% of all white American males aged 13 to 50 died in the American Civil War.[13] Of the 60 million European soldiers who were mobilized in World War I, 8 million were killed, 7 million were permanently disabled, and 15 million were seriously injured.[14]