How Persian Gulf War Effects On The World ?
|
The Gulf War was a clear showcase of the fact that natural resources could be used as a weapon or reason for war. The reason does not need to be confined to military ends alone or territorial disputes. The damage was mostly evident on the natural resources. The burning oil wells and the slick in the waters contaminated the environment which is still affecting various life forms. Evaporation of the spilt oil affected the water cycle and increased the levels of bacteria along the shores. This affected the availability of edible water. Some of the species were almost pushed to becoming extinct. Such was the damage caused.
|
The movement of fighting forces killed many living forms. Use of saline water to put off the burning wells increased the salinity in the areas adjacent to the wells. This adversely affected the porosity of the soil and its composition. The increase in the erosion of the soil along with the dust-storms played havoc on the deteriorating conditions.
The soldiers who fought in this front were exposed to organophosphates which resulted in the Gulf War Illness, which was thought to be fallout of stress, and shocks of the war. Many of the Gulf War veterans are still trying to come out of this illness completely.
The victory of the coalition forces opened the doors for a commitment from the US that they would be more involved in maintenance of peace and order in the Middle East. This war also paved the way for closer ties of the US with the other regional allies for the future like providing training, joint-exercises and military assistance. This was evident in 1994, when the uprising for another attack on Kuwait was nipped at the bud by the coalition forces by their quick and decisive actions.
The war has only deepened sectarian differences in this region. The security conditions in Iraq are still unstable. The root-cause is corruption and smuggling that has become rampant post Gulf-War. Lack of basic requirements like food and drinking water speaks of the economic status. New NGO laws in the country are the only hope for a better future.
The other ill-effects of the war especially concerning Iraq are the movement of refugees from Iraq to the other Middle East countries, increase in conflicts and cross-border terrorism, and a rapid rise in the crime rates.
With the sectarian differences already simmering in the Middle East, it is expected that the situation may gradually spiral out of control with their current economic and political instability.
More Articles :
How Stuff Works: Persian Gulf War
http://history.howstuffworks.com/cold-war/persian-gulf-war.htm
|
The Persian Gulf War, which started on 2nd August 1990 and ended on 28 February 1991, was the first war fought between the coalition forces led by the United States and Iraq. There were 32 nations in all forming the coalition. This war was a result of occupation of Kuwait by Iraq. Of course, thereafter, the second war was also fought when it was rumored that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. This war started on 19 March 2003 and again consisted of a coalition force led by the US. It ended with the capture of Saddam Hussein and his subsequent hanging after a trial.