Cost of Conflict

Cost of Conflict is a tool which attempts to calculate the price of conflict to the human race. The idea is to examine this cost, not only in terms of the deaths and casualties and the economic costs borne by the people involved, but also the social, developmental, environmental and strategic costs of conflict. In most cases organizations measure and analyze the economic and broader development costs of conflict. While this conventional method of assessing the impact of conflict is fairly in-depth, it does not provide a comprehensive overview of a country or region embroiled in conflict. One of the earliest studies assessing the true cost of conflict on a variety of parameters was commissioned by Saferworld and compiled by Michael Cranna. Strategic Foresight Group has taken this science to a new level by developing a multi-disciplinary methodology, that has been applied to most parts of the world. A key benefit of using this tool is to encourage people to look at conflict in new ways and to widen public discussion of the subject, and to bring new insights to the debate on global security.

In today's world the cost of conflict tool and analysis can also be used to alert voters to the consequences of their governments' current positions,; these voters can be within the same country for example in the case of India, in countries within the same region as in the case of the Middle East, or Western voters whose nations are involved in conflicts abroad.

While the study of conflict is not new, the use of 'Cost of Conflict' as a comprehensive tool is relatively new. While engaging in such a study it is also important to identify what is meant by 'costs', and to differentiate between measurable costs that have a bearing on resources, and costs that have a bearing on living conditions.