World

War, conflict big foes of sustainable development

By Chen Xuefei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-04-07 11:03

Fourth, there are no winners in war. The US and UK bombed Iraq without UN authorization. The international image of the US and UK was substantially damaged. How much did the cost of war damage the US and UK economy? Expert should calculate it and the public should get to know this truth.

It is the wars that the US has been engaging in all these years after the Second World War that have dragged the country into many troubles such as unemployment. Except being the largest weapon producer in the world and the one who spends the most on the military in the world, the US can fall in many other areas. But with the above distinctions, what kind of America can it become? That’s hard to imagine. Its government should reflect on its policy and change its image of belligerence.

An ancient Chinese saying goes, if one sends out its troops far away to attack others, it will fail easily.

War and conflict cannot solve development problems. Nor can it solve humanitarian problems. War and conflict can only aggravate the situation in other parts of the world. And it will take longer for those areas to catch up in development.

Only in a peaceful environment can development goals be achieved. Without peace, there will be no development or sustainable development.

The author is a freelance journalist who focuses on sustainable development. She can be reached at chenxuefei7@hotmail.com.