How War Kills

Armed conflict poses a huge threat to public health but perhaps not in the way you would think. It’s time to reconsider our entire approach to human security. Thanks to our increasingly connected world, we can now witness the worst manifestations of war in ways we never could before. This makes it easier than ever to recognize dangerous conflicts as a threat to health and well-being—at least for those populations living in war zones. In How War Kills, Yara M. Asi exposes the devastating repercussions of war that extend far beyond the battlefield. By tracing the trajectory of violence throughout history, with a focus on contemporary conflicts, Asi argues that war has been overlooked from a public health perspective. From the breakdown of sanitation and other vital infrastructure to the scarcity of essential resources, war creates a perilous environment ripe for disease outbreaks and widespread suffering far beyond the reach of bullets and bombs. She also challenges the reactive nature of current humanitarian responses and calls for more proactive measures to prevent the catastrophic consequences of war and militarism. Drawing on data and stories from around the world, Asi breaks down the complex mechanics of war and how they impact human security. War is not an inevitable part of the human condition but is rather a global health crisis in dire need of intervention. Aimed at anyone seeking to understand why increased national security spending has left us feeling more insecure than ever, this book provides an eye-opening perspective on the “war machine” and makes an urgent call to dismantle it for everyone’s sake.