ABSTRACT
The effects of extreme violence such as the war in Iraq can be far-reaching, often having severe indirect consequences. We typically think of the direct health consequences of war, such as soldier and civilian casualties caused by bullets and bombs. There are, however, numerous indirect health consequences that devastate populations (Ghobarah et al. 2003; Murray et al. 2002). Because many of these indirect effects only become evident over time, policy-makers and those who have the most control over initiating violence often do not take these factors into consideration. As armed conflict continues to affect populations around the globe it is extremely important to explore the real human cost of war.
