Do We Ever Ask Ourselves About The True Cost Of War?
Arevalo | CLMI
Imagine a world where the sound of gunfire and the threat of bombs no longer defines our reality, a world where human potential is freed from the shadow of conflict. This is not just a dream, but a question that haunts every generation: Can humanity truly exist without war?
In such a world, the immense resources currently devoted to military spending could instead be invested in education, healthcare, and sustainable development, transforming how societies thrive. As it stands, global military spending exceeded $2.7 trillion in 2024, a nearly 10% increase from the previous year - the largest such one-year increase since 1988. In terms of global gross domestic product (GDP), military spending accounts for nearly 3%, and 7% of government budgets, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Beyond the geopolitical and government investments, war also comes with a steep price, in lives, as well as economic and social devastation. The World Bank estimates that conflicts and violence cost the global economy trillions annually through the destruction of infrastructure, loss of productivity, and displacement of populations. The Carnegie Corporation of New York examined post-9/11 global war costs, examining direct and indirect deaths. Total deaths from U.S.-military activities in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and other places amounted to 1 million deaths. Global indirect deaths were estimated at nearly 4 million …
In countries like Ukraine, Yemen, and Sudan, the long-term impacts of war extend beyond borders, influencing global trade, migration, and resource availability. Even nations not directly engaged in war experience the ripple effects through higher food and fuel prices.
Economic Impacts And Opportunity Costs
If nations redirected even a fraction of their military budgets toward peace-building, education, and healthcare, the world could look dramatically different. While global military spending reached nearly $3 trillion in 2024, whereas global education aid received a fraction of that amount. Despite the clear returns on investment, a UNICEF report warns of school closures, lost educational opportunities and brain drains as global aid to education is projected to drop by $3.2 billion.
Yet, UNESCO research shows that investing in education and economic opportunity reduces the likelihood of conflict by strengthening communities and improving living conditions. As U.N. Development Programme deputy chief Haoliang Xu explains …
“But we know that development is a driver of security and multilateral development cooperation works,” said UN Development Programme (UNDP) deputy chief Haoliang Xu.
“When people’s lives improve, when they have access to education, healthcare, economic opportunities and when they can live lives of dignity and self determination, we will have more peaceful societies and a more peaceful world.”
The Human Side Of Conflict
Peace is not just a political goal; it’s a deeply human one. Children can grow up in stable, never hearing sirens or losing loved ones to violence. Instead, the United Nations reports that over 473 million children live in conflict zones today, a number that is double what it was compared to the 1990s. That represents a tragedy in untapped human potential.
Current examples are drawn from recent conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, as The Guardian reports …
The death toll after nearly 15 months of Israel’s war in Gaza is estimated at more than 45,000 and out of the cases it has verified, the UN said 44% were children.
In Ukraine, the UN said it had verified more child casualties during the first nine months of 2024 than during all of 2023, and predicted there would be a further increase in 2025.
“By almost every measure, 2024 has been one of the worst years on record for children in conflict in Unicef’s history – both in terms of the number of children affected and the level of impact on their lives,” Unicef’s executive director, Catherine Russell, said.
“A child growing up in a conflict zone is far more likely to be out of school, malnourished, or forced from their home – too often repeatedly – compared with a child living in places of peace,” Russell added. “This must not be the new normal. We cannot allow a generation of children to become collateral damage to the world’s unchecked wars.”
Beyond children, war leaves lasting psychological and social scars. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 11–20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Environmental And Agricultural Costs
Conflict damages ecosystems and agricultural production. The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that 45 million people in war-affected regions face acute food insecurity due to disrupted farming, infrastructure damage, and land contamination.
Unexploded ordnance, such as landmines in Cambodia, continues to render farmland unusable decades after conflicts have ended, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Environmental degradation is another long-term consequence. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) highlights how warfare contributes to deforestation, soil erosion, and pollution. These impacts threaten biodiversity and undermine the livelihoods of rural populations.
Historical Context And Lessons Learned
Struggles for power, resources, and ideology have often driven conflicts throughout history. Dictatorships and expansionist policies, such as those under Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini, led to global devastation in the mid-20th century. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum notes that European appeasement policies during the 1930s allowed Nazi Germany to expand unchecked, ultimately resulting in World War II.
Although wars have at times accelerated technological progress - from radar to telecommunications advancements, computing, and penicillin - the associated human and economic losses are overwhelming. Our World in Data estimates that 70–85 million people died during World War II alone (more than 20 times that in post-9/11 wars), with nearly half of them civilians.
Policy and Global Reform
Despite the destructive legacy of war, international policy efforts demonstrate that peace could be a sustained objective. The United Nations Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace Report (2022) outlines how treaties, disarmament initiatives, and transparent governance can reduce conflict recurrence.
Grassroots organizations such as the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) have influenced major international treaties, including the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Press freedom also plays a critical role in reducing corruption and violence. The Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index (2024) shows that nations with independent journalism experience lower rates of conflict and higher civic trust. The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) similarly finds that countries with strong governance, such as Iceland, New Zealand, and Denmark, consistently rank as the world’s most peaceful nations.
Conclusion
The global consequences of war are profound, affecting every dimension of human and environmental well-being. Psychological trauma, economic instability, displacement, and ecological degradation reveal that the costs of war extend far beyond the battlefield. Yet, evidence from peaceful nations demonstrates that strong institutions, civic engagement, and international cooperation can make a world without war a realistic pursuit rather than an idealistic dream. Rutgers University-Newark anthropology professor R. Brian Ferguson even explored how “War Is Not Part of Human Nature” …
Today controversy over the historical roots of warfare revolves around two polar positions. In one, war is an evolved propensity to eliminate any potential competitors. In this scenario, humans all the way back to our common ancestors with chimpanzees have always made war. The other position holds that armed conflict has only emerged over recent millennia, as changing social conditions provided the motivation and organization to collectively kill.
Debate over war and human nature will not soon be resolved. The idea that intensive, high-casualty violence was ubiquitous throughout prehistory has many backers. It has cultural resonance for those who are sure that we as a species naturally tilt toward war. As my mother would say: “Just look at history!” But doves have the upper hand when all the evidence is considered. Broadly, early finds provide little if any evidence suggesting war was a fact of life.
If it’s not our natural predisposition, building a more peaceful world is possible. It simply requires sustained commitment to policy reform, transparent governance, and the redirection of resources from destruction to development. By learning from history and investing in human potential, the global community can move closer to ending the these endless cycles of conflict.
ISABELLA AREVALO is a Fellow at the Civic Literacy and Media Influence Institute at Learn4Life
