"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."
By:
Yara M. Asi (Lecturer University of Central Florida)
Imprint: Johns Hopkins University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 221mm,
Width: 157mm,
Spine: 23mm
Weight: 340g
ISBN: 9781421447896
ISBN 10: 1421447894
Pages: 232
Publication Date: 26 March 2024
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1. War Is an Epidemic Chapter 2. Health Is Political Chapter 3. Collective Direct Violence Chapter 4. Interpersonal and Self-Directed Violence Chapter 5. Structural Violence in War Chapter 6. Gender, Life, and Death in War Chapter 7. Attacks on Health Care Chapter 8. Health Outcomes in the Conflict Environment Chapter 9. The Health Effects of War at Home Chapter 10. The Beneficiaries of War Chapter 11. The Humanitarian Response to War Conclusion Index
Yara M. Asi, PhD (ORLANDO, FL), is an assistant professor of global health management and informatics at the University of Central Florida, a visiting scholar at the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University, and a Fulbright US Scholar to the West Bank. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Washington Post, and the Nation.
