War/Militarism
War is inextricably linked to health, and yet it is very infrequently considered as a public health issue. Not only does war kill, mame, and traumatize, but it also has ecological and environmental impacts that themselves negate health. It is incongruous with the mission of public health to support war, and yet public health remains silent in war’s midst. Here we highlight the impacts of war on health, and frame war as a global health issue.
June 15, 2023
Global attacks on hospitals, health workers – Sudan, Ukraine, Burma
Democracy Now! presents a special show (15 June 2023) on targeted health care attacks worldwide, and ‘The New Cold War,’ including interviews with Khidir Dalouk of the Sudanese-American Physicians Association and Christina Wille, Director of Insecurity Insight, and Dr. Dalouk describes the calamity in Sudan, where “fighting between rival military factions in Sudan targeting medical…
“World’s Deadliest Wars Go Unreported”
Anjan Sundaram, Indian Journalist, interviewed on Democracy Now! on 8 June 2023, says that the ‘colonial structure of global media’ under-reports some of the biggest wars in our world today. He notes that despite technological advances in information access and technology, “conflicts like the one on the Central African Republic are still shrouded in darkness,…
April 28, 2023
Russia withholds HIV meds from prisoners to coerce fighting in Ukraine
Russian prisoners are reportedly choosing to fight in Ukraine, rather than face sub-standard healthcare for HIV in their own country. Approximately 20% of Russian prisoners have HIV and many inmates claim they are denied effective treatments in prison. In Ukraine, however, they have been offered hope, with the promise of antiretroviral medications if they agreed…
April 25, 2023
Sudan’s Ongoing Crisis: Unpacking the Root Causes of Violence and the Elusive Pursuit of Peace Amidst Global Inequities
The violence in Sudan, particularly in Khartoum, is partly the fault of the international community. Sudan is still struggling to build a civilian-led government after decades of military rule, and tensions between different military factions have erupted into violence. The exploitation of resources, economic disparities, and political power imbalances have fueled grievances and conflicts within…
March 7, 2023
Ukraine War plus US interest rates perpetuate poverty, hunger, and injustice
UN SECRETARY–GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES, in his address this week to the opening of the Summit of Least Developed Countries in Doha, Qatar, spoke of the current “perfect storm” for “perpetuating poverty and injustice – conflicts, droughts, hunger and extreme poverty….It is a matter of life and death….your countries are being held back by processes and decisions that…
August 15, 2022
Selective empathy in wars
Viet Thanh Nguyen reminds us (The Nation, 22 July) how often our sympathy – and care – for victims of war often comes with baggage of hypocrisy and racism. The deserved sympathy for those civilians suffering from the Russian invasion is rarely matched by our sympathy for civilians who have suffered by by Americans over…
July 25, 2022
[VIDEO] Isn’t War Part of Global Health?
I started my public health career more than 40 years ago. My beloved profession has expanded its views on what exactly *IS* public health since then. We got hip to the environment, the importance of nutrition, how the tobacco industry is killing us, and that cars should be safer. Some really heroic figures have moved…
May 31, 2022
[BOOKS] on War in Global Health
Here is a list of some books that emphasize the role of the USA in fomenting war across the world, often to protect US dominance, corporate exploitation, and promote neoliberal policies – or to undermine or overthrow governments that challenge such exploitation. Some of the books include: “Washington Bullets” by Vijay Prashad (2020) Prashad…
March 20, 2022
Ukraine is a disaster: but don’t forget wars in Yemen, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, Ethiopia…
WHO DG Tedros: “Just as we continue to call on Russia to make peace in Ukraine, so we continue to call on Ethiopia and Eritrea to end the blockade — the siege — and allow safe access for humanitarian supplies and workers to save lives.” He also called on world leaders to remember the needs…
March 8, 2022
US remains top arms exporter and grows market share
The US has increased its global share of arms exports to 37% during the last five years, according to a Sweden-based research institute. Increased exports by the US, France and Germany were offset by declining Russian and Chinese exports. Imports and exports remain close to their highest level since the end of the cold war,…
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