Sample Essay on Effects of the Persian Gulf War
There were many effects of the Persian Gulf War. For the coalition, the Gulf War was seen as the decisive victory. However, Iraq and Kuwait suffered serious and enormous damage. This war was fought between 1990 and 1991. It started with the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. This was followed by the elimination of the presence of Iraq in Kuwait by the United States.
Just like other wars, the Persian Gulf War had its effects. The war-affected the economies, environment, and societies of all the involved parties. Many people suffered emotional and physical distress due to the war. War veterans suffered serious psychological harm that affected them even after the war. Many soldiers who were involved in the war depict unique characteristics. These are known as Gulf War illnesses by many people.
Other problems suffered by war veterans include depression, moodiness, chronic fatigue and sleeping difficulties. There are those who depict joint and muscle pains. All these are considered as the symptoms of Gulf illness. According to experts, about 2, 63,000 soldiers display these symptoms up to now. Many people died during the war with others captured as prisoners. Women were also raped during the war.
The environment was also affected during the war. About 11 million oil barrels were spilled into Arabian Gulf. About 80 ships full of weapons and oil were sunk during the war into the gulf. These caused disturbance to the whole ecosystem. Marine life was destroyed. Marine turtles were killed and migratory birds as well. Desert vegetation was destroyed and the land on which the war was fought became infertile. This was a result of the accumulation of the solid wastes and contamination of the ground water that affected a large area of the gulf.
Air pollution was also huge with smoke and fire being produced by chemical and explosive weapons being used. About 600 oil wells were burned by the Iraqis following their eviction from Kuwait.
The Persian Gulf War affected the economies of both Iraq and Kuwait. Iraq was a major loser. Apart from losing military equipment, it also had its infrastructure damaged as well. Building this infrastructure will take years and cost the country a lot of money.
Cleaning the oil slicks that resulted from the war will also cost Kuwait a lot of money and time. However, due to the rising cost of oil, Kuwait has better chances of recovering from the economic losses of the war.
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Online sources:
http://www.history.com/topics/persian-gulf-war
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/types/war/effects-persian-gulf-war-vets.asp
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/effects-of-the-persian-gulf-war.html