APHA Conference - Peace Caucus Lecture

I attended the Peace Caucus Lecture on War and Public Health and was absolutely delighted to see that this issue is taking a bigger stage in the arena of Public Health. Below are some of my notes from the lecture. The notes do not do the lecture justice, as the documentary presentations and conversation that followed the lecture were both stimulating and thought-provoking. And please keep in mind these are notes that I typed very rapidly and without a lot of editing:) Without further delay: War and Public Health

Introductory Remarks

An Assessment of the Extent of Projected Global Famine Resulting From Limited, Regional Nuclear War: Climate and Health Effects of Regional Nuclear War: How sudden global cooling could produce a ‘nuclear famine’ – I. Helfand, MD
• International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (Physicians for Social Responsibility)
• The fall of temperature due to nuclear war would have a dramatic effect on health, agriculture, etc.
• Indonesia large volcanic eruption – only about half the destruction we expect from regional nuclear war
o prolonged cooling,
o extensive crop failure,
o drought,
o severe famine
• Effects may last as long as a decade (536-554 AD – this is what happened from prolonged cooling)
• But with Nuclear Regional War
o Disruption of the ozone layer
o Diversion of agriculture for industrial use (ethanol)
o Contamination by radioactive material
• We are extremely unprepared to deal with this sort of catastrophe
• Price of grain worldwide would increase exponentially
• Most people (1 billion) will die – this is a realistic figure
• The arsenals of all the nuclear powers are a threat
• Threat of the large scale war between the U.S. and Russia
o Would have even more consequences because of the large nuclear warheads that each country possesses
o Everything that we depend on for survival would be completely destroy
o The climate destruction would be catastrophic for the entire world (would drop temperature 4 degrees centigrade)
• We have come within minutes of being engaged in nuclear war several times
o The latest episode was in January 5, 1995
o These are the only instances that we know about

Health Impacts of War in the Middle East – A.F. Meyers, MD, MPH; A. Rothchild, MD
• Gaza Community Mental Health Programme
• 2008 Emergency Appeals Around the World
• Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Office
• www. chaopt.org
• West Bank
o travel restrictions on West Bank roads
• Access to work, health services, etc.
o The government of Israel is working to build a physical barrier (separation wall, Apartheid Wall)
• Cuts off Palestinian farmers from arable land
• Most Palestinians are living between the barrier and the green line
o No improvement in Palestinian movement after AMA: Agreement on Movement and Access (2005)
o The government has failed to implement is obligations
o What was once justified on the short term has now been made permanent
o Settler attacks
• Gaza: despite the withdrawal of Israelis, conditions have continued to deteriorate
o 1.5 million people
o 6 nautical mile fishing limit imposed by Israel
o cease fire has been in effect for over nine months
• Israel said it would allow more imports into Gaza, but no improvements have been made
o Restriction of fuel imports
• Only received 1/3 fuel it needs to operate
• 250 thousand people with a severe lack of water
o Sewage has killed most sea-life due to industrial plant waste
• Holding Health to Ransom – GSS Interrogation and Extortion of Palestinian Patients at Erez Crossing (August 2008)
• Mental health
• 86% report sleeping problems
• 77% deterioration family relationship
• 72% tension among children
• 40% losing land, being uprooted

Creating a World Without War
• Human Consequences of war
o Death and disability
o Destruction of communities and cultures
o Diversion of resources
o Infrastructure disruption
o Etc.
• Why now?
o Climate change
o Nuclear Proliferation
o Global Economic Crisis
• Paradigm shift is needed:
o Creating a culture of peace in which human needs receive high priority and conflicts are settled peacefully and nonviolently
• Banning teaching of hate
• Strengthening international agencies and nongovernmental organizations
• Intervene before conflicts break out
• Former president of Finland – preventing armed conflict from breaking out
• These kinds of efforts need to be systemitized
o Controlling weapons and decreasing military expenditures
• Restrict international arms trade
• Stop illegal arms networks worldwide
• Strengthening international treaties to control chemical, biological, and especially nuclear weapons
• Decreasing military expeditures
o Improving the conditions in which people live in order to reduce the underlying causes of war
• Reduce poverty and socioeconomic and health disparities
• Improving quality, accessibility, and affordability of health care
• Strengthening public health
• Strengthening the social safety net
• Improving education and employment opportunities
• Hosts-Agents-Environment – this is the model they hope to use
• Believe it can be applied to create a world without war
• Developing the Popular and Political Will
o Educating others
o Advocating for policies and programs to prevent war and promote peace
o Strengthening the organization and financial support of institutions
• It is now recognized by the WHO as a health issue
o Interpersonal violence
o Intra personal violence
o Collective Violence
• Establish a U.S. Department of Peace
• Paradigm Shift
o Love rather than fear
o Kindness rather than compulsion

Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience – R.E. Robbins
Documentary – veterans from previous wars and this current war in Iraq

Day One of the APHA 2008 Conference in San Diego

Today was a settling-in day for me, a chance to look around and become acquainted with the area and the center. I am very excited about all of the opportunities to learn at this conference. I am also very excited about all of the opportunities to run along the marina :-)

I read an article in the latest Foreign Affairs journal (Vol. 87 No. 6) regarding the world food crisis. It was, perhaps, the best article I have read about this particular subject. "The Politics of Hunger," by Paul Collier, takes a practical look at the way the world is currently growing and supplying food and offers several suggestions on how to make the task more efficient and cost-effective.

Collier warns against the populism that has thus far fueled the global food crisis. He goes on to suggest that the GM/anti-American battle between the U.S. and Europe should end immediately if any gain is to be made on the side of commercial food production.

I will not go into detail about the article here and now, but I hope to come back to the article and the subject at a later time.

Book Review: What is the What

I was recently asked to post a book review for What is the What, a work of fiction (but based on real events) by a Sudanese refugee who resettles in the United States. From the first words in the Introduction, I could not put this book down for even one minute. The feelings and images are clearly communicated through eloquent, raw, witty, and sometimes humorous telling of this personal fictional biography. I find difficulty in labeling this book a work of fiction because the main character is a real person and his story is true. However, due to the difficulty in retelling such a traumatic story with years of backlog, and the fact that the main character does not choose to write the book himself, it remains a work of fiction.
In the book, the author moves seamlessly from real time situations to memories and flashbacks of the war in the Sudan. What results is a disturbing realization that life as a resettled refugee in the United States has just as many barriers as actually living as a Sudanese refugee in Kenya. Although the nature of the barriers is obviously somewhat dissimilar, the situations in which the main character finds himself are nonetheless disheartening and detrimental to his well-being. As an educational tool for learning about the war and its consequences in Sudan, this book is a must-read. Detailed maps and information regarding the history of the conflict come in handy for those who may not be as familiar with the subject. As a work of fiction, this book pulls at the heartstrings of the reader. End the end, the reader is asked, not to feel ashamed, or calloused, or angry, or amused, but, is asked simply to feel something. The fact that the cathartic decision is in the hands of the reader makes the book a necessary addition for anyone interested in issues of human rights and justice, no matter what their personal convictions might be.

Heartland Film Festival

Over the weekend and first half of this week, I saw several films features at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis. The films I saw are as follows:

Lumumba - A feature film following the rise and fall of Patrice Lumumba, former PM of The Democratic Republic of Congo.


As We Forgive - A documentary following the lives of two Rwandan women and the men who murdered their families as they attempt to reconcile and rebuild their community.

WarChild - A documentary following Emmanuel Jal, a former Sudanese child soldier, as he works to helps his people and faces his past.

Tsotsi - A feature film about a South African gang leader who loses his childhood, only to save a child from a world he has never known.

I cannot go into as much detail as is warranted by these fantastic films, but I will say that I am pleased by the wide variety of African films feature at this year's festival. I was not able to see Pray the Devil Back to Hell, a documentary about the women's movement in Liberia, but along with the films that I was able to see, I am glad that many countries in Africa were represented. Also, I witnessed more positive action and emotions coming from these films than I have at festivals in years past. I am hoping that the individuals who come to see these films will leave with a greater knowledge of at least one African country and will have a hopeful feeling upon leaving the theater. People all over the continent are stepping up to help themselves and each other and I am much pleased that the entire world is being shown these wonderful improvements in such an artistic and creative way. Bravo!

I love Africa . . .

The heat is out of control and this is what happens . . .

More memories, but from Nigeria 2007 . . .