The Spread of the Coronavirus in War-torn States
Recent Civil Conflicts
Since the Arab Spring protests in 2010 a number of countries in the Middle East have been wracked by large-scale conflicts as authoritarian regimes struggled to put down demonstrations seeking to remove them from power. Unfortunately early hopes that these efforts would result in an end to corruption, democratization of regimes, and increased economic equity soon gave way to the realities of civil war in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Libya.
Libya has seen 30,000+ casualties since 2014. Iraq has had 200,000+ casualties since 2014. Syria has had 345,000+ casualties since 2011. Yemen has lost more than 100,000+ since 2011. Even on the low end of estimates there have been more than half a million casualties associated with these conflicts, with many putting the numbers considerably higher. Further, millions of people have become displaced by these conflicts, either fleeing to other parts of these war-torn countries or beyond their borders to neighboring states, or even beyond to Europe and elsewhere.
In general, conflicts waged on a states territory also contribute to economic losses. Research has shown the economic impact of these conflicts to be especially high. Per a research study published in 2016, Syria’s economy slowed by 10% on average between 2011 and 2014; Yemen’s economy…
