North Yemen Civil War
As you may know, civil wars have significant impacts on civilians and their microeconomic activities. Individuals residing in war zones incur substantial economic loss through property destruction. Moreover, often, they sustain physical injuries and undergo psychological distress due to displacement from their homes, loss of survival means, and the disruption of learning for children. Thus, civil wars have permanent impacts on the lives of the affected persons as these events result in the deterioration of their earnings and productivity. Civil wars intensify insufficiency among the vulnerable poor communities and widen the inequality gap in society.
The civil war in North Yemen marked a post-WWII conflict era and affected the human capital accumulation (Orkaby 5). People endured forced displacements, which made their life difficult, especially for women and children (Russell 199). Most often, families spent time outside, which predisposed them to various diseases and illnesses due to cold nights. The loss of income earning family members due to war brought serious problems for many families. Life without the influential family members, such as fathers and mothers who had died in the course of war, increased psychological pressure, particularly for children. In short, the civil war led to family displacement and loss of household heads, which brought serious mental torture to people.
The armed confrontation, which began after the coup and Abdulla as-Sallal declaring himself the President of Yemen, significantly contributed to the number of orphaned children, some living with just their sisters and brothers while others being abandoned entirely (Tucker and Roberts 1104). Destruction of educational facilities, such as schools, loss of teachers through the wars, and obliteration of transportation infrastructure following the war, forced children to stop attending schools. Some children were direct victims of rape, torture, arbitrary execution, and several other infringements of fundamental rights during the civil war in Yemen (Russell 199). As a result, most parents were even discouraged from taking their children to school. Therefore, these events had negative impacts on education. Thus, the future of Yemen remained bleak since a country without proper learning and research could not experience social mobility. As you can see, my friend, the destruction of educational facilities such as schools and violation of children fundamental rights during the civil war undermined the education standards of the country and destroyed the next generation’s future.
The civil war in Yemen destroyed the industries that offered jobs to many people. The days following the war witnessed a slow pace of the creation of new industries. The war directly led to an insufficiency of skilled jobs. Expenditures on school fees reduced drastically because most families had to cope with the difficult economic times occasioned by the civil war, and education was not a priority for them. Retarded social development due to the limited financial power to engage in economic activities, which could potentially raise people’s social status, threatened the future of the country. The warring reputation scared investors from the country. This implied that the country had lost its potential to make a quick economic recovery to secure jobs for the youths, and they had become a source of insecurity. Although the government reacted quickly to save people after the war, as revealed in a letter addressed to Cairo, the damage was massive (Guldescu 75-77). Unfortunately, my friend, the war destroyed the industries, thus rendering most people, particularly the youth, jobless. Their idleness became a security issue as some of them even became criminals.
My perception of the North Yemen Civil War is clear – wars are not justified under any circumstances or disagreements. The problems that the civilians underwent were not humane and they should be prevented by all means. In the future, the country must not take the same path again in trying to resolve some issue. Civil wars like the one witnessed in the period between 1960 and 1969 caused more economic and social damages and left the country in an unstable position regarding their political and social spheres. Attempts to overthrow governments by some leaders are costly, and the effects are not only felt by the fighting individuals but also by innocent civilians. In fact, civilians suffer the most during civil wars as they cause psychological problems to them because their regular lives are disrupted and they lose wealth and their loved ones. Although the civil war defined the political and the social fate of the country, the outcome did not justify the war and the problems it caused to people, particularly children and women.
In my opinion regarding the war, I should say that the terrible conflict must not be used to create more divisions in the country. The citizens must think about their preconceived notions, concerning the inherited memories, and the country as well as the guilt of those who started the war. People should view the events of the civil wars in a manner that will not cause shame to the current and the future generation. The government as well as the initiators of change agitators must realize that the country is above anything. Consequently, the work to unite people to create harmony and restore peace will contribute to the investors’ confidence. Therefore, I must say I cannot justify any war, but concerted efforts are necessary to put the country back on track after the war.
As you can see, my friend, the North Yemen Civil War has caused significant psychological problems to civilians as they had lost their property, while their children could not go to school. Moreover, people lost their family members as well as jobs as many industries were destroyed. The consequences of the war included mental disorders, diseases, lack of skilled jobs, and made the country’s economy deteriorate significantly. I believe that wars are not justified and they must always be prevented. They tend to have significant impacts on the civilians more than fighters. Even if the fighting is for a just course, human suffering outweighs the war’s justification.
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Works Cited
Guldescu, Stanko. “The Background of the Yemeni Revolution of 1962.” Dalhousie Review, vol. 45, no. 1, 1965, pp. 66-77.
Orkaby, Asher Aviad. The International History of the Yemen Civil War, 1962-1968. 2014. Harvard University, PhD Dissertation. https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/12269828/Orkaby_gsas.harvard_0084L_11420.pdf?sequence=1.
Russell, Malcolm. The Middle East and South Asia 2012. 46th ed., Stryker-Post, 2012.
Tucker, Spencer, and Priscilla M. Roberts. The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Political, Social, and Military History. ABC-CLIO, 2008.