Why are there wars?

People have always waged wars. Earlier the reason was to expand empires, but today natural resources such as crude oil, ores, precious stones, and even water are major causes for wars. Even religion frequently plays a role, for instance, in the conflict between Israel and the neighboring countries in the Middle East. In modern wars, information provided by the intelligence service is as important as the soldiers and their weapons. Wars are always terrible for the people especially for the child soldiers.

How can one stop wars?

There has to be a dialogue between the warring nations to stop the war. If there is a crisis anywhere in the world, politicians from other countries often try to mediate between the fighting parties. They are often able to convince them to talk to each other and the reach a compromise. This is one of the main tasks of the UNO. United Nations Organization. The UNO can also send their own special troops to the crisis area to bring about peace.

What is a civil war?

A civil war is not a war between two countries, but a war in which two or more groups fight within the same country. They an be either different groups of people fighting against each other or the army fighting against a part of the population. In Iraq, for instance, two different sects Muslims, the Shias and the Sunnis, have been fighting for years. In Africa, civil wars flare up from time to time, usually when elections are to be held or when power has been forcibly taken away from someone. There are problems after a civil war too, because people need to live in the same country with the people against whom they had fought earlier.

How do people survive during wars?

In war zones, people suffer from hunger, cold and fear for their lives every day. Rockets or bombs often explode in the neighborhood. Life still has to go on and people try to adjust with the situation. About 150 years ago, there was 'hand -to-hand' combat in wars. In the First World War (1914-1918), aerial weapons were used for the first time. In the Second World War, complete cities were destroyed by bombs and fire. Today, the enemy is often invisible and rocket are launched miles from their point of impact. Since the soldiers ar not near the war zone, they may not realize the death suffering caused by them.

Who are child soldiers?

It is a gruesome fact that children, sometimes as young as eight years old, are sent as soldiers to fight in civil wars.There are about 300,000 child soldiers world wide, for instance in Africa, in Columbia, and Myanmar. The children may be used as porters, cooks, or fighters. Before sending them to wars the army promises the money and a better life, but the reality is just the opposite.

What does an intelligence service do?

All countries have their own intelligence service. They employ agents to get secret military, economic, political, or scientific information about other countries. Satellites are also launched in space to get information about the activities in the world. News satellites sometimes spy on their own citizens. Pakistan's ISI and the United States' CIA are well-known intelligence agencies. The British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) works overseas to make the UK safer and more prosperous.