Title: Health Consequences of War and Militarism
1Health Consequences of War and Militarism
2Outline
- The history and epidemiology of war
- Nuclear weapons
- Chemical weapons
- Biological weapons
3Outline
- Economic and environmental consequences of
militarism and war - Health consequences of militarism and war
- Contemporary conflicts
- Afghanistan, War on terror, Middle East
- Solutions
4History of War
- Violent conflict ubiquitous in the animal
kingdom - Interspecies conflict food, territory
- Intraspecies conflict food, territory, mates
(usually not directly fatal) - Violence among non-human primates
- Gorilla infanticide
- Chimpanzee killing bands
5History of war
- 10,000 yrs ago agriculture
- Stable populations, division of labor, warrior
class - 3500 yrs ago bronze weapons and armor
- 2200 yrs ago iron
- 1900 yrs ago - horses
6History of war
- Ninth Century China - bombs developed
- Thirteenth Century China rockets
- Forgotten until the 19th Century
- 1783 Balloon
- Montgolfier brothers
- Prussian general JCG Heyne used for bombing
7History of War
- 1903 Wright brothers/Kitty Hawk airplane
- 20th Century nuclear submarines, predator
drones, weaponization of space
8History of War
- Belief that each new invention would eliminate
warfare - Instead, increased casualties, killing at a
distance
9Epidemiology of Warfare
- Deaths in war
- 17th Century 19/million population
- 18th Century 19/million population
- 19th Century 11/million population
- 20th Century 183/million population
- Increasing casualties to civilians
- 85-90 in 20th Century (vs. 10 late 19th Century)
10War Deaths, 1945-2000
11Legacies of Colonial Exploitation
- Christopher Columbus log entry upon meeting the
Arawaks of the Bahamas - Theybrought usmanythingsThey willingly
traded everything they ownedThey do not bear
armsThey would make fine servantsWith fifty men
we could subjugate them all and make them do
whatever we want.
12Legacies of Colonial Exploitation
- Winston Churchill (speaking in favor of RAFs
experimental bombing of Iraqis in 1920s, which
killed 9,000 people with 97 tons of bombs) - I am strongly in favor of using poisoned gas
against uncivilized tribes to spread a lively
terroragainst recalcitrant Arabs as an
experiment
13Legacies of Colonial Exploitation
- Cecil Rhodes (Rhodesia, Rhodes Scholarship,
DeBeers Mining Company) - We must find new lands from which we can easily
obtain raw materials and at the same time exploit
the cheap slave labour that is available from the
natives of the colonies. The colonies would also
provide a dumping ground for the surplus goods
produced in our factories.
14Contemporary Wars
- 250 wars in the 20th Century
- Incidence of war rising since 1950
- Most conflicts within poor states
- 27 separate civil wars currently underway
- 19 involve U.S.-supplied weapons
15Contemporary Wars
- 72 million lives lost in 20th Century wars,
another 52 million through genocides - WW II first war with more battle deaths than
deaths from other causes, such as accidents,
disease, and infections
16Vietnam War
- US dropped the equivalent of one 500 lb. bomb on
every person in Vietnam - Vietnam War 11.5 to 3 million Vietnamese
casualties 58,000 American - More US soldiers died of suicide after Vietnam
than died in combat during the war.
17Contemporary Wars
- Gulf War I US planted one land mine for every
Iraqi citizen - 310,000 direct war-related deaths in 2000 (0.5
of worldwide mortality) indirect deaths much
larger
18Consequences of War
- Deaths, injuries, psychological sequelae
- Collapse of health care system affecting those
with acute and chronic illnesses - Famine
- Environmental degradation
- Increasing poverty and debt
- All lead to recurrent cycles of violence
19Consequences of War
- Contributes, along with persecution, poverty, and
environmental degradation, to the 240 million
people on the move - International migrants 168 million
- Refugees, including Palestinians 16 million
- Internally displaced due to conflict or
persecution (25 million) or natural disasters and
other causes (30 million) - Asylum seekers 940,000
20Atomic Weapons - History
- Hiroshima, August 6, 1945
- The day that humanity started taking its final
exam Buckminster Fuller - 15 kiloton bomb, 140,000 deaths
- Nagasaki, August 9, 1945
- 22 kiloton bomb, 70,000 casualties
21The Hiroshima Bomb
22Atomic Explosion
23Atomic Weapons Other Victims
- Hundreds of thousands of hibakusha atomic bomb
survivors - 1054 U.S. nuclear tests since 1940s, 331 in
atmosphere - 80,000 cancers (15,000 fatal) in US citizens as a
result of fallout from atmospheric testing - NCI/CDC
24Atomic Weapons Other Victims
- Thousands of illnesses and deaths, higher CA risk
in 600,000 former employees - - DOE
- Bush administration trying to limit payments
mandated by Congress in 2001 (150,000 plus
lifetime medical benefits)
25Atomic Weapons Today
- Approximately 23,360 nuclear weapons at 11 sites
in 14 countries (1/2 active or operationally-deplo
yed) - Down from over 71,000 at height of Cold War
- 5,200 active U.S. warheads today (more than ½ on
hair-trigger alert) 8,000 in Russia - Several thousand megatons (100,000 Hiroshimas)
26Atomic Weapons Today
- US and Russia have 13,000 actively deployed
warheads - 2500 (US) and 2000 (Russia) on high alert
- Fired within 15 minutes, reach targets in 30
minutes - Vastly redundant arsenal
- 150-200 weapons adequate to destroy all major
urban centers in Russia
27Atomic Weapons Today
- Accidental intermediate-sized launch of weapons
from a single Russian submarine would immediately
kill 6.8 million Americans in 8 cities
28Nuclear Weapons Oops!
- Pentagon 32 nuclear weapons accidents since 1950
- GAO 233
- Since 1950, 10 nuclear weapons lost and never
recovered - All laying on seabed, potentially leaking
radioactivity
29Effects of a Nuclear Explosion
- Immediate
- Vaporized by thermal radiation
- Crushed by blast wave
- Burned and suffocated by firestorm
30Effects of a Nuclear Explosion
- Intermediate
- Suffering, painful deaths
- Health care personnel/resources overwhelmed
- Famine
- Refugees
- Devastated transportation infrastructure
31Effects of a Nuclear Explosion
- Late effects
- Cancer
- Psychological trauma (PTSD, anxiety, depression)
- nuclear winter (mass starvation due to disruption
of agricultural, transportation, industrial and
health care systems)
32Effects of a 20 megaton nuclear explosion
- Ground zero - 2 miles
- Within 1/100 second fireball hotter than sun
everything vaporized - 2 - 4 miles
- 25 psi pressures 650 mph winds
- Buildings ripped apart and leveled
33Effects of a 20 megaton nuclear explosion
- 4 - 10 miles
- 7 10 psi 200 mph winds
- Sheet metal melts concrete buildings heavily
damaged (all others leveled) - 16 miles
- 100 mph winds, firestorm, T 1400 C
- 100 mortality
34Effects of a 20 megaton nuclear explosion
- 21 miles
- 2 psi 100 mph winds
- Shattered glass, flying debri
- 29 miles
- 3 burns over all exposed skin
- 40 miles
- Retinal burns blind all who witness explosion
35Effects of a 20 megaton nuclear explosion over
Boston
- Death toll
- 1,000,000 within minutes
- 1,800,000 survivors
- 1,100,000 fatally injured
- 500,000 with major injuries
- 200,000 without injuries
36Types of Injuries
- Burns
- Blindings
- Deafenings
- PTX
- Fxs
- Shrapnel wounds
37Radiation Sickness
- Very high dose cerebral edema, N/V/D, speech
and gait difficulties, convulsions, coma, death
within 1-2 days - Medium doses N/V/D ? resolves ? recurrent
hematemesis, bloody D ? majority die - Low doses BM failure, infections, bleeding,
sores, death
38Effects on health professionals
- 70 killed or fatally wounded
- 15 injured
- lt 1000 survive
39Effects on health care system
- Most major hospitals destroyed
- EMS system debilitated
- No X-ray machines, electricity, water,
antibiotics or other meds, blood/plasma, bandages - 2000 burn unit beds in US (100 per major city)
essentially destroyed
40Effects on Health Care System
- 1500 patients/doctor
- 10 min/pt
- 4 hours sleep/noc
- 2 weeks to see all injured
41Ultimate Outcomes
- Boston (pop. 2.8 million in 1998)
- gt 2.5 million dead after one month
- More than 6x as many Americans as died in WW II
42Health hazards of the Nuclear Cycle
- Ecosystem degradation e.g., Bikini Island
- Uranium mining 5-fold increase in lung cancer
- Depleted uranium
- increased stillbirths, birth defects, childhood
leukemias, other cancers in Southern Iraq - Possible increase in lung CA in U.S. soldiers
(data sparse)
43Nuclear Waste Disposal
- On-site storage
- 118 commercial reactors
- 10 weapons plants
- 37 research reactors
44Nuclear Waste Disposal
- Skull Valley, Goshute Indian Reservation, Utah
- Private fuel storage consortium
- Temporary storage of 44,000 tons of high-level
nuclear waste - Bribes to tribes environmental injustice
- Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, New Mexico
- Defense Dept. waste
45Nuclear Waste Disposal Yucca Mountain
- On DOE land claimed by Western Shoshone Nation
under the Ruby Valley Treaty of 1863 - 100 miles from Las Vegas
- Near aquifer and earthquake fault
46Nuclear Waste Disposal Yucca Mountain
- Est. 100,000 shipments of 70,000 120,000 tons
of waste over 25 yrs - Coming within ½ mile of 50 million Americans
- Est. 200-350 accidents
- Nuclear roulette
- Unlikely to occur other options being considered
47Nuclear Power Plants
- 104 plants in US
- Aging, equipment failures (8 from 3/00-4/01 ?
shutdowns) - 435 plants worldwide (generate 16 of planets
electricity) - 60 plants in Russia
- ? Condition, safety
48Nuclear Power
- Supply of uranium for fission to run out by 2050
- Alternate sources
- MOX (mixed oxide) fuel (reprocessed spent fuel
plutonium and uranium) - Breeder reactors make more fuel (plutonium)
than they consume - Fission currently impractical
49Nuclear Power Plant Accidents
- Three Mile Island (1979)
- 50,000 to 100,000 excess deaths
- Chernobyl, USSR, 1986 - nuclear power plant
explosion - 200 times the radiation of Hiroshima Nagasaki
- 25-100 died immediately, up to 1,000 injured
acutely, NCI estimates 10-75K thyroid cancers
(other estimates much lower) - Some estimates as high as almost 1 million deaths
50Chernobyl
- Higher risk of neural tube defects and childhood
leukemia among those living near nuclear power
plants - Anxiety a major problem
- Ukraine still spends 6 of its GDP each year on
Chernobyl-related matters
51Nuclear Power Plants
- For every US plant that has its license renewed,
12 additional cancer deaths (NRC) - Plus any deaths from accidents, non-routine
releases, high level waste and spent fuel - Nuclear power industry receives 10 billion/yr in
taxpayer subsidies - Precautionary principle
52Nuclear Power Plants
53Nuclear Terrorism
- Attack on nuclear power plant or other nuclear
installation - 47 of nuclear plants failed to repel mock
terrorist attacks conducted by the NRC in the
1990s - Dirty bomb
- Potential tens to hundreds of thousands of
deaths, billions of dollars of damage, chaos - Numerous radiation sources left over from Cold
War in post-Soviet countries
54Nuclear Terrorism
- Collapse of Soviet Union 15,000 nuclear warheads
and enough highly-enriched uranium and plutonium
to make 60,000 more - More than 90 of Russias fissile materials are
located in 171 buildings, only 11 of which have
been fully secured - 175 cases of nuclear trafficking from 1993 2001
(NRC)
55Nuclear Terrorism
- Reports of weapons missing from Soviet arsenal
- Non-proliferation efforts, including the DOEs
Nuclear Cities Initiative, get a fraction of 1
of the defense budget, further cuts planned - The Nth Country experiment (1964) 3 science
post-docs with no nuclear know-how designed a
working atom bomb
56Chemical Weapons
- 428 BC Athenians and Spartans burned wax, pitch
and sulfur - Davinci arsenic and sulfur shells
- WW I
- Italians vs. Ethiopians
- Japanese vs. Chinese
- Germans vs. Allies
- Franz Haber chlorine gas
- 91,000 deaths and 1.3 million injuries
57Chemical Weapons
- Egypt vs. South Yemen (1963-7)
- Iran/Iraq War (1980s)
- Gulf War (versus Kurds, ? Others)
- Gulf War Syndrome (real per Congressionally-mandat
ed scientific panel, 2008) - 1995 Tokyo subway attack by Aum Shrinko cult
using sarin - 12 dead, 5000 injured or incapacitated
58Types of Chemical Weapons
- Nerve gasses / paralytics
- E.g., sarin, VX
- S/S paralysis (incl. resp. muscles), headache,
dizziness, N/V - Rx gas masks, pretreatment with
pyridostigmine, decontamination, antidotes
(atropine, pralidoxime, diazepam, tropicamide)
59Types of Chemical Weapons
- Blistering agents
- E.g., sulphur mustard
- S/S burns, blindness, pulmonary toxicity, BM
suppression, N/V/D - Rx decontamination, analgesia, pulmonary and eye
care
60Types of Chemical Weapons
- Pulmonary toxicants
- E.g., chlorine, phosgene
- S/S pneumonitis, laryngeal spasm, pulmonary
edema, ARDS - Rx O2, bronchodilators, corticosteroids,
?ibuprofen, ?acetylcysteine
61Chemical WeaponsVietnam and Napalm
62Chemical WeaponsVietnam and Napalm
63Chemical WeaponsVietnam and Napalm
64Chemical Weapons
- 1972 Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention
prohibits development, production, and
stockpiling - 1989 stockpiles
- US 36,000 tons
- Russia 270,000 tons (1/2 nerve gas)
65Other Chemical WeaponsTear gas
-
- Use in civil and political unrest
- Causes eye, skin and pulmonary toxicity, N/V,
photophobia and headache, trauma due to blast - Rx wash skin, flush eyes, IVF, humidified O2,
bronchodilators prn, prophylactic antibiotics -
66Other Chemical WeaponsPepper Spray
- Derived from cayenne peppers (contains 10-15
oleoresin capsicum) - 1.5-2 million Scoville unit heat rating
- Jalapeño pepper 2500-5000 Scoville units
- Habañero pepper (worlds hottest) 300,000
Scoville units - Use in civil and political unrest
67Other Chemical Weapons
- Calmatives mind-altering or sleep-inducing
weapons (benzo-, SSRI-, and anesthetic
derivatives) - Cramp-inducing agents
- Stink bombs (?Race specific?)
- Colored smoke as an obscurant
- Crowd control vs use in warfare
- US pilot amphetamine use
68Biological Weapons - History
- Sixth Century BC Assyrians poison wells with rye
ergot - 300 BC Greeks pollute wells
- Later Romans and Persians, Classical, Medieval
and Renaissance periods, US Civil War (General
Johnson at Vicksburg) - 14th Century Tatars catapulting plague-infested
corpses
69Biological Weapons - History
- Kochs postulates anthrax first linkage of a
specific disease with a specific pathogen - Louis Pasteur anthrax and cholera vaccines
70Biological Weapons - History
- Sir Jeffrey Amherst (French and Indian Wars -
smallpox) You would do well to try to inoculate
the Indians, by means of blankets, to extirpate
this execrable race - WW I Cholera, plague, glanders, anthrax
71Biological Weapons WW II
- Unit 731, Manchuria, Shiro Ishii
- British Operation Vegetarian (anthrax cakes /
Germany) - US military personnel received typhoid, smallpox,
yellow fever and tetanus vaccines - Those who refused subject to court martial
- c.f., Gulf War pyridostigmine, botulism vaccine
72Biological Weapons WW II
- Unlicensed yellow fever vaccine contaminated with
hepatitis B - 330,000 infections
- 51,000 cases of symptomatic hep B
- Long term outcomes good
73Biological Weapons Post WWII
- Swerdlosk
- Zimbabwe
- False alarms
74Biological Weapons Today
- 17 countries possess ( Al Qaeda?)
- US role in supplying other nations
- e.g., 1985-1989 US companies sold to Iraq
- Bacillus anthracis, Clostridium botulinum,
Histoplasma capsulatum, Brucella melitensis,
Clostsridium perfringens, Clostridium tetani, and
E. coli - Despite evidence of use of chemical weapons
against Kurds
75Biological Weapons Today
- 1972 Biological Weapons Protocol signed by 158
nations - Lacks adequate enforcement mechanisms
- US has rejected enforcement (wary of foreign
inspectors discovering military secrets and/or
trade secrets of biotechnology and pharmaceutical
companies)
76Biological Weapons - Agents
- Anthrax Brucellosis Cholera
- Glanders Pneumonic plague
- Tularemia Q Fever Smallpox
- Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis
- Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (e.g., Ebola)
- Botulism Staph enterotoxin B
- Ricin Mycxotoxins
77Biological Weapons Today
- Genetic weapons targeted at specific ethnic
groups - 1999 FBI at least once a day a politician,
school, abortion clinic, or other controversial
person or institution receives an envelope from a
dissident containing a powder and a note
announcing a lethal dose of anthrax
78Biological Weapons Today
- Use, along with chemical weapons, in The Drug
War - Fusarium oxysporum fungus to eradicate coca pants
in Columbia Fusarium oxysporum and Pleaspora
papaveracea fungus to eradicate opium poppies in
Central Asia - ? Marijuana
- Food crops also destroyed
- US, UN Drug Control Program, others
79Biological Weapons Today
- Quarantine Issues
- Quarantine versus Isolation
- National versus foreign outbreaks / border
control - Adverse consequences increased risk of disease
transmission in quarantined population, violence,
mistrust of government, ethnic bias
80Smallpox
- DNA virus decimated native American populations
eradicated by WHO vaccination campaign in 1972
genome sequenced - ?Only remaining viral stocks at CDCP and in
Siberia? - WHO Executive Board recommended retaining stores
81Smallpox
- Incubation period 7-17 days (avg. 12)
- Spread by droplet infection highly contagious
- Symptoms abrupt onset of F/HA/myalgias ?
non-specific erythematous rash (most prominent on
face and extremities, simultaneous varicella
most prominent on trunk, successive waves) ? MSOF
? death
82Smallpox
- Dx clinical, EM of vesicular fluid
- Rx isolation, post-exposure vaccination,
supportive care, ?antivirals - 30 fatality rate
83Smallpox
84Smallpox Vaccination
- Vaccinia
- US ended in 1972
- Waning (?negligible) immunity
- Effects local reaction. Lymphadenopathy
- Side effects postvaccinial encephalitis
(1/300,000), progressive vaccinia eczema
vaccinatum, generalized vaccinia - Vaccinia immune globulin may modulate
85Smallpox Vaccination
- Acambis and subcontractor Baxter Intl. - 428
million contract to produce 155 million doses of
smallpox vaccine by the end of 2002 - Would bring total to 286 million (enough for
every American) - Fed govt has ordered 209 million doses from a
British company
86Smallpox Vaccination
- Current recommendation isolation and vaccination
/ VIG for close contacts - Vaccination of all US citizens not feasible
- Inadequate supplies
- Several hundred deaths
- ? Diversion of resources from usual childhood
vaccines - ? vaccinate health professionals, public servants
- Infectivity, disability, workmans comp issues
87Anthrax
- Bacillus anthracis, aerobic, G, spore-forming
rod - Zoonosis
- Invisible and odorless when aerosolized
88Anthrax
- 1979 accidental release at Swerdlosk (USSR) 250
cases, 100 deaths, town abandoned due to
contamination - Aum Shrinko cult attempted aerosol dispersal
unsuccessful
89Anthrax
- Est. 50kg release over urban center of 5 million
people would sicken 250K and kill 100K - 100 kg release would have the same of
casualties as a hydrogen bomb explosion
90Cutaneous Anthrax
- 2000 cases/yr worldwide
- Due to exposure to infected animals / animal
products - Epidemic in Zimbabwe, 1989-1995 10,000 cases
91Cutaneous Anthrax
- Incubation period 1-10 days (avg. 5)
- Pruritic macule or papule day 1
- Round ulcer day 2
- Black eschar follows resolves over 1-2 weeks
- Painful lymphadenopathy
92Cutaneous Anthrax
- Antibiotic Rx (doxy, cipro, pcn) decreases
likelihood of systemic disease - Fatality rate 20 without antibiotics rare with
antibiotics - Following 9/11 11 cases
93Cutaneous Anthrax - Ulcer
94Cutaneous Anthrax - Eschar
95Gastrointestinal Anthrax
- From ingestion of poorly cooked, infected meat
- Oropharyngeal ulcers LAN edema sepsis
- Terminal ileal / cecal lesion - N/V/bloody
D/acute abdomen/ascites/sepsis - Rx Abx (doxy, cipro, pcn), supportive care
96Inhalational Anthrax
- Stage I
- begins 2-43 days post-exposure
- F/dyspnea/cough/HA/V/Ch/weakness/AP/CP
- Lasts a few hours to a few days
97Inhalational Anthrax
- Stage II
- F/dyspnea/diaphoresis/shock
- CXR with widened mediastinum due to
lymphadenopathy - pleural effusions
- 50 develop hemorrhagic meningitis meningismus,
delirium and obtundation - Rapid progression to cyanosis, hypotension and
death
98Inhalational AnthraxWidened Mediastinum
99Inhalational Anthrax
100Inhalational Anthrax
- Dx blood cultures, XR/CT, post-mortem serology
not helpful - Case fatality rate approx. 50
- Rx
- post-exposure antibiotics (doxycycline,
ciprofloxacin, penicillin) - Supportive care
101Anthrax Vaccine
- 3 or 4 dose series
- US armed service members approx 450K vaccinated
to date - Side effects HA 0.4, local rxn 3.6, mild
systemic SEs in 1 - Manufacturer Bioport
- Contract to produce 4.6 million doses for the DOD
102Anthrax Vaccine
- Pre/post exposure vaccination
- Improved vaccine under development
- ?Groups to vaccinate?
103Anthrax The Band
104Non-lethal weapons
- High-power microwaves (crammed into cruise
missiles, discharge a huge energy pulse to damage
electronics) - Soft bombs
- E.g., carbon fiber showers to short circuit
electrical power grids (used in former Yugoslavia
and in Gulf War I)
105Non-lethal Weapons Proposed and Under
Development
- Acoustic
- Acoustic bullets
- Curdler unit shrieks, clangs
- Infrasound penetrates most buildings and
vehicles, causes nausea, diarrhea,
disorientation, internal organ damage and even
death - Squawk box intolerable ultrasound pulses
106Non-lethal Weapons Proposed and Under
Development
- Acoustic and optical weapons
- Photic driver ultrasound plus stroboscopic
infrared flasher to penetrate closed eyelids and
cause seizures - Psycho-correction devices send subliminal
visual and aural messages
107Non-lethal Weapons Proposed and Under
Development
- Barrier Weapons
- Slick coatings slippery like ice
- Sticky foam (used by US in Somalia)
- Obscurants
- Colored smoke felt to cause more psychological
panic than white smoke - Markers
- Fluorescent powder visible under UV light
- Sponge grenades impregnated with infrared dye
- To mark targets
108Non-lethal Weapons Proposed and Under
Development
- Riot Control
- Invisible tear gas
- Electrical
- Police or soldiers jacket which jolts anyone who
touches it - Cattle prods (malicious and accidental use by
civilians)
109Non-lethal Weapons Proposed and Under
Development
- Biotechnical
- Biodegrading microbes (to destroy fuel)
- Genetic code alterations (to create
less-than-lethal but long-term disablements,
perhaps for generations, thereby creating a
societal burden) - Neuro-implants for behavior modification
- Project Agile (1996) race-specific stink bombs
- Pheromones (to impair human and animal
reproduction mark individuals for assaults by
killer bees, other animals or pests)
110Non-lethal Weapons Proposed and Under
Development
- Holograms
- God/gods/other religious figures or symbols
- Soldier forces
- Death, dead comrades
- Others
111Other WMDs
- Small arms
- Land mines
- Cluster bombs
112Health Care System Preparedness for Weapons of
Mass Destruction
- ¾ of US ERs not fully prepared for treating mass
casualties - Only 12 of US hospitals have bioterrorism
response measures developed and in place - Congressional panel estimates gt 50 chance of
terrorist act involving WMDs by 2013
113Health Care System Preparedness for Weapons of
Mass Destruction
- US public health / emergency care system already
in disarray - 80 of states facing budget cuts or holdbacks
- Medicaid over budget in 23 states
114Costs of Militarization
- US over ½ of discretionary tax dollars spent on
the military - US military budget represents 43 of total world
military budget (1.5 trillion in 2009) - Increased spending on nuclear weapons
- Inadequate spending to prevent the spread of
chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons
1152009 Federal Budget2.65 trillion
116Missile Defense ShieldThe Militarization of Space
- Star Wars program proceeding, despite
- Astronomical cost est. 100 billion
- Strong opposition by scientific community
- Spectacular failures in 2/4 tests, despite highly
structured conditions - Abandonment of ABM Treaty by Bush administration
117Missile Defense ShieldThe Militarization of Space
- Shield or very porous umbrella
- Easily overwhelmed and fooled by inexpensive
decoys - No protection against internal accidents or
terrorists bringing weapon onto US soil or dirty
bomb - Proposed use of moon for spy observatories and
weapons
118Dwight Eisenhower
- The problem in defense spending is to figure out
how far you should go without destroying from
within that which you are trying to protect from
without
119Meanwhile...Social Injustices Abound
- 51 million Americans lack health insurance
- 25 of US children live in poverty
- Homelessness, public educational system a
shambles, increasing jail populations, etc. - 2.5 billion people worldwide live in abject
poverty (earn less than 500 per year, lack
access to clean drinking water)
120Meanwhile...Social Injustices Abound
- Worldwide
- poverty increasing
- maldistribution of wealth
- corporatization
- global debt crisis
- environmental destruction and global warming
- AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa
121Environmental Consequences of Militarization
- Worlds single largest polluter
- 8 of global air pollution
- 2-11 of raw material use
- Almost all high and low level radioactive waste
122The US Military
- Owns an amount of land equal to North Korea or
Kentucky (25 million acres) - Much of it polluted
- Cleanup cost estimates in the hundreds of
billions - 2000 abandoned firing ranges
- E.g., Kahoolawe
- 60 people killed by unexploded ordnance since WWII
123Societal Costs of Militarization
- An 8.5 cut in the Pentagons 2003 budget could
- rebuild Americas public schools over the next 10
years - 12 billion - Feed and provide basic health care to all the
worlds poor - 12 billion - Buy health insurance for every uninsured American
child - 6 billion - Military experts agree that a cut double this
size would not affect our war-making powers
124Health Costs of Militarization
- 3 hours of world arms spending annual WHO
budget - ½ day of world arms spending immunization for
all the worlds children - 3 days of US arms spending amount spent on
health, education and welfare programs for US
children in one year
125Health Costs of Militarization
- 3 weeks of world arms spending primary health
care for all in poor countries, including safe
drinking water and full immunizations - Brain drain 2/3 of US scientists work in
military-industrial complex
126Skewed Priorities
- The world spends 1.6 trillion/year on military
goods and services - For 25 of this, we could
- Eliminate starvation and malnutrition
- Provide shelter for all
- Eliminate illiteracy
- Provide clean and safe water
- Prevent soil erosion
127Skewed Priorities
- Prevent global warming
- Stop deforestation
- Aid all refugees
- Retire developing nations debt
- Provide clean, safe energy (through efficiency
and renewables)
128Skewed Priorities
- Prevent acid rain
- Fix the ozone hole
- Stabilize world population
- Provide basic universal health care and AIDS
control - Eliminate nuclear weapons and land mines
129Dwight Eisenhower
- Every gun that is made, every rocket fired,
signifies in the final sense a theft from those
who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold
and not clothed
130Dwight Eisenhower
- This world is not spending money alone. It is
spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of
its scientists, the hopes of its children. This
is not a way of life at all, in any true sense.
Under the cloud of threatening war, it is
humanity hanging from a cross of iron.
131Martin Luther King
- A nation that continues year after year to
spend more money on military defense than on
programs of social uplift is approaching
spiritual death.
132US Foreign Aid
- US ranks 21st in the world in foreign aid as a
percentage of GDP (0.7, versus UN recommended
0.15) - Foreign Aid
- 1/3 military
- 1/3 economic
- 1/3 food and development
- US worlds second largest arms exporter
133Military Spending
- US ½ of discretionary tax dollars spent on the
military - US military budget represents 34 of total world
military budget (1.5 trillion in 2009) - Iraq War costs could reach 2-3 trillion
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137Economic Cost of War, U.S.
138Arms Exports
139Arms Imports
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141Top Pentagon Prime Contractors Fiscal Year 2009
- Lockheed Martin Corp.
- Northrop Grumman Corp.
- Boeing Corp.
- Raytheon Corp.
- General Dynamics Corp.
- KBR, Inc.
142September 11, 2001
143World Trade Center Bombing
- 3300 fatalities - foreign nationals outnumbered
Americans - Environmental health consequences unknown
- 300-400 tons asbestos
- 130,000 gallons of transformer oil contaminated
with PCBS - Lead, sulfuric acid, silicon
- Fine dust particles
144September 11, 2001
- Pentagon 286 casualties
- Pennsylvania approximately 100 casualties
145The War on Terror(The War on Afghanistan, Iraq,
and ?)
- May last 50 or more years Cheney
- Afghanistan
- Ruled by repressive
- human-(womens-)rights-abusing Taliban, then
corrupt quasi-democratic kleptocracy - Potential transit route for oil and gas pipeline
from Central Asia - Strategic importance in Middle East
146Afghanistan
- Population 27 million
- Life expectancy 46 years
- Literacy rate 32
- Avg. annual income 280
147Afghanistan
- Negligible infrastructure secondary to decades of
civil war - 1 of every 230 persons is a land mine amputee
- Infant mortality 146/1000
- 50 of children malnourished 33 are orphans
148Afghanistan/Iraq Parallels
- 10 years of sanctions, bombings resulting in
500,000 to 1,000,000 deaths (per UN) - UN Devt. Index 126/174
- Infant mortality rates jumped from 65/1000
(pre-Gulf War I) to 103/1000 (2003) - Life expectancy decreased from 62 to 56
149Afghanistan/Iraq Parallels
- Literacy decreased from 89 to 57
- Infrastructure devastated, Environment degraded
- Rebuilding post-war?
150What goes around comes around
- 1980s CIA arms Afghan rebels with hundreds of
Stinger missiles - Late 2002 Terrorists using a similar
Russian-made version of Stinger almost bring down
Israeli passenger airline over Kenya - CIA trying to buy back, but most unaccounted for
- Can shoot down a plane at up 6000-8000 feet
- 24 diverted to Iran
151Before Gulf War I
- US sells weapons to Iraq/Hussein
- Including components to produce WMDs
- Rumsfeld visits Baghdad to promote US weapons
sales - US minimally perturbed when Hussein gasses 4000
Kurds, torpedoes US naval vessel
152Gulf War I
- 105,000 military and 110,000 civilian deaths
(almost all Iraqis) - Over 2.25 million refugees
- 2/3 of US casualties from friendly fire
- Cost 61 billion (82 billion in 2003 dollars)
- US pays only 1/6 of cost (most from Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait, Germany and Japan) - Environmental devastation
- 48 billion in claims to UN
153Kuwaiti Oil Fires
154Gulf War II
- Approximately 4,500 U.S. military deaths, over
40,000 injuries (2010) - Traumatic brain injuries common
- Over 100,000 civilian deaths (Iraq)
- Over 2,400 civilian deaths (Afghanistan, 2009
alone) - Massive humanitarian crisis
155Gulf War II
- Financial cost of war 2-3 trillion (est.)
- Includes fighting, rebuilding, veterans health
care, economic losses, etc. - Global travel industry expected to lose over 500
billion - Distraction from North Korea, other threats
- Shock and awe battle plan targeting
infrastructure explicitly prohibited by the
Geneva Conventions
156George W Bushs Military Record
- February, 1968 States desire to be pilot scores
in 25th percentile in pilot aptitude section of
Air Force officers test. - May, 1968 Enlists in Texas Air National Guard
jumps list with assistance of Texas House
Speaker pledges two years of active duty and
four years of reserve duty
157George W Bushs Military Record
- June, 1968 Student deferment expires
- September, 1968 Pulls inactive duty to serve on
Florida Senators re-election campaign - November, 1968 Re-activated
158George W Bushs Military Record
- November, 1970 Promoted to First Lieutenant,
rejected by UT Law School - Spring, 1970 Hired by Texas agricultural
importer to shuttle plants to/from Florida - June, 1970 Joins Guards Champagne Unit,
flying with sons of Texas elite
159George W Bushs Military Record
- May, 1972 Transfers to Alabama Guard unit so he
can work on Senator Blounts re-election campaign - His commanding officer states he never showed up
for duty - Grounded for missing a mandatory physical
160George W Bushs Military Record
- Returns to Houston but never reports for Guard
duty - December, 1972 DUI arrest
- October, 1973 Air National Guard relieves him
from commitment 8 months early, allowing him to
attend Harvard Business School
161US Nuclear Weapons PoliciesUnder GW Bush
- Nuclear Posture Review expands scope of use of
nuclear weapons, including first-strike against
non-nuclear states - Withdrawal from ABM Treaty
- Boycotted Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
Conference - Budgeted money to resume nuclear testing and
development - Possible use of nuclear-powered predator drones
162U.S. Nuclear Policy Under Obama
- U.S. retains first strike option against nuclear
states - START treaty signed by Obama, Putin
- Awaiting Senate approval
- Will limit US and Russia to 1,550 long-range
warheads (still overkill)
163Phillip Berrigan
-
- Nuclear weapons are the scourge of the earth to
mine for them, manufacture them, deploy them, use
them, is a curse against God, the human family,
and the earth itself.
164Disturbing TrendsThe Patriot Bill
- Passed with minimal debate, most Congresspersons
acknowledge not reading - Increased governmental and corporate secrecy
polluters subject to decreased public scrutiny - Erosion of civil liberties deportations,
accused held without charge/access to legal
counsel - 70,000 individuals on governments list of
suspected terrorists
165Disturbing TrendsThe Homeland Security Agency
- The HSA absorbs two dozen agencies, 170,000
employees, 38 billion budget - TIPS program (citizen spying program)
- Total Information Awareness System (Poindexter)
- Paranoia alert levels, duct tape and plastic
sheeting
166Special Interest Provisions in the Homeland
Security Law
- Vaccine liability protection (incl. existing
thimersol lawsuits) Eli Lilly - US corporations setting up offshore business
fronts to avoid paying taxes allowed to contract
with HSD - US government prohibited from publicly releasing
information related to vulnerabilities incl.
safety of nuclear reactors, environmental toxins,
etc
167Special Interest Provisions in the Homeland
Security Law
- Immunity from liability for manufacturers of
anti-terrorism products and technologies - Army investigations show 60-90 of soldiers CBW
protective gear malfunctions - Liability protection for airport screening
companies - Secret advisory meetings with industry permitted,
even if meeting not related to national security - C.f. Cheneys Energy Commission
168Disturbing TrendsCensorship and Propaganda
- US blacks out names of corporations which sold
weapons to Iraq on UN inspectors reports - Covering of Picassos Guernica for news
conferences outside UN Security Council - Armed Services Edition books for soldiers
- WW II the Classics to popular fiction
- Gulf War II Henry V, Art of War, War Letters,
Profiles of American Military Heroes
169Disturbing TrendsCensorship and Propaganda
- No Child Left Behind Education Act contains
amendment requiring that all public schools allow
recruiters in their buildings and provide
military with contact numbers and addresses for
all students - 21st Century McCarthyism
170Disturbing Trends
- Hate crimes, intolerance
- Media jingoism
- TV shows developed/planned Profiles From the
Front Line, Military Diaries, AFP American
Fighter Pilot - Army to ignore FDA safety standards in
experiments on soldiers (legacy of 20th Century
crimes)
171Disturbing Trends
- Budget surplus/deficit
- 2000 surplus 5.6 trillion
- 2003 deficit 2.1 trillion
- 2010 deficit 1.3 trillion
- Cities and states facing huge budget shortfall
- Bush States are on their own.
- Obama Financial meltdown
- Patriot II?
172George W. BushAugust 5, 2004
- Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and
so are we. They never stop thinking about new
ways to harm our country and our people, and
neither do we."
173James Madison
- The fetters imposed on liberty at home have
ever been forged out of the weapons provided for
defense against real, pretended, or imaginary
dangers from abroad.
174Samuel Johnson
-
- Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel
175Responses to TerrorJust War Theory
- The cause must be just
- A lawful authority must decide to resort to force
- The intention of the war must be in accord with
international law - The use of force must be a last resort
176Responses to TerrorJust War Theory
- The probability of success should be high
- The cost-benefit ratio must be high
- The means used must conform with international
humanitarian law
177(No Transcript)
178Ignored Alternatives to War in Iraq
- Border monitoring in Jordan, Syria and Turkey
- Advanced X-ray scanning technology and an
electronic pass system at borders - Sanctions assistance missions to enforce military
sanctions - Political assurances and economic incentives to
neighboring states
179Ignored Alternatives to War in Iraq
- Improve cargo monitoring at port of Azqaba,
Jordan (high-volume port for sea-going cargo to
Iraq) - Create a green list of approved oil companies to
purchase Iraqi oil i.e., those not providing
kickbacks to Hussein - Require audited financial reports from oil
purchasers to enforce above
180Ignored Alternatives to War in Iraq
- Control or shut down the Syria-Iraq pipeline
- Expose and penalize arms embargo violations
- Justice in Palestine
- Israel most UN Security Council Violations
- Economic and humanitarian assistance to poor
Muslim countries build alliances, good will - Middle Eastern Marshall Plan
- Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (c.f. South
Africa, El Salvador)
181The US Rogue Nation
- History Native Americans, slavery, current
excesses, disparities and injustices - Co-opting Nazi and Japanese WWII scientists
- Minimum 277 troop deployments by the US in its
225 year history
182The US Rogue Nation
- Since the end of WWII, the US has bombed
- China, Korea, Indonesia, Cuba, Guatemala, Congo,
Peru, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Nicaragua, El
Salvador, Grenada, Libya, Panama, Afghanistan,
Sudan, Yugoslavia, and Iraq
183The US Rogue Nation
- Conservative estimate 8 million killed
- US invasions/bombings often largely at behest of
corporate interests
184The US Rogue Nation
- In 2009, the US spent about 2,210 per US citizen
on defense - vs. a few dollars per capita on peacekeeping
efforts - The US maintains military bases in 69 sovereign
nations around the world
185The US Rogue Nation
- Continued funding of the Western Hemisphere
Institute for Security Cooperation - Formerly the School of the Americas
- Over 60,000 graduates, including many of the
worst human rights abusers in Latin America
(e.g., Manuel Noriega, Omar Torrijos, and the
assassins of Archbishop Oscar Romero) - School of the Americas Watch, arrests
186International Non-Cooperation/Isolationism
- Failure to sign or approve
- Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change
- Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel
Land Mines - Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
187International Non-Cooperation/Isolationism
- Failure to sign or approve
- Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination
Against Women Convention on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights - Convention for the Suppression of Traffic in
Persons
188International Non-Cooperation/Isolationism
- Failure to sign or approve
- Protocol 1, Article 55 of the Geneva Conventions,
which bans methods or means of warfare which are
intended, or may be expected, to cause
widespread, long-term and severe damage to the
natural environment - The Basel Convention on the Control of
Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes
(designed to control dumping of hazardous wastes
from the industrialized world in developing
countries)
189The US Rogue Nation
- Death Penalty
- US executes more of its citizens than any other
country except China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia - Until recently, the US was the only country to
execute both juveniles and the mentally ill - Failure to follow World Court Decisions
- Largest debtor to the UN (only 40 of dues paid)
190Solutions
- Physician activism (PSR, IPPNW, etc.)
- Increased education public, medical and public
health students - Tolerance and appreciation of diversity
- Conservation measures
- Assist victims of war (PHR, MSF, etc.)
191Thomas Jefferson
- Nothing can keep (government) right but (the
peoples) vigilant and distrustful
superintendence
192Harvey Cushing
- A physician is obligated to consider more than a
diseased organ, more even than the whole man. He
must view the man in his world.
193Rudolph Virchow
- Doctors are natural attorneys for the poor If
medicine is to really accomplish its great task,
it must intervene in political and social life
194The role of the doctor in society
- World Health Organization
- The role of the physician in the preservation
and promotion of peace is the most significant
factor for the attainment of health for all.
195Pastor Niemoller
- First they came for the Jews, and I did not
speak up, for I was not a Jew. - Then they came for the communists, and I did not
speak up, for I was not a communist. - Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did
not speak up, for I was not a trade unionist. - Then they came for me, and there was no one left
to speak up for me.
196Contact Information
- Public Health and Social Justice Website
- http//www.phsj.org
- martindonohoe_at_phsj.org