In most cases, war significantly impacts the preexisting unfavorable economic shifts, including deglobalization, inflation, and capitalization. These effects have been evident throughout all historical wars, independent of the origin. The Tigray war was a conflict between the Ethiopian federal government and allied Eritrean forces against the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) (Bloomberg 3). This violent civil war between Ethiopian National Defense Force and its allied Amhara militia and the Trigrayian people has gone on for months, leaving about 20 million people in need of humanitarian aid (Bloomberg 2). The primary source of the war is the power struggle resulting in humanitarian and political crises. Although the Ethiopian forces have managed to push the rebellious Tigrayian population from their regional stronghold, the latter people have refused to back down, and the fighting continues. This struggle has had detrimental economic impacts on the Ethiopian financial status destabilizing their operational dynamic. This discussion analyzes the Tigrayian war through three main themes; capitalism, imperialism, and inequality.
Capitalism
Any war within a given capitalist economy has significant negative financial implications on its functioning. Disputes across borders sink economic structures that form the basic operational structure of a capitalist system. These wars impact economic and social spheres like growth, human capital, and physical infrastructure. Violent conflict has an immediate macroeconomic impact on economic growth and production. These conditions typically create an unsafe business environment that destroys the economy’s productive forces, increases transaction costs, and disrupts economic activity.
In most cases, some of these regions have to seek financial aid from external sources. Bloomberg’s report certifies that the Ethiopian economy is under a financial strain, with the government seeking over $28.4 billion in external debt (Bloomberg 6). A debt load that remains even when peace returns. According to liberal economists, wars are expensive and counterproductive due to the loss of human capital, the destruction, the interruption of trade, and the increase in useless military troops, in addition to the issue of public spending and induced debt. However, even with the distressing situation in Ethiopia, global leaders in the world economy like the United States are limiting their engagement in funding the government (Bloomberg 6)t.
According to an official report from Al Jazeera, the war has left over nine million Ethiopians in humanitarian disaster (Al Jazeera 10). Each group within the Trigrayian war fights for their best interest, seeking an objective means to benefit. However, the majority capitalist class focuses on their main interests, defending their operational dynamic, including their human and physical resources. To limit the impact of the war on their systems, most of these industries have limited their interaction with the significantly affected northern part of Ethiopia. Consequently, the region has inadequate resources, desperate food shortages, and limited access to essential services, including communication lines, medical care, banking, and power supply.
Imperialism
Some governments apply imperialism to expand their power and influence through military force. In the Trigrayian war, the Ethiopian federal government joined forces with the allied Eritrean army to gain influence over the Tigray region. Similarly, the Trigrayian population also uses energy to assert their power within the area. According to the Bloomberg report, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy’s primary objective in assuming the position was to consolidate power within the border. However, this objective implied going against the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF), which had had control over the region for over three decades (Bloomberg 3). This struggle for power and more regional autonomy has resulted in an unstable structure within the Ethiopian environment, with thousands of casualties and millions displaced. This struggle has set forth the stage for a humanitarian crisis creating an environment where one party can only thrive at the expense of the other. According to the Bloomberg report, the federal police have murdered thousands of ethnic residents from the Oromo and Nuers communities in the Tigray region to gain rule over the area (Bloomberg 3). The Tigray war is fueled by the government’s will to establish control over the region against the people’s will through infiltration and military force to establish it as a colony, forming the basis of imperialism.
Inequality
According to the majority of economic assessments, inequality refers to the gap in how incomes are distributed among people within a border. The foundation of the so-called capital markets argument is the significance of profitable investments for societal and personal success. The lack of financial resources particularly prevents the impoverished from investing in
capital, both physical and human resources. The Tigray war has created an unequal system, with the southern part of the country having continued access to essential resources. In contrast, the northern Tigray regions have difficulty accessing essential services (Al Jazeera 10). Reports on the war crimes reveal a majority of the Tigrayian population is suffering at the hands of the man-made crisis.
The Tigray War is closely similar to the Ukrainian war. However, the Tigray war has received significantly less attention and support in the global environment. Different sources suggest that the disparities in support in the two wars can be attributed to racial and ethnic factors (NPR 4). According to the NPR news on an official statement from the World Health Organization Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the ignorance of various world leaders about the ongoing Trigrayian war could be because of their ethnic background (NPR 4). Although the war threatened to destabilize the horn of Africa, a strategically essential but occasionally tumultuous region, very little humanitarian aid was permitted into the country. Consequently, aid workers and local health professionals have reported people starving to death and running out of essential medical supplies (NPR 4). In response to international mediation efforts, aid has started to flow more often (NPR 4). However, these supplies are generally regarded as insufficient to address the needs of the millions of people impacted by the Trigrayian war.
In conclusion, the Trigrayian war has significantly impacted the preexisting unfavorable economic shifts, including deglobalization, inflation, and capitalization. Three main themes surrounding the war include inequalities, capitalism, and imperialization. The war has had instantaneous macroeconomic effects of violent conflict on economic growth and productivity. These circumstances frequently result in an unfavorable business climate that destroys the economy’s productive forces, drives up transaction costs, and disrupts economic activity. Inequality can be viewed from both internal and external points of view. The war has resulted in a clear division between the northern and southern regions, with the northern population having limited access to resources. Additionally, although the Trigray War is closely similar to the Ukrainian war, it has received significantly less attention and support in the global environment because of racial inequalities. The Tigray war was caused by the government’s desire to use military force and infiltration to take control of the area against the people’s will to turn it into a colony, which is the foundation of imperialism.
Works Cited
Aljazeera. The Ethiopian government proposes a plan for peace in war-torn Tigray. 2022, August 17. https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2022/8/17/ethiopia-government-proposes-plan-for-peace-in-tigray
NPR. Ethiopia denounces WHO head for saying crisis ignored because of Tigrayans’ skin color. 2022, August 18. https://www.npr.org/2022/08/18/1118165935/who-tigray-crisis-tedros-skin-color-ethiopia
Bloomberg. The Conflict Testing Ethiopia’s Nobel-Winning Leader. 2022, August 8. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-08/ethiopia-s-war-ended-now-there-s-hunger-and-strife-quicktake
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